The Parable Of The Mustard Seed Matthew 13:31-32 Introduction

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1 Introduction This parable is a description of the Kingdom of Heaven. Mark (4:30-32) and Luke (13:18-19) repeat the parable. The parables in Matthew 13 have been called Kingdom Parables. In the first parable of the sower and the soils we discovered that the good news (the gospel) would be rejected by most people (13:1-23). In the second parable of the grain and the weeds or the wheat and the tares we discovered that both believers and make-believers genuine faith and false faith would co-exist until a future time of judgment (13:24-30; 36-43). Now Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven will start small and grow quickly and include both helpful and harmful elements perhaps Jesus intimates the future inclusion of the Gentiles. We are at once stunned by the parable s brevity, simplicity and mystery. Parables demand a response! Jesus means for the parable to provoke emotion, reaction, repentance and recognition of who Jesus really is and what the coming Kingdom means! The Parable Proclaimed (v.31a) Matthew 13:31 32 (NKJV) 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, We talked about parables as earthly stories that reveal heavenly truth and that the function of the parable serves to both reveal and conceal. We also said that a parable is a kind of extended analogy a way to lay two things down and compare them. The challenge of interpretation is remind ourselves that metaphors and similes and allegories in the Bible can never mean what they never meant. Our interpretation must fall within the categories that the Bible itself allows. Once again Jesus uses the phrase The Kingdom of heaven is like : In the Parable of the sower and soils The Kingdom of heaven was like tares (false christiansmake-believers). Now The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed (small and insignificant). Later Jesus uses the same phrase The Kingdom of heaven is like leaven (v. 33); like a treasure (v.44); like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls (v.45); like a drag-net (vv ). In all these examples Satan snatches the seed or starves the plant or smothers the fruit. Satan counterfeits the good seed with tares; allows the plant to grow out of control or out of measure (mustard seed) or injects false doctrine (leaven within the meal leaven made from seed). Once again the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew 13 is a reference to the Messiah s kingdom in his absence! We see a mixture of good and evil and true and false. Jesus begins by comparing the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed. In the ancient world the mustard seed was the smallest seed to known to his Jewish audience. The bush grows to 1

2 unexpected proportions that make it possible for birds to build their nests in its branches. The man in our parable is Jesus. The word took (labon) means to deliberately take that is with purpose and thought. This planting is not by chance or coincidence. There is intention and deliberation. Clearly there is a plan. The field is the world. And the world belongs to him. And we are impressed immediately that God has a plan for the future. The Mustard Seed Planted (v.31b) In the parable of the sower and the soils the sower was the son of man (v.37) and the field was the world in which people live and dwell and grow (v.38). Unlike our first two parables Jesus does not explain the parable of the mustard seed. How then are we to understand its meaning? We must search the Scriptures and explanations from the first two parables. The Growth And Greatness Of The Seed (v.32) 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. Some point to this passage as proof that the Bible is not true and cannot be trusted. They say the mustard seed is not the smallest seed in the world and therefore Jesus does not know what he is talking about. The key words are the least of all the seeds. Jesus does not say the mustard seed is the smallest seed in the world but rather the least or smallest of all the seeds; smallest in the experience of his listeners. Jesus uses the same word least when he says, when you have done it to one of these, the least of my brethren (Matt.25:45). The Greek word translated smallest or least is mikroteron and is used in language as a comparative and can be translated smaller as in the New English Bible or NASB. The thought is very small. Lenski writes; Jesus is speaking of he seeds that were ordinarily planted in ancient gardens, hence the remark that botanists know about many seeds that are still smaller is pointless. The mustard seed Jesus references has no relationship to the plant that produces delicious deli-mustard. The mustard seed is more like a bush than a tree and has been known to grow to sufficient size to house birds. But that is not really the point of the parable. The mustard seed is small and insignificant by almost every standard that measures smallness and insignificance. In the parable of the seed and the soils the seed represented the Word of God. We are told the field is the world and the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom but the tares the sons of the wicked one (v.38). But now the seed represents growth false growth. The enemy is Satan (v. 9) who opposes the plans of God. In the parable of the sower and the soils the tares represented false christians sons of the wicked one (v.38; 40) and now the mustard seed represents false 2

3 growth and later the parable of the leaven or yeast the yeast becomes a type of false doctrine (v. 33). The Bible contains interesting language that hint at the Gentiles inclusion in God s plans. In Ezekiel 17:3 we read; And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I the Lord, have spoken and done it. There is a parable of the cedar of Lebanon and the rebuke of Pharaoh s pride where Assyria is likened to a cedar tree where it grows and its branches shade the forest. It s height exalted and in 31:6 we read All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs and of course the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4 had a dream of a tree whose height grew to the heavens and could be seen by all the earth (v.21) whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home. How do we think about this parable? The seed represents the humble beginnings of Christianity; it begins in the heart of God and the ministry of Jesus. The Kingdom extends to the followers of Jesus and is kept small by a commitment to purity, sound teaching and unrelenting persecution. The Jesus Movement starts small. Jesus finds, Andrew and John, Peter and Philip and Nathanael (John 1:45-46). Not many noble. Not many wise as the world judges nobility and wisdom. God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence (I Cor. 1:26-29 KJV). The Jesus Movement grows by men without position or prestige. But something happens when the persecution ceases and the patronage of the state (Constantine s edict) compromise takes place and the bush grows and birds make their nest in this growing bush. Jesus used the images of birds in verse 4 as agents of evil when the seed fell by the wayside and the birds came and devoured them. Are these birds uninvited guests? Like the enemy who sowed tares while people slept do these birds bring unwanted and unwelcome company? Does this parable mean that Christianity could become a nesting place for Satan and his agents? Does the mustard seed represent primitive christianity with its origins in the words and work and ministry of Jesus? I think so. The humble origins of the Church and Christianity grow and 3

4 become something at first recognizable but then birds (agents of evil) make their nest in its branches. Is this the picture of infiltration of groups that wind up denying essential Christian doctrines? In his farewell address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20: 28-32; Paul delivers this chilling warning; Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. Jesus warned (Matt.24:24) For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible even the elect. (v.25) See, I have told you beforehand or in advance. In this parable we see what some have called the intensification of mystery not simply the presence of evil but its ability to deceive and dominate. Congregations grow in size and strength and influence. Under the big umbrella called Christianity many Christ denying groups would form and still retain the name Christian and Christianity. This thing called christianity would grow rapidly and even obtain great wealth and in some cases great power. Clearly so called Christianity contains several large branches including Roman Catholicism; several Eastern Orthodox traditions, Protestantism which includes any number of liberal and conservative branches. In the broad branches of Christianity some also attempt to graft the branches of those groups that Dr. Walter Martin called the Kingdom of the so called Christian cults Mind Science groups, Christian Science, Mormons, Jehovah Witness and others who claim a Christ connection. And what about the true believers? Will they also increase in number? I think the answer is yes. The number of true believers will also increase in strength and numbers. But the strength is not necessarily in regards to this world s wealth or this world s wisdom or this world s influence. What is the parable of he mustard seed telling us? In His absence (the Lord Jesus Christ) the movement would grow. Do not equate growth with success! There are two kinds of growth. Healthy growth and unhealthy growth. The mustard seed s growth would make room for birds demons a nesting place for foul (pun intended) teachers and teaching. In the coming destruction of Babylon John the Apostle writes in Revelation 18:2; And he cried mightily with a 4

5 load voice saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! In the first parable of the sower and the soils Satan snatches the Word of God from human hearts; smothers the seed with worldliness or sears the shoots with persecution. If Satan cannot overcome the Word he plants the make-believer the false Christian (children of the devil) where the Lord plants true believers (parable of the wheat and tares). And now in this third parable Satan sits in the branches of Christendom and attempts to influence what goes on in the Church. The birds build nests they infiltrate and then devastate. Later in the parable of the Leaven Satan plants false doctrine to deceive the people. How does Satan oppose the gospel and plan of God? Largely through a campaign of imitation. Satan s servants preach an imitation gospel. Satan s servants plant imitation churches for the purpose of creating imitation Christians. A gospel meant to fool. A church meant to fool. A christian meant to deceive. Remember in the earlier parable the true and false grow together until the time of the end when the angels come and reap a harvest. While the church sleeps Satan works. A sleeping church does not mind if Satan s servants build nests in nearby branches! After all who doesn t mind watching the birds! Are other interpretations of the parable offered? Some have suggested that the point of the parable is the global success of a world wide ministry. Will true Christian faith and Christian principles and Christian worldview grow and expand capturing the world in a global triumphant church? Has the Church of Jesus Christ brought benefits to this world? The answer is clearly yes! Have both believer and make-believer and unbeliever benefited from the principles, laws and institutions present in the Church? What would the world be like if there were no Jesus and no Church? Does the Bible teach a growing global church triumphant or a remnant church? In another parable in Luke 18:1-14 Jesus speaks of a certain judge who feared neither God or man. A widow demanded justice from an adversary. The judge refused to rule in her favor but the widow persisted until the judge did in fact rule in her favor. Jesus tells the story to remind his audience God is just. God hears. God judges. The widow had no lawyer but we have Jesus. The widow had no legal counsel but we have a High Priest who sits on the throne of Heaven. She had no promises but we have a Bible filled with promises. She was an outsider but we are insiders! At the end of the parable Jesus says; Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth? Luke tells us that Jesus spoke this parable to those who were trusting in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others (Luke 18:9). 5

6 Jesus will find faith when he returns the vast majority of earth s population trusting in their own righteousness, self-righteousness but it seems that trust in Jesus will be in short supply! We can t summarily dismiss all the goodness done by the followers of Jesus and the Churches of Jesus. Clearly whatever the interpretation Jesus leaves us with the impression that the Kingdom of Heaven contains both good and evil right and wrong and that opposition and infiltration to the Body of Christ was inevitable. Conclusion 6