Great Things Start Small The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Mt. 13:31-32)

Parable of the Mustard Seed 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 smaller than all other seeds; but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32)

Black mustard was grown for its hot-flavored seeds.

Black mustard seed were the smallest seeds commonly planted in Palestine.

The black mustard grows into a “tree” as high as 15 feet!

What is the message that Jesus is teaching?

Smallness vs. Largeness And He *said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you. (Matthew 17:20) The disciples must understand that the “unpromising beginning of the kingdom was but a precursor to explosive growth” (Chumbley).

The historical reality conforms to Jesus’ prediction. "The Son of Man grew up in a despised province; he did not appear in public until his thirtieth year; then taught for two or three years in neighboring villages, and occasionally at Jerusalem; made a few converts, chiefly among the poor and unlearned; and then falling into the hands of his enemies, died the shameful death of the cross; such, and so slight, was the commencement of the universal kingdom of God." (Trench, Notes On The Parables) From a dozen to tens of thousands!

Great things start small. The Message for Us Great things start small.

Great things start small. The Message for Us Great things start small.

What a difference God’s kingdom makes in a person’s life! for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17) “ for entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ shall be abudantly supplied to you” (2 Pet. 1:11).

God’s people must believe the parable of the mustard seed! Do we have the faith to believe that great things can happen? Do we have the vision to see how it can happen? Do we have the commitment to put the kingdom of God first in our lives so it can happen?