Mustard Seed Kingdom

In our text today, Jesus speaks of something so small that if you wanted to see it, you couldn’t—at least from the distance of pulpit to pew. I could hold it up right here, right in front of you, give you time for a good, long look, and you’d never see it. It’s too tiny.

Do you know what I’m thinking of? A mustard seed. And the reason I brought it up is because our Lord Jesus Christ spoke some curious words about such a little thing. He said, and I quote (strong voice): “THE KINGDOM OF GOD (small voice) is like a mustard seed” (Mark 4:31). That doesn’t seem to make sense. A mustard seed? An insignificant, unimpressive seed, quite obviously incapable of doing anything great, is like (strong voice) “THE KINGDOM OF GOD”? It seems difficult to reconcile the words of our Savior with a tiny seed.

But that’s what Jesus teaches in our text today.

The Kingdom of God, like a Mustard Seed,

Appears Insignificant, Unimpressive,

Incapable of Doing Anything Great.

The Kingdom

It’s important to begin by understanding that the kingdom of God to which Jesus referred is a reference to himself and his saving work. Scripture tells us that Jesus sat with people, taught or healed them, and then proclaimed, “the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Lk 17:21) or the “kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 4:17).

But just as the tiny mustard seed can’t be seen from more than a couple feet away, Jesus often appeared insignificant, unimpressive, incapable of doing anything great. At first glance, this “Kingdom” didn’t seem like much of a kingdom at all. Christ didn’t have an Army or Navy. Instead, he had twelve ordinary looking men following him around, and some of them smelled like dead fish.

Apparently, this Kingdom didn’t even include Nazareth, because Jesus was thrown out of his hometown.

This Kingdom included the least desirable people around: sinners, prostitutes, tax collectors. You might as well just invite anyone into it—and he did. Some Kingdom this was. Insignificant, unimpressive, and by all appearances, it seemed incapable of doing anything great.

This kingdom really seemed unimpressive when its King was hauled off, hung up, and dragged down. Jesus, it appeared, was no match for a few lightly armed temple guards, to say nothing of the mighty Romans. He seemed to all tongue-tied under pressure, have no answer to his accusers, no eloquent final inspiration for his followers. Hanging on the cross, he looked as helpless as a rebel slave. And dead, well, nothing was going to come of that.

Of course, Jesus knew all this. That was exactly his point when he spoke of the mustard seed. “And he said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade’” (Mark 4:30–32). Though that seed was tiny, from it would grow the largest plant in the garden. From something so insignificant, unimpressive, seemingly incapable of doing anything great would come a plant so wonderful that living creatures can find shelter and refuge in it. And when it comes to the kingdom of God, Christians would do very well to pay attention, remember and believe this lesson, because not much has changed to this very day.

The Kingdom Today Looks Unimpressive

The Kingdom Among us Today, Jesus in Word and Sacrament, still appears unimpressive.

The kingdom of God is among us. The kingdom of God is here.

Jesus is as active today among us as he was when he healed the paralytic man and forgave his sin (Mk 2).

He is as active today as when he gave blind Bartimaeus his sight (Mk 10).

He is as active today among us as the day he fed the five thousand (Mk 6).

For Jesus comes to us through the Means of Grace — his Word and Sacraments — to forgive, renew, and give life. We are called to faith by his Gospel. He washes our sin in Baptism. He feeds us his Supper for our salvation. The kingdom of God is here, reigning in truth and grace through the ministry of his Church.

And yet, to the naked eye, this kingdom of God, this kingdom of grace, doesn’t look like much. Bread is just bread. Water is water. Wine is wine. Spoken absolution is just a bunch of words. And the only thing that sermons heal is bad cases of insomnia. You can go through the entire Sunday paper and find nothing that happens here has been deemed worthy to print—not even in the “Life” section.

But perhaps what’s even worse is that, when viewed by Christians, the kingdom of God among us still seems insignificant, unimpressive, and incapable of doing anything great. I’m sure you’ve heard the list of concerns: the people just aren’t coming in; our witness seems to fail; we need more upbeat music to attract the young people and younger families; and, more than that, my child’s behavior doesn’t seem to be improving, even though I bring him to church! It’s at these times that Christians may lose faith and be tempted to dress up the Good News to make it more appealing or water down the Word to make it more palatable or even censor the cross to make it less offensive.

This is what happens when Christians lose heart, believing the Kingdom presented here is just an insignificant mustard seed. When that is all we can see, we’re in trouble.

Faith Sees Great Things

So once more let’s call to heart and mind the truth of our Savior’s words. The Kingdom merely appears insignificant, unimpressive, and incapable of doing anything great. Jesus said that while the mustard seed is the smallest of the seeds, when it’s planted it grows and becomes the largest plant in the garden, perhaps as high as ten feet, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade. Though human wisdom and logic, when left to themselves, can never believe it, the eyes of faith see it correctly.

In faith, we see things as they are. Every Sunday morning, the seed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is sown. People hear. Some, in faith, repent. And in that very moment, the host of heavenly angels is rejoicing. A thrill goes through heaven above at something that took place down here among us.

Here in this place, the almighty and merciful Creator speaks to us by his Word. And we speak to him in our prayers—and in the name of his Son, who made peace for us with the Father through his blood shed on that cross—He listens. We praise the strong name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in song. Together, we stand as one Body baptized in Christ and boldly confess our one faith in one voice, clearly stating who God is and the deeds he’s done in the words of our historic creeds.

And, oh, yes, sins are forgiven. My sins, your sins, are paid for in the death of our Savior, Jesus. Pronounced to us in absolution, received by us in the Supper of Christ’s body and blood. Guilt is replaced by peace. Death is replaced by life. As Luther so simply put it in the Small Catechism, where there is forgiveness of sins there is life and salvation. And through all these gifts, the Holy Spirit is at work strengthening faith and love toward our God, and he moves us to love our neighbor. That’s the mustard seed growing, and that, by the power of the Spirit, is what happens here.

To miss this kingdom of God would be like looking into the manger and seeing only an unfortunate baby. To say that the Word and Sacraments as something that needs to be enhanced in order to make it desirable, is like saying what God has done is not good enough. In this life, in this world, the kingdom of God will appear to be just a mustard seed: insignificant, irrelevant, incapable of great things.

But as we know, that wasn’t just another baby in a manger, and that wasn’t a religious sap on the cross. So we know and rejoice that the Good News of Jesus, which is the power of God unto salvation, hidden in common earthly means, is revealed to us. Power that has forgiven our sins, called us to faith, and given eternal life. This ministry started on the other side of the world and provides a refuge of grace and peace across the world still today.

Hidden But Great!

And our own lives in the Kingdom have a hidden significance that is great indeed

And like those birds that Jesus talked about, seeking shelter in the shade of a mustard plant, we live by faith within the shelter of this kingdom of grace, where Christ’s righteousness covers all our sin. And then, one day, when our Lord returns, we and all the world, believers and unbelievers alike, will see just how great the kingdom of the mustard seed is.

But until the day comes, we who live in and with knowledge of the mystery of the mustard seed have lives of extraordinary hidden significance. No one may take notice of a parent who has a devotion in the Word with his child for five minutes at the end of the day. Seemingly insignificant. A small amount of time. But remember the mustard seed and rejoice in what you do in Jesus’ name. Likewise, a simple invitation extended to someone to come to church, where the gifts of Jesus are given. It won’t make the nightly news, but it could cause rejoicing in heaven.

It’s just like Jesus said in the other parable in our text: “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come” (Mark 4:26–29). No big deal what the farmer does, what we do, but what a harvest!

Rarely, if ever, will someone hold us in regard for living by faith in Christ — more likely they will criticize us. The newspaper or evening news won’t report on this. And it’s not their job. But for you and me, who own this glorious mystery, it’s our job. The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. And don’t forget it. You can only see it with the eyes of faith, and then live in its grace.

Invite people to come to this place, where the precious seed is sown. And let us pray that God will make it grow among us all.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.