Recently I’ve started growing cress. It’s so easy and I love an egg and cress sarni.
Day after day I water, I watch, the seeds grow. I talk to them hoping they’ll be quicker. It’s such a delight when the first shoots appear: “Yes, they’re alive!”
But isn’t it incredible when you stop and think about what’s happening? How something so small and inconspicuous grows into a plant that nourishes and transforms your plain old egg into a tasty snack?
I’m not sure whether cress can grow into trees like mustard (also yummy with egg btw), but my little tray of seeds did get me thinking of the kingdom of God, as mustard did for Jesus (Matt 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32, Luke 13:18-19).
Here I share as Jesus did, about mustard seeds, to help you grow in your walk with Christ…
The parable of the mustard seed
“…How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What should I use to illustrate it? It is like a tiny mustard seed. Though this is one of the smallest seeds, it grows to become one of the largest of plants with long branches where birds can come and find shelter.” – Mark 4:30-32 (NLT)
Mustard seeds are incredibly small, yet the plants can grow into trees at least 9ft tall with plenty of space for nesting birds. Something with small beginnings gets so large that birds can nest there!
Like the mustard seed, Jesus said the kingdom of God would grow huge. It would grow to include people from all nations (the birds likely represent the Gentiles) with no limit to its extent. It’s unlikely that birds would actually be attracted to nest in mustard plants but I think what Jesus was getting at was they could if they wanted, so extravagant is His kingdom.
And His kingdom has indeed grown. From Jesus and His first Jewish disciples there are now over 2 billion followers worldwide.
Keep going – small seeds become flourishing trees
For the first followers of Christ, particularly the gentiles (non-Jews), this parable would have been a great comfort. In a world where Christians were persecuted and humiliated because of their beliefs it must have given them real hope. It told them their faith was not some tiny backwater fad that would die out in a matter of years. No. It would flourish because their Lord had said so.
In comparison we have it easy.
Don’t we?
In some ways yes, but when your church congregation is dwindling, your immediate family are all atheists and most people you know find God irrelevant to modern life, it can seem pointless. And it’s all too easy to give up with sharing the hope we have in Christ.
Please don’t.
The stats show that globally Christianity is still very much alive and people are being saved daily.
You may not be seeing growth in your immediate neighbourhood (yet) and this is hard to take when you’re praying for it, loving people as Christ does and sharing the Gospel truth with them.
But remember, the parable of the mustard seed says the kingdom of God will grow.
If you feel you’re not having any impact, please, don’t give up. Don’t be tempted to cut off your cress (mustard) for a sarni before it’s had chance to grow into fullness.
Keep praying, keep loving people and keep sharing the Gospel. Even if you don’t see the results during your time on earth you will see the kingdom of God in completeness when Jesus returns in glory (Rev 11:15-17).
With God in charge your small seeds will become flourishing trees.
God bless xx
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