Hello Believers,
Today, let’s study another parable that Jesus shares with His disciples, the Parable of the Mustard Seed:
“And He was saying, ‘How shall we compare the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it?’”
— Mark 4:30
Here, our Lord introduces the kingdom of God in a similar way as He did in the Parable of the Seed in the previous section:
“And He was saying, ‘The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil;’”
— Mark 4:26
We see that the focus of these parables is all concerning the kingdom of God. Time and time again, Jesus shows His listeners that the arrival of the kingdom is central to His ministry. This is how He began His ministry following His baptism and temptation, focusing on preaching about the kingdom of God:
“From that time, Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
— Matthew 4:17
As we examine these parables, we realize that the central message revolves around the preaching of the gospel. In these parables, the gospel message is packaged and presented in different ways. In this particular parable, Jesus illustrates the kingdom of God using the example of a mustard seed:
“It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is the smallest of all the seeds that are upon the soil,”
— Mark 4:31
At the time, the mustard seed was considered one of the smallest seeds. Matthew’s account emphasizes this point:
“He presented another parable to them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is the smallest of all seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is the largest of the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.’”
— Matthew 13:31-32
This is how the kingdom of God should be viewed. It starts off very small and insignificant, yet when fully realized, it is massive. Jesus further emphasizes this in the next verse:
“Yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes the largest of all the garden plants and forms large branches, so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.”
— Mark 4:32
Just like the mustard seed, the gospel may seem small and insignificant when sown in good soil. However, this is the folly of trying to discern spiritual things with a fleshly mind:
“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually examined.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:14
Many people fail in their efforts to bring others to Christ because they try to make the gospel attractive by altering its content. Unfortunately, this taints the gospel, turning it into a worldly message. The sinner, who loves the world and hates the things of God, will either be offended and convicted by the true gospel or harden their heart and fall into condemnation. As the apostle Paul writes:
“But we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
— 1 Corinthians 1:23-24
It is only through the work of the Spirit that the natural man can be regenerated to perceive these spiritual truths. The Spirit removes the heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh, capable of receiving the message of the gospel. Matthew Henry calls this the work of grace:
“The work of grace in the soul is, at first, but the day of small things; yet it has mighty products even now, while it is in its growth; but what will there be when it is perfected in heaven!”
— Matthew Henry
While the gospel message is simple and small like a mustard seed, its results are monumental, growing into a massive tree that provides shade and shelter.
We should never underestimate what the gospel can accomplish. It is the power of God unto salvation, not a human-made fable, but the true power of God at work in a believer’s life.
This is how Jesus explained the power of the gospel to His disciples. Mark tells us that this became a pattern for our Lord and His disciples. When judgment came upon the Pharisees for accusing Jesus of working miracles by the power of demons, their judgment was that they could not understand the gospel messages presented in parables:
“And with many such parables He was speaking the word to them, as they were able to hear it;”
— Mark 4:33
However, just like the disciples, we too are blessed to understand the parables and their message, for Jesus would gather His disciples privately to explain the meaning to them:
“And He was not speaking to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.”
— Mark 4:34
Let us not ignore this privilege given to us to understand the parables. Let us have faith in the power of the gospel to transform fallen sinners into children of God.
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