THE MUSTARD SEED
(Mark 4:30-32; Matt. 13:31-32; Luke 13:18-19)
~The Parable of the Mustard Seed
Mark 4:30 And He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it?
31 "It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth;
32 "but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."
~The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
Matthew 13:31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,
32 "which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."
33 Another parable He spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."
~The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
Luke 13:18 Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?
19 "It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."
20 And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?
21 "It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."
Mark 4:26. The second parable of the Kingdom which Mark records is that of the soil producing spontaneously (vv. 26-29). In reality, it takes up where the Parable of the Soils left off, going on to describe the actual growth of the seed which bears fruit. The aspect of the kingdom in view here is the present, spiritual aspect, in its internal reality as well as its external manifestations. This kingdom is extended by the sowing of the seed of the word (cf. v. 14).
28. The reason why the earth brings forth fruit of herself (automate, "automatically") is that the seed contains life which, when placed in the proper environment, produces growth. The characteristic of the present, spiritual kingdom of grace, as set forth by this parable, is that the message of the Gospel, by its very nature, when sown in men's hearts produces growth and fruitfulness spontaneously.
30. Mark's third parable of the Kingdom concerns the mustard seed (vv. 30-32). The AV points up the true nature of a parable by translating parabole as comparison.
31. Here the Kingdom is compared to a grain of mustard seed. Much has been written concerning the identification of this plant, but it seems best to take it to be the common black mustard, which has a seed about the size of the head of a pin (Harold N. and Alma L. Moldenke, Plants of the Bible, pp. 59-62). Its seed was one of the smallest known to the people of Galilee.
32. The remarkable phenomenon of this particular mustard plant is that, though it is really an herb, it may grow to be ten or twelve feet high, with a stem the size of a man's arm, and become a resting place for the smaller varieties of birds. This parable is a further development of the characteristics of the present, spiritual kingdom of God. The main point here is that the seed of the Gospel message will produce phenomenal growth. From small beginnings, the Kingdom, which had only drawn near in the person of Christ (1:14,15), will, by reason of its own inner and supernatural vitality, grow to tremendous proportions. This does not mean that it will result in world conversion, nor that man by his efforts will bring in the kingdom of God on earth as a Utopian development, nor that the Kingdom and the Church are identical. The parable does, however, picture the kingdom of grace as including multitudes of redeemed persons who through the years have come to swell its ranks to phenomenal size.
4:30-32
Jesus used this parable to explain that although Christianity had very small beginnings, it would grow into a worldwide community of believers. When you feel alone in your stand for Christ, realize that God is building a worldwide kingdom. He has faithful followers in every part of the world, and your faith, no matter how small, can join with that of others to accomplish great things.
