Parable of the mustard seed

Parable of the mustard seed

 

Mark 4:30-32『And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it growseth up, and becomesth greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.』

The Bible says, “The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed.” The farmer (God) planted this mustard seed in his field. The mustard seed is Jesus Christ. And his field represents Israel. God planted Christ (a mustard seed) in his field (Israel). So, the mustard seed grew into a large tree and became home to the birds of the air. “The flying birds of the air” are the birds that Peter saw in his vision. That is, they are strangers. Jesus Christ was born in Israel, but Gentiles enter the kingdom of God first. The parable of the mustard seed tells us that although the kingdom of God appears weak on earth at first, the gospel will spread to Gentiles through the coming of the Holy Spirit after the death and resurrection of the Messiah. The parable of the mustard seed is about those who believe in present resurrection.

God plants the mustard seed (Jesus Christ) in the field of the believer's heart. In the mustard seed parable, the field represents the temple (Kingdom of God) in the hearts of believers. In Matthew 13:31-32, the word heaven is used instead of the kingdom of God. Heaven is the Greek word “He Basileia ton Uranon,” which means the temple (Kingdom of God) in the heart. 『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.』Jesus was the first fruits of the resurrection. Saints also bear the fruit of resurrection, and it spreads as saints share the fruit of resurrection through evangelism. The birds of the air represent the Gentiles, but they also represent those who believe in the present resurrection.

In Matthew 17, someone brought a man suffering from epilepsy to Jesus, but the disciples were unable to cure him. So someone brought the child to Jesus, and Jesus healed him. When the disciples asked, “Why can’t we heal?” He answered, “faithless and perverse generation,” and in verse 20, “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove henceforth place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.』

“The reason the disciples could not cure the epilepsy,” Jesus said, “is because they did not have the faith of a mustard seed.” People think that faith the size of a mustard seed is “pure and true faith.” So, many churches say, “We must pray and ask every day to have this kind of faith.” A person cannot have this kind of faith based on his flesh or blood. Only those who repent and deny themselves can receive this faith as a gift. To obtain this faith only one must become a tiller of the land. When the land is tilled, the farmer sows seeds. When a farmer tills the land, sows seeds, and cultivates them so that they sprout, they bear fruit and harvest. Faith is also like this. Plow the field of your heart, sow the seeds of God's word, and bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, it is connected to the death and resurrection of the cross. Sowing seeds is associated with the death of the cross, and bearing fruit is associated with resurrection. Those who believe in present resurrection can cure epilepsy.

『If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove henceforth place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.』

Faith is the belief that one died on the cross and was resurrected. If the believer believes in the present resurrection, the old temple (this mountain) is moved away in the believer's heart. So, if a believer says, “Move that mountain (new temple) from there to here,” it will be moved. This is what God does. Those who believe in present resurrection will have a new temple built in their hearts, and Christ will return to their hearts, so saints will also receive the power of God. That power is the power to cure illness and forgive sins. Therefore, the reason the disciples could not heal the epileptic was because the power of resurrection did not come.

“Those who do not have the power of present resurrection” remain sinners deserving of death on the cross. So they become faithless and perverse generation. Jesus told his disciples three times that he would die on the cross and be resurrected three days later, but no one listened. It is still faithless and perverse generation. You might wonder how Jesus could receive the power of resurrection before he died on the cross, but because Jesus was given power by God, his disciples could receive power directly while he was alive. However, because they had no expectation of resurrection, the power could not come to them.