The Unstoppable

A small seed and a little leaven

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“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.”

Matthew 13:31-33

Jesus is now going to tell two parables that will point to the small beginnings of the kingdom. He’s going to point out the great effectiveness of the gospel.

Mustard Seed

In Palestine this little seed was considered the smallest. The Esv study bible says it was an agricultural seed used in Palestine. The seed was small but it would go on to grow eight to ten feet!

Israel found this offensive. Not the seed but the picture the seed represented. They thought Christ was going to rule, NOW! He doesn’t have a humble beginning. He’s not supposed to come as a poor servant. He’s suppose to make everything right! What are you talking about, Jesus? A mustard seed? This can’t be.

The kingdom of heaven came to grow. It grows in men and women’s hearts. It has small beginnings. It starts with a man hearing the word of God briefly on the radio, or the woman talking to her friend at a coffee shop. They hear the gospel and the seed is planted. It’s like what we read in 1 Corinthians 3:6. “I planted, apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” Men hear the gospel and the little seed grows. Not just in their own hearts, but then they speak the gospel to their friends and family and it spreads like a wildfire.

If we look at a tree outside, they explain clearly what is happening. The seed is planted, the tree grows, and then when it begins to sprout forth leaves, the wind blows and carries the seeds to other places. The seeds then implant themselves and grow more and more trees.

The thought of the wind blowing and carrying the seed reminded me of when Jesus is talking to Nicodemus in John 3. He says in verse 8, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.” This is funny in relation to this passage, because this is the spirit that is the wind in John 3, and he implants the seed. God gives the growth. The kingdom is like a seed. It’s small, but soon, it will grow into a great tree.

Leaven

Now in some places in scripture, leaven is a symbol of evil. Paul says, “a little leaven, leaven’s the whole lump…” He was speaking of evil in the midst of the body of the church.

But, here Christ is using it here to represent the kingdom. Leaven is placed in bread to make it grow. It’s hidden. It moves in a way that is slow but effective. It fills the bread in such a way that it changes the whole bread, itself. And, same with the gospel. Its effect on the man is slow growing, but as it grows it begins to dramatically change his nature and appearance. It not only affects the individual, but also the whole world.

The Lessons

To preach the gospel, is to plant a seed that has great power. We must never assume that when the word of God goes out that it is useless. The word of God is like a seed and like leaven. So, preach the word of God boldly.

Secondly. If you have accepted the gospel and have seen no fruit, keep pursuing. Keep praying and clinging to Christ. Wait for the Lord. The tree will grow and produce fruit in its time. Go read Psalm 1 and hear the same words proclaimed there. The leaven needs time, but soon your life will grow and become a wonderful loaf of Gospel-Filled bread!

Lastly. Don’t give up on missions. We have a power in our hands that is like that of the spreading of weeds. We only need to throw the seed and see what happens. We only need to watch God move and rejoice in being able to be apart of His work.

Let us cling to Christ today and become a part of this ever growing Kingdom.