Today I studied this beautiful parable, and it is so rich with meaning. I had a wonderful discussion about it with my husband Dennis who is also rich with knowledge and wisdom—so I had to share! So first the parable: In this parable, Jesus says in Luke 13:18-19, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.” (This same parable is found in Matthew 13:31 and Mark 4:30) See how short this section is? And yet it is packed with symbolism and meaning! Let’s unpack it a little…
First, what does this tree represent? Well, another famous verse sheds some light for us and it is found in Matthew 17:20 in which Jesus says, “Assuredly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing shall be impossible for you.” The mustard seed is the smallest of seeds and is said to be “indeed the smallest of all the seeds” in the book of Matthew and yet it can produce a tree 30 feet tall! So we see this tree can symbolize faith, and particularly faith in Jesus. The apostle Paul compared Israel and Judaism to a wild olive tree in Romans 11:16-24 in which the root was Jewish and the Gentiles were grafted in and so we should always remember to respect the root because without it we would have no faith to live from.
In Luke 11:51 Jesus was declaring woes against the Pharisees and scribes and lawyers, warning them that they had ignored the words of many prophets sent to warn them of judgment to come, killing them, and their blood would be required of them in their condemnation one day if they don’t repent—saying, “from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.” So we can see this mustard seed of faith could be said to start with righteous men whose faith in God gave rise to generations of faith—men like Abel gave rise to all faith to come and Noah gave rise to the faith of all to follow and Abraham gave rise to the faith of the Hebrews and Jesus gave rise to the Christian faith so that one day, this mustard seed produces a tree in which the birds of the nations, Jew and Gentile alike, may build their nests to rest upon.
We can consider that the mustard seeds of faith in the apostles that fell to the earth in their blood shed could be said to give rise to a tree of faith in which birds like us today can build our nests in the branches of gospels like Matthew and John. The righteous blood of each saint since the foundation of our faith, blood dedicated to a life faithful to God, could be said to give rise to the trees we build our lives upon serving one church at a time, serving the very Body of Christ that is His church built by each stone a saint in His Temple. So, we can consider how important each one of our lives is to the faith of those around us and to the future generations we will influence and give rise to. A life lived faithfully and blood dedicated to a sacrificial life in God may allow us to each be a mustard seed in His kingdom—to let our lives reflect the kingdom of God to the world around us. But this is not all we can consider.
Since this mustard seed is one of faith, we can consider that not just a life of faith, but a simple act of faith can “move a mountain” and can reveal God’s kingdom on earth to the world around us. Let us consider other small acts of faith in the Bible. The first to come to my mind is the widow in Luke 21:1-4. It says, “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He also saw a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, ‘Truly I say to you this poor widow has put in more than all…she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” There was also a certain widow in 2 Kings 4:1-7 who had nothing but a jar of oil and was at the mercy of debts and creditors who were going to take her two sons and the prophet Elijah told her to collect as many jars as she could. He then used that one jar to fill all the jars so that she could pay her debt. God multiplied her oil miraculously through her faith and the faith of a righteous prophet. He made a simple jar of oil her salvation. Then there was the five loaves and two fish that Jesus multiplied to feed the 5,000 that had gathered to hear His preaching in the desert.
God is able to multiply a simple offering, even if it may be all you have, by your seed of faith and make it into one of the tallest of trees with bird’s nests in its branches and reveal the kingdom of God to the world around you. I’m talking small—something as simple as offering a smile and a kind word when you are in pain privately suffering some kind of loss or turmoil no one knows about and yet you offer this to a stranger who may be in pain even worse than you that *you* can’t see either. Perhaps that person is even questioning their own life—their work and purpose, their marriage or child, even their suicide plan they’ve been drawing closer to by the day. Your simple word and warmth could save them in the desert they are starving for a little light and love, dying of thirst for a glimpse of the kingdom of God—desperate to rest in a nest in your branches. Saving one life impacts countless other lives. We can’t underestimate any act no matter how small.
Perhaps it is a seed of faith in a business or ministry God has put on your heart to start—a seed to pursue His purpose for your life, a small act of faith. When I first started City on a Hill, it started with watching a handful of coaching videos I loved so much I hungered for more; with a daydream of a simple art project I envisioned doing with older women where we could celebrate God together. I didn’t picture or have any idea of a future ministry. But God grew that simple desire and passion into another step and another vision and another step and it grew slowly into the tree it is yet becoming. I pray with a seed of hope that He will grow a tall tree with branches that my community can build nests in one day. One day men and women and children in need of God’s truth, healing, and creativity can build a nest and rest in their experience and grow their light to shine for us all to see and *believe* in the God of Jesus Christ—to share our faith and spread the seed of faith to the world around us.
There is one other detail I’d like to look at. The parable says that this tree is a tree “which a man took and put in his garden.” I believe the “garden” is our heart. So let us today plant the seed of faith in our hearts. Let’s mix our faith with our love of God and His creation and HIs people. Let’s realize that each act of mercy and kindness and trust and generosity and sacrifice *counts* and can give rise to that tree that will grow beyond our appreciation and anticipation at the time—that can one day produce branches so broad that others will rest in them and enjoy God’s very mercy, stability, trustworthiness, and faith. Through each widow’s mite we offer to God, He is able and faithful to multiply and grow an impact beyond our sight and understanding. Let us live those faithful, righteous lives like those fathers of our faith did whose blood, lived right, gave rise to our faith in Christ one day. Let us be faithful to sow that seed in our hearts and thank God for His faithfulness to make it grow. Amen!