Day 31 of 49
When I was little, I swallowed a charm with a mustard seed in it. I remember it so I was old enough to know better. It was more of a pain for my mom than me.
When I studied the Word as a Christian, this memory came up as I learned about faith the size of a mustard seed. I think sometimes God uses our life experiences to secure some spiritual truths in our lives. Stories and our life experiences will often stick with us far longer than a lecture.
In yesterday’s devotional, we looked at a treasure and a pearl. Jesus often used pairs to get his point across. Today, we will look at a grain of mustard seed and leaven.
He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.
It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
Mt 13:31–33.
The mustard seed growing into a tree confused me. It doesn’t really grow into a tree, but it can get 5-6 feet tall, and is larger than all the other plants in a garden.
I’ve always viewed these two parables as a picture of the growth in the Kingdom of God. But perhaps it is not just about the expanse of the Kingdom, but the small start.
The mustard seed was the tiniest seed known to man in the first century. It became the proverbial comparison for anything small.
Jesus said that if we have faith the size of a grain of mustard seed, nothing would be impossible for us.
We see small, and we think insignificant. Jesus saw small and knew great things can happen.
For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Mt 17:20.
And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
Lk 17:6.
Jesus brought up another small thing, leaven. Leaven or yeast can cause bread or cakes to multiply in size. Just a little bit goes a long way. “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Ga 5:9).
Usually, Jesus used leaven in a negative sense. “Beware the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees” (Mt 16:6).
But he compared the Kingdom of Heaven to a grain of mustard seed and leaven. Both begin small. Both take time to develop and grow. Both expand exponentially compared to the small beginning.
There is a saying, “Don’t despise small beginnings.”
Don’t we all look for the big finish?
The people in Jesus’ day looked for the grand Messiah to overthrow Rome and establish a permanent throne in Jerusalem where all the nations would come and bow to the chosen one. Big ending. And one day that will come to pass, but not yet.
Jesus chose twelve disciples from the hill country. He walked around proclaiming the Kingdom had come, healing and delivering the people…one by one. Small beginning.
The disciples received the Holy Spirit and began to spread the message of hope. First day brought 3000 to belief…but after that, the ministry spread with healing and deliverance…one by one.
Lord, help me not to rush to achieve the big and the flashy. Help me to be faithful in the small things that you have placed before me. Let me find joy in the process as you develop and grow your plan in my life.
TRICIA LATHROP 