THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN PART NINE: A GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED

"Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof." (Matthew 13:31, 32).

 

Jesus illustrates the power of the Kingdom of God in this parable.  It began in obscurity through the birth of a baby in a stable and the Word that He brought to the world when He became a man.  It has since grown until it now overspreads the earth and has influenced kings and kingdoms.  Once it was sown in the world, it became an irresistible force that has continued to grow from that day to this.  Through the Roman persecution, the Catholic inquisition, and every attack of Satan from the first century on, the Church of God has grown, and the Kingdom of Heaven flourished.  Compared to the kingdoms of this world, it appears to be the "least of all seeds," but it has become the "greatest among herbs," and will one day replace all of these earthly kingdoms.

 

In Daniel chapter 2, we find a prophetic picture of how God's Kingdom will ultimately subdue and replace every other kingdom.

 

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon dreamed a dream.  When he awoke, the dream escaped him, but the urgency of the dream did not, and he desired his magicians and sorcerers to tell him what he dreamed and what the meaning of it was.  God showed grace to Daniel, and revealed to him the king's dream and its interpretation. 

 

The king had dreamed of a great image whose head was made of gold, his arms and chest were silver, his stomach and thighs were brass, his legs were iron, and his feet were iron mixed with clay.  Then a stone which had been cut without the use of human hands came and struck the image in the feet breaking it to pieces along with the gold, silver, brass, iron, and clay.  Then the pieces of the image were carried away on the wind and were no more.  The stone, however, became a great mountain that filled the whole earth.

 

After telling the king the details of his dream, Daniel then proceeded to reveal its meaning.  The head of gold was none other than Nebuchadnezzar and the kingdom of Babylon.  After Babylon, another kingdom would arise which would be inferior, and therefore represented as silver.  This was the kingdom of the Medes and Persians under Cyrus the king.  The brass represents the Macedonian, or Grecian, kingdom under Alexander the Great.  The iron is the mighty Roman Empire which later became weakened and divided in two and became mixed with clay as it tried to absorb the barbarians into its empire.  "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a Kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the Kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.  Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." (Daniel 2:44-45).  This new Kingdom would be formed, not by human hands, but by the hand of God Himself.  It would be ruled, not by earthly kings, but by the Son of God.  Jesus is the Stone that was not hewn by human hands.  He is the Stone which the builders rejected.  "As it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed." (Romans 9:33).  Read Psalm 2 and understand that God has set up His Son to destroy and scatter all the nations of the world to the wind because they are all Christ's by inheritance.  "Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel." (Psalm 2:8, 9).

 

After Christ's triumphant return, God's Kingdom will be established on earth for 1000 years until Satan is forever cast into the lake of fire, and the final judgment takes place.  "Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness." (2 Peter 3:11).

 

They teach our children in school to pledge their allegiance to the flag, but do we parents ever teach them that there is a higher allegiance that we owe to God and His Kingdom that supersedes all others.  Are we really so blind as to think that this nation, or any other, is truly "one nation under God?"  The Kingdom of Heaven is the only one that is truly and wholly under God.  As Christians, we must learn to be faithful servants of the King Jesus Christ.

 

In another place, Jesus also used the mustard seed to illustrate our faith.  "And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.  And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you." (Luke 17:5, 6).  In light of the other parable of the mustard seed, we understand that our faith grows from small beginnings to great things much like the Kingdom of Heaven does.  It does not take great faith to do great things, however.  Our faith may start out small, but it is sufficient to believe God's ability to do what He tells us He will do.  As we progress with the Lord, however, our capacity to believe God grows as we are able to comprehend all the things that He has freely given to us in Christ.  It is in this way that we move from faith to faith.  "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ...for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:16a, 17). 

 

The question that we must ask ourselves is this: who are we serving?  Are we laying up treasures in heaven, or on earth?  Has the love of the world blinded us to the bondage that it has placed us in?  When the Israelites first went down into Egypt, it was because Joseph was there and had provided food for his family there, but they grew comfortable.  Pharaoh ultimately became afraid of their power and numbers, began to control their growth, and put them in cruel bondage.  That's when God sent them a deliverer, Moses, to tell Pharaoh to, "Let My people go that they may serve Me in the wilderness."  Egypt represents the world in scripture.  There are ways in which we may use the world.  Our jobs, our food, our utilities, etc., are all ways that we are dependent on the world.  Don't ever think that the world will not turn on the Church when it realizes its power, and will seek ways to control and confine it.  It has happened many times already in history.  "Marvel not, My brethren, if the world hate you." (1 John 3:13).  The more affection we have for the world, the less we will have for the Lord; but the more we love the Lord and seek to live according to His Words, the less comfortable we will be with the world and its ways.  Truly, we need to earnestly pray the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10).