This week we're sitting with one of Jesus' simplest parables, the Parable of the Mustard Seed—and one that rewrites how mighty small can be.
From Matthew 13:31-32, Jesus said:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 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."
The image is mundane. A man. A field. A seed so small it's barely visible. And yet Jesus says this is what the kingdom of heaven is like.
The NKJV Lucado Encouraging Word Bible, one of 70+ resources available with Bible Gateway Plus, puts the image in context:
A tiny mustard seed can erupt and reach for the clouds, growing to three times the average height of the ancient Jew, boasting bushy branches large enough to house a homeless flock of birds. What begins minutely ends massively.
God does uncommon works through common deeds.
The kingdom doesn't always announce itself. The most ordinary things—a seed, a field, a common deed—can grow beyond anything we expected.
What small or hidden work of God might you be overlooking in your own life or community?
Read the parable as it appears in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Where does the man plant the seed in each account? Do you notice a difference? Where are you planting yours?
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