“Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 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.” - Mark 4:30-32, Matt 13:31-32, Luke 13:18,19
There were many reasons for the crucifixion of our Lord. The main, and true, reason was that it was part of the plan and purpose of God, set in motion way before He was ever incarnated! Yashua certainly knew this, because even in His human ministry, He predicted it, and warned His disciples about it on a number of occasions. He even foreshadowed it to the religious leaders by telling them He would rebuild the “temple” in 3 days!
The human mechanisms that God used were several. The jealousy of the priests and Pharisees that perceived Him as a threat to their power. The concern by the rich Sadducees that His teaching would start a popular rebellion, which would bring down the wrath of the Romans against the Jews and cost them their fortunes. Lastly, it came down to the decision of Pilate to acquiesce to the demands of the people he governed, even though he personally could find no fault in Him.
The- legal charge - that was used by the religious leaders was that Christ was guilty of blasphemy - He made Himself equal to God - and this was TRUE! The most notable occurrence of this is in John 8:58 - Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” This was the Name of God given to Moses! In addition, in many of His teachings, Christ elevated His authority above the Law, and Moses ( “Moses said X, but I say Y” ) and even claimed Lordship over the institution of the Sabbath. Even the people recognized His teaching as different- “for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”- Matt 7:29
Christ’s claim to divinity is still a stumbling block to many who see Him as a good teacher or even a prophet ( the followers of Islam for example ). However, that was, and remains, the central truth of the Gospel - harmonizing the Word and Covenant of God from Genesis to Revelation. Matthew 16:15–19 (NKJV): He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
The rock on which the Church is built is the declaration that Yashua is the Christ, the Son of the living God!
By now you are probably wondering what on earth does all this preamble have to do with the text of this weeks parable!
Answer: Our Lords knowledge of the ways and means of the Kingdom of Heaven, hidden/revealed in the parables - show Him to be possessed of an understanding of divine operations that transcend any and all human understanding! No one, but God Himself, could know these things! Hallelujah!
We have seen it already. The parable of the soils told us about the operation of the enemy in taking away the Word, and provided deep insight into the causes of unfruitfulness. The parable of the wheat and tares showed us the mind of God in dealing with the spiteful actions of the enemy and explained to us why the wicked still exist. The parable of the seed growing in the ground unattended gave us an understanding of the complete power and sovereignty of God in His operations of regeneration and sanctification. The parables of the waiting servants and unfaithful steward hinted at Christ’s departure, delayed and sudden ( to those not watching for it ) return. Truly, the Divinity of Christ is richly revealed in the parables, giving us an unparalleled look at Gods plan and Hand in motion.
Context: This weeks parable is found in all 3 synoptic gospels. Matthew and Mark place it in the context of a set of messages delivered to the multitudes, Luke places its telling in a different context - all it means is that this parable was given by our Lord on multiple occasions. We can also view this parable as belonging to a group of “Kingdom of God” parables - we saw the first of them last week, and will see some more.
Key Message: The externally visible contrast between the beginning of the Kingdom, and its ultimate fulfillment. Starts from the Smallest of sown seeds, grows to the largest of all herbs.
The mustard seed that grows in the east is not a large tree like an oak or redwood. If Christ was interested in painting a picture of how -big- the Kingdom would grow, He would probably have chosen a different plant. It is the -contrast- between the size of the seed and the size of the resulting tree ( which in the east grows from 7-9 feet tall ) that is in view here. The tininess of this seed was also used in another illustration as to the quantity of faith required for miracles ( Matt 17:20 ).
Throughout Bible history, the growth of the kingdom of Heaven has always turned on the actions of just a few humans on this planet. Not counting Adam and Eve, we have the tiny family of Noah, Abraham, Jacob ( Joseph was instrumental also ), Moses, the shepherd Boy David, the Messiah Himself, and then the 11 apostles and Paul ( picking a few). Ranged against these people were global catastrophes, hostile nations, and the might of empires ( Egypt and Rome ). Christ Himself was born into a humble family, trod the streets of Israel on foot, and had a motley crew of disciples ( some educated, some not). The line of divine providence is continuous but oh - so slender!!!
The growth of the church itself is founded on the kernel of Peter’s confession ( Yashua is the Christ, the Son of the Living God ) and the truth of the Resurrection! From this tiny beginning in a pocket of a global empire we see the growth of the global institutions of the church that influenced education, laws, science, and political empires! Amazing growth indeed, but what is truly amazing is that all this was FORECAST by Christ ( witness this parable) as being the plan and process of God all along! Hallelujah! The enemy has copied this to start his own counterfeits (Islam), but Gods plan will NOT be thwarted!
Which brings us to the birds in the parable. Commentators are divided here. Some, drawing from the parable of the sower ( where birds are an agent of the enemy ) see them as showing us that evil influences will flourish in the shade/branches of the church. The parable of the wheat and tares tell us that good and evil people will coexist in the WORLD... and this parable is seen as extending that to the Kingdom/Church ( as we remarked last week). Others view the birds as being foreign or gentile nations that will find refuge in the kingdom.
We prefer the former view, but this does not in anyway distract from the key message - which is what we should take away from this parable. God creates mighty trees from tiny beginnings - e.g. a single monk nailing a piece of paper to a church door ( Martin Luther and the Reformation ). Do not despise humble beginnings - bringing a cup of coffee to the homeless may grow into a food ministry, a home study may impact many lives, a single spark can ignite a blaze that overpowers hundreds of acres. That is Gods way! Do not feel that you are helpless against the tide of negativity and darkness that is all around you. Shine your light where you are and God can create a network that illuminates Space itself!
God Himself is speaking to us through the pictures of these parables, continually upending our understanding of how we THINK He works! We would do well to carefully study them and absorb their truths into our very cores. Hallelujah!!!