The Mustard Seed and Leaven

Intro

Pray | Welcome | This morning I want to spend a little time talking to you about a kingdom worth serving. If you have your Bibles please make your way to Matthew chapter 13:31-33.

We are continuing our series this morning as we look at the Teachings of Jesus, this morning we are looking at a parable that puts the Kingdom of God at the center of the focus.

If you have found your way to Matthew 13:31-33, would you say Word?

Matthew 13:31–33 ESV

31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” 33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”

Unlike last weeks parable, we do not have an explanation of the parable from Jesus to his disciples. As a result of the lack of Jesus’ clear explanation.

With that said, we can see that these two parables are similar in theme. Both use similes to describe the kingdom of God. Another similarity, they both use something small. Third, they both grow.

Before we dive into the take aways of from our text. I would like to spend some time explaining the objects of our parables this morning.

a. The Mustard seed

Prompt: Image of a mustard seed.

This is a single grain of a mustard seed. It is extremely small you could have many on just the tip of your finger. It is the smallest seed that was used in the regions gardens when Jesus was alive.

Another aspect of the mustard seed, is it was the largest plant that would be in planted in the garden. They typically grow around 4 feet tall. However, it is not uncommon to see them much larger. In fact here is a picture of the black mustard seed plant in a dense bush, tree like form. It would provide plenty of protection for a group of birds to make their home.

Some people like to point to this parable and try to prove that Jesus didn’t understand good science therefore the Bible is untrustworthy. Their argument, is that there is smaller seeds than the mustard seed and two, a mustard seed cannot become an actual tree.

If you are like me, you can get hung up on something like this, I want to help you avoid the pitfalls these individuals find themselves in.

First of all, Parables do not have to be literal but can overstate or even exaggerate a common truth to emphasize the truth. Second, the mustard seed was the smallest common garden plant used in the region. Third, the plant has grown to an extent where birds could make their nest in it. Fourth, lets think about the original audience: they are familiar with the Mustard Seed and commonly recognized it as the smallest seed and used it for reference. Also, they recognized the plant to be a very large garden plant and knew it could tower over them. The plant has been known to naturally grow as tall as nearly 10 feet tall, although this is not common. So, Jesus is using a common seed, used for spice, and it’s mature plant to communicate a spiritual truth concerning the kingdom of God.

The second reference is leaven.

b. the leaven

Leaven comes in various forms, we have yeast, baking powder, baking soda, whipping, and beating that are all classified as leaven. In the Bible though, it is most often understood as being a fermented dough. Something to consider, the New Testament uses leaven to symbolize evil influence that will pervert and corrupt the believer if allowed to remain.

Jesus tells the people to watch out for the pharisees leaven in Matthew 16:5-12

Matthew 16:5–12 ESV

5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 11 How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Also, Luke 12:1

Luke 12:1 ESV

1 In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Paul tells the Corinthian church to become new lumps of dough, devoid of leaven:

1 Corinthians 5:6–13 ESV

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

Yet, Jesus in the parable of leaven does not use leaven in a negative sense but a positive. So why?

First, leaven in all the contexts communicates that leaven is pervasive and expands throughout the dough. In the negative passages, we see that the sin infects and perverts the whole body.

Another way to think about it is like this: It is in the middle of the summer, you have been outside, sweating, and your thirsty. You watch me pour a cup of ice water in a crystal clear glass. It is clean, fresh, purified water. Then, I and put some antifreeze in it, mix it and offer it to you. Do you want it now? Of course not! Antifreeze poisoning can kill a person! It is deadly.

When we see Jesus talking about leaven, it is pervasive. A small amount grows and expands throughout bread.

I enjoy baking bread from time to time. It is a really neat process. Personally, I love a good dutch oven baked bread. In order to have a good bread, you need your yeast. There are different ways to activate the yeast but in general, you must warm it up with a warm but not hot water, add a fuel source for the yeast usually sugar or honey. Then, let it sit for a specified time to double in size. It grows, as it feeds on the food, then you add it to your dough mixing until it is fully incorporated. Then you let it sit until it doubles in size, in some cases it might even triple. However, what is happening is the dough is being fermented and it is expanding throughout the whole dough.

Sin has that effect on us, it perverts us entirely.

Yet, Jesus uses this same pervasive illustration to show that the kingdom of God starts small but will grow.

So what then do we learn from both of these parables?

1. The kingdom of God has a humble beginning. 

Jesus has established that God’s kingdom is present, prior to this parable in Matthew 11:12

Matthew 11:12 ESV

12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.

With the birth of the church, we know from Peter’s sermon at Pentecost that the promised descendent of David will now rule forever because of Jesus’ resurrection. Look at Acts 2:30-32:

Acts 2:30–32 ESV

30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.

Also, it is important to remember that Paul tells us that upon our salvation we are transferred from the kingdom of this world to the kingdom of heaven in Colossians 1:13

Colossians 1:13 ESV

13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,

Knowing that the kingdom of God is hear now because of the work of Jesus we can rightly see how the kingdom of God has a humble beginning. We need to look no further than gospel’s to see this reality.

a. Jesus’ early life.

Jesus’ birth is not one fitting of a king let alone one for God in the flesh. He was born in a humble home, his father a carpenter. At a humble location, in a stable amongst animals. He had a humble beginning to his ministry. He called ordinary men to follow him.

b. Jesus’ disciples.

The disciples were made up of ordinary men with ordinary lives. None of them were kings, princes, governors, nor were they religious leaders. They were fishermen, a tax collector, and a revolutionary. They were just ordinary people. They didn’t have an extraordinary background. Their resume wasn’t loaded with experience. They were ordinary men that God used for extraordinary work. Jesus used these humble beginnings to do something incredible.

Don’t miss this truth, no matter your past, no matter your lack of life experience, God will use you for his kingdom if you will humble yourself and seek his will in your life!

c. The birth of the church.

The church’s birth is in Acts, it was the humble disciples who God uses to share the gospel with a few. At the preaching of the word, about three thousand people respond with saving faith! These people would proceed out from Jerusalem with the gospel message.

Look back at our text,

Matthew 13:31 ESV

31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.

Matthew 13:33 ESV

33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”

Jesus tells the people that his kingdom of heaven is like the small, tiny seed of the mustard plant and lis like a small lump of leaven that leavens the bread. In other words, Jesus is telling the people that his kingdom will start very small but it will not remain small,

Not only do we see that the Kingdom of God has a humble beginning, we also see that,

2. The kingdom of God grows over time. 

Look at Matthew 13:32

Matthew 13:32 ESV

32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

Jesus tells the people that even though the seed starts small it grows into the largest garden plant. Jesus reference to the leaven is similar in that the bread dough would expand and grow and the leaven would leaven the entire dough.

I think we often times take for granted, the significance of the growth of the gospel reach history has seen. Think about it. Ordinary people, only a few, were entrusted to faithfully expand the gospel reach, in which, they shared and entrusted other faithful people to do the same. Before Peter’s Pentecost sermon, the group could have easily fit in this room, after pentecost, would have had to expand to the parking lot just to let people be together. Yet, then it expanded even further. You have churches being established in new cities, new regions and we have letters written to those churches under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that is preserved for us today. Then, those churches continued to expand the reach. The Roman empire falls, other great empires are birthed and pass away. Over time, the church continues to grow in its influence and reach. Today, more than 2.3 billion people claim to be Christians. While not all those who claim to be Christians are really saved, the growth of the church nearly 2000 years has been extraordinary. It has expanded to reach across the globe.

Yet, our work is not done! There are still 3.2 to 3.4 billion people living in what is classified as unreached or least-reached catagories. In other words, there is around 40-42% of the world that has yet to be exposed to the gospel truth. We cannot stop calling out the called!

A recent study showed that Outside of Midwestern and New Orleans, the SBC seminaries are shrinking in enrollment. However, with that said, Liberty University Divinity School is growing at an unbelievably high rate! So there is encouragement that people are still answering the call. However, what we are seeing, is that fewer are answering the call than a decade or more ago. We are in desperate need for believers to accept the call to take the gospel to lost world!

We see that God took ordinary men and has already accomplished something extraordinary. The parable has shown us that the kingdom of God has a humble beginning, and grows over time, now lets see the third take away.

3. The kingdom of God provides stability for all time.

Matthew 13:32 ESV

32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

What we see in our mustard seed parable is that the result of the kingdom of heaven’s growth is that it because a stable home for the birds of the air. In the parable of the sower, the birds are referenced as satan gobbling up the seed of the gospel. While that is clearly a negative, birds in general are not something to be considered good or bad necessarily. They are creatures. In this parable, they find their home in the mustard seed that has grown extraordinarily in size to the point of becoming a “tree.” The stability of the tree, gives them security and safety. They know they can build their home on this solid foundation.

Jesus is our foundation, we can build our life on Jesus because he died for us and rose from the grave. Jesus’ kingdom is not one that will be thrown away. It is everlasting. We have true security in Jesus. When you you place your life in the hands of Jesus, you can rest assured that you do not have to wonder if your life will pan out. You are given security knowing that the kingdom of God, and your life will last for eternity!

There is no greater investment in this world than investing in Jesus with your whole life. It is the only stock that will never diminish. It’s growth and security are eternal and true!

Closing

This morning, in Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed and the leaven, show us the reality of the Kingdom of God. He chose to begin the kingdom with a humble beginning using ordinary men, it has grown and continues to grow, and it is a source of stability for all who place their trust in Jesus!

Invitation

This morning, maybe you haven’t invested your life in Jesus.