The Mustard Seed

Matt 13:31

‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.’

Described as the smallest of seeds is perhaps a little bit of a hyperbole, but in truth, Mustard seeds are indeed small and insignificant. But when they're planted, they grow into large plants the size of trees, that are large enough for birds to roost in.

So what's the significance behind Jesus mentioning birds in this mustard seed parable? Well, if you go back to the beginning of Matthew 13 and read the parable of the "Sower" you'll see that Jesus said that the birds who ate up the side that fell by the wayside represented the Devil! So hold onto that thought for now.

Also back in the Old Testament, we often see the metaphor of trees and birds being used. For example we see it in the poetic language of Daniel 4:12

Its leaves were lovely,
Its fruit abundant,
And in it was food for all.
The beasts of the field found shade under it,
The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches,
And all flesh was fed from it.

In this verse, Daniel used trees as a metaphor to represent world powers. Today the Church is a considerable force within the world that yields significant influence among the nations of the world!

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed"

The Kingdom of Heaven is where God is and all those of the heavenly realm that obey his laws reside. But here in our world, this earthly realm, the Kingdom of Heaven is the place where God lives and where His people obey his laws. That place is not a temple building, that place is in our hearts.

So, on earth, the mustard seed is representative of “Christendom” the worldwide body of believers that has grown from the single seed that was sown by Jesus when he laid down his life on the cross for the sins of the world, rising again on the 3rd day defeating death and corruption, restoring the way for each of us to come back into a right relationship with the Father.

"becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches"

But here's the thing, this line isn't just as sweet as it first sounds! Because when we bear in mind that the birds represented the Devil, and the Church is the Tree, what Jesus was telling us in this parable is that the church will become big enough for Satan to operate freely within its branches.

Today many churches have stopped preaching God’s word, turning instead to watered down feel-good distortions of God's word instead. These are nothing less than distorted false doctrines.

Remember also just after Jesus told the parable of the Sower, he then told us about the parable of the "Tares"(weeds). In this parable, Jesus warns about false Christians those who corrupt God’s laws and his Word, directing those who seek God away from Jesus and the Kingdom of God to the fires of destruction.

Have a great week, and God bless,

Trev.

***** Try not to raise your arms and praise God as you sing along!