The Mustard Seed

By Gerry Watts

 

“The kingdom of the heavens is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of the garden plants, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch (or roost) in its branches.”

 

(Matthew 13:31-32 NIV; also Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18-19)

   In this next parable, Jesus continues to describe what the kingdom of the heavens is like, in accordance with how it will manifest in the earth during the period of His absence through to His Return. In this instance, He simply likens the kingdom of God to a mustard seed and plant.

  The mustard was a very common garden plant in the East. Its seed was known to be very minute, the smallest of all the cultivated garden seeds, yet after planting, it would grow quite tall to become the largest of all the garden plants. It would actually resemble a tree with large branches that were big enough for birds to come and nest among the boughs.

  The main thought behind the meaning to this parable is the relative size of the seed and what size the plant becomes through the natural growth process. Jesus is saying that the birth of the spiritual kingdom of God would begin very small but it will eventually grow to become something very large. This will occur by the power of God’s Spirit, and not by the power of man.

  The small company of disciples, made up of common men and women from the tiny nation of Israel, was the mustard seed, and through the power of the Holy Spirit the kingdom has continued to grow since the Day of Pentecost in 33 AD till the present time, having gone out to all nations around the world. It even grew into the visible kingdom of Christendom that did, in fact, rule the world as a lamb-like Beast for over a thousand years, and even now it still seeks to take over the earth for Christ.

A Kingdom Tree

  In Daniel 4, we have the account of King Nebuchadnezzar’s conversion to the One True God, which began with a prophetic dream of a tree. He saw a huge glorious fruit tree in the middle of the land of Babylon, which fed the people, and provided shade for the beasts of the field and branches for birds of the air – in fact; it provided food for all creatures (Daniel 4:10-12). Subsequently, we are told that the tree was to be destroyed. Daniel then reveals to the king that the tree represents the king of Babylon himself, and his whole kingdom, which would eventually fall like a tree to reveal the true power and sovereignty of God in order to humble the king (verses 20-27).

  Ezekiel also had a similar word for Pharaoh of Egypt. In Ezekiel 31, as a warning to Egypt, the prophet describes the ancient Empire of Assyria as being a cedar of Lebanon in its time, which had been pulled down due to its arrogance and wickedness. The same would happen to the Egyptian Empire. So here we have further evidence to show us that these trees represented kings and their kingdoms. Ezekiel 31:6 says,

“All the birds of the air nested in its boughs, all the beasts of the field gave birth under its branches; all the great nations lived in its shade.”

  So it is evident that Jesus was alluding to these scriptures in the Mustard Seed parable, where the kingdom of God is likened to a tree that provides a nesting place for the birds of the air. This is not indicating that the kingdom is to be a political kingdom in this present age, only that it provides spiritual sustenance and it blesses those who live in its shade and dwell among its branches. As we have already seen earlier, fruit trees are also symbols of men, whether they produce good fruit or bad fruit. Yet, of course, the time will arrive when the Kingdom of God will be fully manifested at Christ’s return as a governing kingdom. The Tree of Life, representing Christ and His kingdom, will then give fruit and shade to all peoples of the earth.

Faith

  Jesus also uses the mustard seed as an example of faith and its growth (Matthew 17:20-21; Luke 17:5-6). In both these instances, Jesus was telling His disciples that even if their faith was as small as a mustard seed, the power and ability within the seed would grow, and then they would realise that under God’s direction, as deputies of Christ, they can do the impossible, such as moving a mountain or a mulberry tree without touching them, in the same way as Christ rules the created order by the power and will of the Father.

  In Scripture, mountains are also symbolising kingdoms and empires, so to move mountains and trees essentially means the moving of kingdoms and nations by the power of Christ's kingdom. This is what true Christianity has done since its humble beginnings. Yet this power will ultimately be realised in the resurrection when the Body of Christ ecclesia shall be operating fully in the power of God and with the authority of Christ. The apostles began to do this in the first century AD as a foretaste, and the sons of God have continued to do such things in the power of the Spirit.

  Yet many today believe that the Church should be ruling as an Empire with this kind of power and miracles even now, but the truth is this – now is not the appointed time! Israel had the opportunity to enter the Promised Land quite quickly after leaving Sinai, but due to their unbelief, they missed out and instead had to turn back to wander in the desert. Yet shortly after this, they decided to go up and conquer the land by themselves anyhow, contrary to what God had told them (Numbers 14:39-45). Moses specifically warned them that God would not be with them if they foolishly went to battle, yet they still did so – and they got a real beating for it, as they had been warned!

  The issue here has to do with the will and timing of God, as it’s all about obedience. Like ancient Israel, the Church is seeking to enter the Promised Land ahead of time, and even the modern nation of Israel is literally seeking to do the same by violent force, but the simple fact is this: there will be no lasting visible, political kingdom of God on this earth until the appointed time comes when the King Himself will fully manifest His rule. In the meantime, it is a spiritual, invisible kingdom, a secret kingdom, known only to those who belong to it. The fifth kingdom of stone that becomes a mountain will crush all other kingdoms first when the rightful Ruler of all mankind returns in power and glory, as it states in Daniel (Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45). Any attempt to set up a world-wide political, religious kingdom before then will ultimately fail!

  So contrary to what many teach today, it doesn’t matter how much faith you have, as though it were physically measured out to you or something, it is the quality of the faith that counts, that is, whether we are truly believing God from the heart in obedience to His word. Jesus may have rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith a few times (“O ye of little faith”), which appears as though He was saying that the amount of faith does count after all, but this was an expression to highlight the fact that real faith in God was virtually non-existent among the disciples to begin with, for they often used their carnal, fleshly way of thinking instead. And to think that Jesus deliberately chose such an immature bunch! That gives hope to us all! Oh, the wisdom and grace of God!

  True faith in God will grow, just as the anointing of the Spirit grows, until it can do the impossible in accordance with the power and will of God. It is a process that requires training, but for maturity to occur there has to be a death to the fleshly and worldly viewpoint of the carnal mind, along with a willing heart of obedience in the spirit of a servant. Jesus said that,

“…unless an ear of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds…Whoever serves Me must follow Me.”

 

(John 12:24-26 NIV)

  The wonder of creation is that of multiplication. Numerous plants produce numerous further seeds, which in turn produce more and more seeds! Yet the single seed has to die in the earth first before it can grow and bear fruit to generate further seeds. This is pure genius, and although we take it for granted, it is like magic. The true servant of Christ also has to learn to die to the flesh, for only then can we grow and bear fruit to God, and then sow further seed. This is the path of faith-obedience that leads to spiritual maturity. This is the kingdom of God.

  Believers in Christ have all been given a measure of faith. With some it may appear that they have greater faith in the sense that some are more mature than others, some are more gifted than others, and some find it easier to believe than others (Romans 12:3), but we all have a measure of faith.

  But we must also remember that, as Paul says, we are just the channels that God uses to sow His seed and to water it, as His fellow workers, but it is God alone that makes it grow!

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

 

(1 Corinthians 3:6-7 NIV)

  It isn’t us or the actual faith that gets things done, it is God’s power alone that does the work. Modern preachers so often focus on the faith itself or the works of faith as though it was some kind of magic force that can be manipulated by us. This is in fact Witchcraft! It is God’s power that does anything worthwhile, and His power alone – and we cannot manipulate it. It is true that unbelief may hinder the power of God from working effectively at times within individuals, as Jesus encountered a number of times (Mark 6:4-6; 9:23-24; Matthew 13:58), because even if God were to do a miracle, unbelief doesn’t care and doesn’t acknowledge the source of it. It is stubborn and ignorant. Nevertheless, the unbelief is not stronger than God!

  If God so wishes He could knock someone down and blind them, and change their heart, as He did with Saul of Tarsus, who became the apostle Paul, but usually where there is unbelief God will not move much at all. The unbelief (or the faith for that matter) itself has no power of its own, for God can blow it away by giving faith instead, for faith is the gift of God! God is the Power and the Source, faith is the channel or gateway, but it contains no inherent power of its own. We must keep things in perspective in these deceitful days. You can hinder the flow of the wind entering your house by keeping the door closed, but a stronger wind will blow your door down anyhow!

  So as a summary: Christ has already taken the tiny Mustard Seed of God and planted it in His field, that is, the world (which began in a garden, the land of Israel) – and it has been growing by the power of God for nearly two thousand years, bringing shade and nourishment to many. The Day is very near when the fullness of the kingdom will shine forth like the sun, and the great Kingdom Tree shall fill the earth, bringing blessing to all. This is the Tree of Life that bears 12 crops of fruit a year and its leaves will bring healing to the nations on the New Earth (Revelation 22:1-3).

 

Copyright © Gerry Watts 2004; 2007

 

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