Mk. 4: 30-32 – “Then He said, ‘To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or, with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all the other herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”
Luke recorded Jesus’ words in Lk.17:6 – “Then Jesus said, ‘If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you.’”
Luke recorded Jesus’ words in Lk.17:6 – “Then Jesus said, ‘If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you.’”
We’ve all heard of mustard seed faith – that all we need is a “little’ faith – the size of a mustard seed to be an over-comer. My question is – Is it the size of the seed or the potential of what the seed contains that Jesus was speaking about? In Mk. 4:30-32 and in Matt. 13:31-32, Jesus was giving parables about what the Kingdom of God was to be compared to. To truly understand what Jesus was saying, one must first understand what the kingdom of God is. Paul explained in Rom. 14:17 – “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Jesus said –“The kingdom of God does not come with observation: nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there! For the kingdom of God is within you” (Lk.17:20-21). The kingdom of God is the present day activity of Holy Spirit in and through lives of believers operating by faith. So then, how is the kingdom compared to a mustard seed?
We know from Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the sower (Matt. 13: 3-23 and Mk. 4:3-20) that the “seed” which was sown was the word of God; and, when sown on “good ground” (those who hear the word and accept it), it produces kingdom harvests of thirty, sixty and one hundred fold returns. Words are seeds which we sow. Too often, however, our seeds produce weeds, thorns and thistles which work against us instead of in our behalf.Prov. 18:21 – “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Jesus said, “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt.12:37). Our words are containers of what is in the heart – “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”(Matt.12:34). These scriptures tell me that the seed is the outer container of the potential within – good or bad! And that potential is what one believes in their hearts and speaks out with their mouths.
Mk. 11:22-24 is known as the hallmark scripture of faith as it describes the two hinges on the door of faith – believing in one’s heart and speaking to the mountain to be removed. 2 Cor. 4:13 affirms, “And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak.”Paul also wrote – “But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, “”Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:6-10). Again, faith is comprised of our believing in our hearts and speaking those words – sowing seeds.
Seeds are potent containing the potential to multiply. I believe this is what Jesus referred to when He told His disciples that “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables”(Mk. 4:11). One of the primary mysteries is the kingdom principle of seedtime and harvest(Gen.8:22); and the miracle reproductive ability of spiritual seed when properly sown on “good ground”. This principle is so important that Jesus used it to describe His death, burial and resurrection with the harvest of the church as a result – “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain” (Jn.12:23-24).
Here’s one more principle that needs mentioning – 2 Pet. 1:2-4 – “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who has called us by glory and virtue, by which we have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises that by these you may be a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” If you’re a Spirit-filled believer, this scripture declares you already have everything you need for success in life and ministry! The problem is many don’t know that; and they can’t recognize what they already have been given as being anything of importance. The reason they can’t recognize it is that it’s in “seed form”. An acorn does look anything like an oak tree, but that’s exactly what that little acorn contains within it –a giant oak tree! Just like that tiny, little mustard seed that produces that great sprawling tree-like plant, so we also have the embryonic beginnings of our destiny in seed form already in our lives. All it needs is to be nurtured, watered, and plenty of Son-shine so that it can mature to full power in your life.
A seed is a miracle in the making. Just as Jesus Christ described Himself as a Seed, so also we need to be seeds planted in our families, churches, communities and cities. Spiritual seeds rarely look like the final product and when you grasp this principle, I am confident that your current condition will not be your conclusion. Amen.
We know from Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the sower (Matt. 13: 3-23 and Mk. 4:3-20) that the “seed” which was sown was the word of God; and, when sown on “good ground” (those who hear the word and accept it), it produces kingdom harvests of thirty, sixty and one hundred fold returns. Words are seeds which we sow. Too often, however, our seeds produce weeds, thorns and thistles which work against us instead of in our behalf.Prov. 18:21 – “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Jesus said, “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt.12:37). Our words are containers of what is in the heart – “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”(Matt.12:34). These scriptures tell me that the seed is the outer container of the potential within – good or bad! And that potential is what one believes in their hearts and speaks out with their mouths.
Mk. 11:22-24 is known as the hallmark scripture of faith as it describes the two hinges on the door of faith – believing in one’s heart and speaking to the mountain to be removed. 2 Cor. 4:13 affirms, “And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak.”Paul also wrote – “But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, “”Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:6-10). Again, faith is comprised of our believing in our hearts and speaking those words – sowing seeds.
Seeds are potent containing the potential to multiply. I believe this is what Jesus referred to when He told His disciples that “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables”(Mk. 4:11). One of the primary mysteries is the kingdom principle of seedtime and harvest(Gen.8:22); and the miracle reproductive ability of spiritual seed when properly sown on “good ground”. This principle is so important that Jesus used it to describe His death, burial and resurrection with the harvest of the church as a result – “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain” (Jn.12:23-24).
Here’s one more principle that needs mentioning – 2 Pet. 1:2-4 – “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who has called us by glory and virtue, by which we have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises that by these you may be a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” If you’re a Spirit-filled believer, this scripture declares you already have everything you need for success in life and ministry! The problem is many don’t know that; and they can’t recognize what they already have been given as being anything of importance. The reason they can’t recognize it is that it’s in “seed form”. An acorn does look anything like an oak tree, but that’s exactly what that little acorn contains within it –a giant oak tree! Just like that tiny, little mustard seed that produces that great sprawling tree-like plant, so we also have the embryonic beginnings of our destiny in seed form already in our lives. All it needs is to be nurtured, watered, and plenty of Son-shine so that it can mature to full power in your life.
A seed is a miracle in the making. Just as Jesus Christ described Himself as a Seed, so also we need to be seeds planted in our families, churches, communities and cities. Spiritual seeds rarely look like the final product and when you grasp this principle, I am confident that your current condition will not be your conclusion. Amen.