Mustard Seeds

Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the Kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.”

He said, “To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”

With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private. (Matthew 4:26-34)

I would have loved to have been in those private conversations.  Inside information to be sure.  Nevertheless, there is much to be gained from Jesus' parables. 

We are seeds ready to sprout.  However, we need water, sun, and nutrients.  We need a place for our roots to take hold.  There will be no fruit unless we have these essential ingredients.  

Of our own accord we cannot bear fruit.  The Word of God must be in us.  That’s the fertilizer we need to grow.  Without it we remain a mustard seed providing no place for the birds to dwell.  We provide no shade meaning no care, compassion, and forgiveness for our feathered friends looking for seeds to eat rather than a place to dwell.

Deacon David Pierce