Message

---

THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED

Mark 4:21-35

Key Verses 4:31-32 “It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the greatest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.”

  Last week we studied the parable of the sower. In the parable of the sower, Jesus taught us that there are four kinds of people. First, those who are like a path, second, those who are like rocky soil, third, those who are like thorny soil, lastly, those who have good soil.  The seed represents the word of God and the soil indicates hearts. Those who have good heart soil hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop-thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.(20)

  Today’s passage, verses 21-34, has three parables. These parables teach us the character of the kingdom of God. May God give us ears to hear and wisdom of the Holy Spirit to understand these parables. Amen.

1. A lamp on a stand (21-25)

Look at verse 21. “He said to them, ‘Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?” In this verse, the lamp stands for self-evident truth. It also compared to a light to brighten a room.  It is a self-evident truth that a man lightens a lamp and put it on its stand, not under a bowl or a bed. If he does, he will be considered stupid. Suppose he puts a lamp under a bed, what will happen? Soon, a smoke detector will alarm and fire engines will come. Here, to put a lamp on its stand means to live according to self-evident truth. In modern terms, a self-evident truth is to establish a family between a man and a woman, not a man and a man or a woman and a woman. We must live according to this truth, not pattern of the sinful world. People of this world violate this self-evident truth and condone the same sex marriage, saying that it is their life-style. When men violate the self-evident truth, families are broken and children are hurt. As the lamp under a bed consumes a house in a second, the violation of the truth of God destroys family, society, and finally nations.

  What is the self-evident truth to students? Students must study hard and turn papers on time. Workers must work hard and make much profits for the company or the owners. Teachers must be prepared and teach students wholeheartedly with responsibility. Parents should take care of their children and educate them with the truth of God. Children must obey their parents and grow as men and women of God. These are self-evident truth which we should obey and follow. Above all, the self-evident truth is the word of God.

Look at verses 22,23. “For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”  There are no permanent hidden secrets or unsolved mysteries in the world. Someday in the future, all things hidden will be disclosed and all the mysteries will be known. To the Jews, especially at Jesus’ time, the concept of the kingdom of God was vague and earthly. They had a dream of the earthly messianic kingdom. But, Jesus taught them the secret of the kingdom of God through the parables. Jesus taught Nicodemus that no one see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. Jesus also explained that a man can enter the kingdom of God when he is born of water and of the spirit. (Jn 3:3,5) Jesus also taught a Samaritan woman that she would be never thirsty again when she drank the living water welling up to eternal life which provided by Jesus. (Jn 4:13,14) Jesus also taught the Pharisees that the kingdom of God is not here or there, but in the hearts, especially of those who listen to his words. (Lk 17:21)

One young man suffered from the power of death since his young sister had died of illness. He drank and wandered in the darkness of sin without knowing the meaning of life. But, since he came to know Jesus Christ, he found that there is the kingdom of God in Jesus. He was not sorrowful anymore. He did not have to wander in the darkness anymore because he came to know the secret of the kingdom of God.

Look at verse 24. “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you-and even more.” In this verse, the word “measure” implies a way of life or the ruler a person uses. What Jesus meant in this verse was that people will be judged by the way they live. If they live for money, they will go to hell where all the greedy people are wiggling like worms day and night without sleep. If they live for physical pleasure, they will also go to the same place where the sexual immoral are suffering in the fiery lake of the burning sulfur. (Rev 21:8). But to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, they will receive eternal life in the kingdom of God. (Ro 2:7)

Look at verse 25. “Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” This verse tells us about the treasure in heaven and God’s reward. Those who have heavenly treasure will be welcomed to the pearly gates by the welcoming crowd. But those how lived only selfish life are not allowed to enter the kingdom of God, but go to somewhere else, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mt 22:13, 24:51)

This verse also reminds us of the parable of the talents in Luke 25:14-30. We must not live a selfish or an easy going life on this earth. We must work hard and use all the gifts given by God for the glory of God. Indeed for everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. (Mt 25:29)

2. The parable of the growing seed (26-29)

This parable tells us mainly about the character of the kingdom of God. Look at verse 26. “He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.” This parable tells us that the kingdom of God grows in our hearts day after day, month by month, and year by year. At first, we have a small seed of the kingdom of God in our hearts. It looks small. It is barely noticeable. But, it grows day and night even though we don’t know how. Look at verse 27. “Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.” These days we are surprised to see our children grow remarkably. A few days ago, my son Sammy’s former school teacher came to me and said, “Sam has grown a lot for the last several months!” To my measurement, he looks the same, not much different from the last semester. However, indeed he grew night and day, whether I sleep or get up. Soon he will be taller than I. I believe that all parents have the same experience like me. In the same way, the seed of the kingdom of God in our hearts, after it was scattered, grows night and day, week by week and year after year even though we do not realize.  As the seed of the kingdom of God grows, our happiness increases. As the seed of the kingdom of God grows in our heart, our inner person also grows. The more the kingdom of God grows, the more we become like Jesus. The more the kingdom of God grows in our hearts, the more we love God and love our brothers and sisters. The more the kingdom of God grows, the more we are free from the desire for this world.

  The seed of the kingdom of God is planted in the hearts when they hear the word and study the word of God. We thank God who planted the seed of the kingdom of God in the hearts of our Bible students through one to one bible study. Night and day, whether we sleep or get up, the seed of the kingdom of God will grow in their hearts so that they may grow to become great men and women of God. Even though we do not realize how and when, God will grow them as spiritual leaders and shepherds for their own generation. Therefore, we must scatter the seed of the kingdom of God more diligently and faithfully this new semester. We must plant the word of God into the hearts of young people more prayerfully and sincerely, believing that God will grow them someday into the image of Jesus Christ. One Bible teacher was a little bit dismayed when his Bible student decided to take a break from bible study. But, we believe that the seed of the kingdom of God which was planted in his heart indeed will grow and bear fruits in God’s time. We don’t know how and when. But God know. He will grow them when we do not give up and pray for them day and night.

3. The parable of the mustard seed. (30-34)

Look at verse 30. “Again he said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?” this verse tells us that even Jesus was in agony as to how to explain the kingdom of God to them. The kingdom of God is not given, but we must discover it and possess it through the word of God.(Mt 13:45,46) Let us read verses 31,32. “It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.” Have you ever seen a mustard seed? According to the Wikipedia, the size of a mustard seed is about 1mm in diameter. It is just like a dot of your ballpoint pen. But, when the mustard seed grows, it becomes the largest plant in the garden. It grows even more than 8 feet high. When the plant grows, all kinds of birds come and perch in its shade, eating worms deliciously and taking a rest.

In this parable we learn two things. First, the seed of the kingdom of God in our hearts will grow and become the largest thing in our life. In a word, when the kingdom of God grows in our heart, the kingdom of God will be everything for us. As the mustard plant grows the largest, the kingdom of God will rule our hearts and life until we are fully satisfied and abundant. What can we expect when the harvest time of our life comes? Only the kingdom of God will remain and will value most in our life. The kingdom of God looks small and insignificant like a mustard seed.  But, when it grows, it will be the largest part of our life and the biggest treasure in heaven.

Second, when we have the kingdom of God we will be the greatest persons. As the mustard plants become the largest among all the plants, those who have the kingdom of God will grow and become great men and women of God and become a blessing to others. Our Bible students who come to the disciples’ meeting look not much different from others. But, when they grow, they will become great men and women of God and source of blessing to the whole world like the mustard seed in this parable. When God called Abraham, he looked like a mustard seed.  We cannot find any great and specific things from Abraham from the human point of view. But, when the kingdom of God was planted, his faith grew, his inner person became mature and spiritual. Then, from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. (Heb 11:12)

Nicholaus Von Zinzendorf, the founder and leader of the Moravian church in 18^th century, was inspired by the parable of the mustard seed. So he founded the Order of the Mustard Seed as commitment to Christ Jesus and obedience to his world mission command. First: To be true to Christ Jesus, second, to be kind to all people, third, to send the gospel to the world. According to the Order of the Mustard Seed, numerous young people around the world volunteered to live a pious life and to obey Jesus’ world mission command and went out to the world.

In today’s passage we learned that we must live according to the self-evident truth, not by the pattern of the sinful world. Jesus also taught us that the kingdom of God will grow in our hearts day and night until we become great men and women of God and great blessing to the world. Let us pray that God may grow the seed of the Kingdom of God in our hearts day by day, week by week, year after year so that we may be influential and great servants of God like Abraham, the Apostle Paul, St. Augustine, Zinzendorf, Mother Sarah Barry and so on. Amen.

---

Attachment

• pamk4bm-2008.doc

---