Mark 4:30-34

Preached by Joel Prescott(Belfast Bible College) evening 31st May 2009 in Cregagh Congregational Church, Belfast.(Apologies to the preacher if these words are not exactly what you said - they are what I heard through God's voice.)

In this sermon the preacher takes a fresh look at the Parable of the Mustard Seed - with some surprising thoughts.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."
33With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

On the face of it this looks like a simple story - so how come the passage ends with the statement that Jesus explained everything to his disciples when they were alone? Why take time to explain if this is a simple story - a small seed growing into a large tree - like the kingdom of heaven.

BUT - a mustard seed usually only grows to about 1m high and by tradition Jews could not plant mustard seeds in their gardens. To a Jew this would be shocking. On the other hand the Jews would be used to kingdoms described as trees -
Daniel 4:10 ff describes Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom -
These are the visions I saw while lying in my bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. 11 The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, and the birds of the air lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed.
Also read -
Ezekiel 17:22 " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar.

Mustard is an aggressive, annual weed and is found everywhere. It can create a serious problem when harvesting plants because it can choke the harvest. It can also kill live-stock when mixed with animal feed.

This parable is about the kingdom of heaven - something that Jesus spoke about often - read Mark 4:17, Matthew 5:20, Matthew 7:21, Matthew 12:28, Mark6:9-10, Matthew 24:14. But why preach more about the kingdom and not about salvation? Jesus was explaining that when you put yourself under God's rule, it is about an ongoing process - salvation is the start - the kingdom is the living of that salvation.

What is the kingdom like? It is like a mustard seed.Alexander the Great used the same analogy. When he invaded the Persian kingdom, Darius the Persian king sent Alexander a warning in the form of a large bag of sesame seeds. Each seed was to represent a Persian soldier and show the Greeks how they completely out-numbered. Alexander took some in his mouth and tasted the sesame seeds. He sent Darius a small bag of mustard seed to show that his army though small was extremely aggressive and fierce. Darius tasted the mustard and said that a little mustard seed is more pungent than much sesame.

But Jesus uses the mustard seed in a different way. God uses the small and insignificant to confound and destroy the great and glorious. Just think of David and Goliath, of Joseph rising from slavery to 2nd in charge in Egypt, Daniel is the lion's den, and Jesus as a servant.

Each plant of mustard can produce 2000-3000 seeds. They can survive in the soil for up to 60 years and can grow in any soil. Jesus was saying that his kingdom was a virile, fruitful kingdom - a resilient kingdom. It is a kingdom that that can host the unwanted from society. This kingdom will never take over from a position of strength BUT it grows and spreads despite persecution.

This reminds us of the early Church, and of the churches that are growing throughout our world. China is well on it's way to becoming the largest Christian country on the face of the planet with 80 million people attending (more than are members of the Communist Party). Have a read of the Times Online article -

God is back: How Ned Flanders won the evangelical crusade -Times Online...
May 1, 11:40pm "but the most remarkable example of Flanderism can be found in China's house churches. We recently visited an apartment in a well-heeled district of Shanghai, where a technology executive hosted two dozen clever young Chinese, including several CEOs, a well-known academic and a stem-cell researcher. They spent three hours studying one letter from St Paul. Soon their church will get too big: it will cross the 25-person limit for unauthorised meetings, or one of the neighbours will complain about the hymns or the people hogging the parking spaces. So the church will have to split, guaranteeing its growth. China is well on its way to being the world's biggest Christian country: there are at least 80 million Christians and already more people go to church every week than are members of the Communist Party.

Visit the following website - http://www.persecution.com/

It is the same in Zimbabwe - a small virile and fruitful church growing despite persecution.

Verse 32 suggests that the mustard seed grows into a large tree. But what does this say compared to what we have already seen. Perhaps this talks about growth that is beyond what can naturally be expected - a harvest beyond our endeavours.

Christianity is growing throughout our world despite many people through the ages saying that God is dead.Look at Russia, and China.

Parables are not as simple as they seem and it is no wonder Jesus had to take the time to explain. Often what we take as a moral story with a nice meaning means so much more. Jesus often shocked the religious people of his time using parables. The kingdom of God is not what they had expected.

God works through the small and insignificant. He uses the weak to confound the strong. He came as a servant. He commended the widow for her two pennies. He has given us all something to do. We can all serve Him.