THE MYSTERY OF THE
MUSTARD SEED
What is the role of this church in the community of
Kleefeld? When I considered this question as the introduction to a new “church
year,” I thought of a tree. Immediately a parable came to mind, the Parable of
the Mustard Seed, and I knew I had my text for this morning.
Then
something peculiar happened: Instead of me using the text for my theme, the
text schooled me – it threw my whole idea upside down.
Here is
how the parable is commonly interpreted these days: The Kingdom of God or
Heaven is like a mustard seed. It starts out small and insignificant, like a
baby being born in a stable and becoming the Savior of the world, or eleven
scared men hiding in a room in Jerusalem and suddenly being empowered to change
the world. The kingdom starts out small but eventually spreads throughout the
world.
There’s
nothing wrong with that concept. It’s an encouraging thought. But that’s not
what this parable is saying. When I studied this text I found it to be quite
controversial. Some writers agreed with what I just told you; others took a
drastically different view, others like David Legge, S. Lewis Johnson and Ray
Stedman. So I had to choose which interpretation I was going to teach this
morning. Good hermeneutics (taught to me in SBC) led me to choose the
controversial lesson.
Good
hermeneutics (interpretation tools) demand that we consider the whole chapter
or context for this text. Jesus is sitting by a lake and a large crowd of
people gather around him. So he begins to teach them using parables. Jesus
tells them about the sower and the seed (13:3-9), the parable of the weeds
(24-30 & 36-43) and then the mustard seed. The mustard seed parable is the
first one that he does not explain. Having explained the other two Jesus left
it to us to understand it with the principles he gave us in the first two. The
symbols are consistent throughout the chapter and Scripture generally does not
use a symbol in a conflicting way.
In the
parable of the Mustard Seed there are five symbols that are common to the other
two parables: The sower, the field, the seed, the tree (not mentioned before),
and the birds.
1. The Unnatural Growth of the Mustard Seed
Let’s look at these five symbols and consider the
unnatural growth of the mustard seed in this parable.
a) The sower and
b) the field – The first two symbols are easy. If we agree that the symbols
are consistent in the Bible then we need only look at 13:37 and read that Jesus
reveals himself as the sower, “the Son of Man.” Jesus is the farmer or sower
who planted the good news. The field again is understood when we read 13:38,
“the field is the world.” World can have different meanings depending on the
context; here we know that “world” refers to “all people,” since the soils in
the parable of the sower refers to “hearts.”
Jesus
plants a mustard seed in our parable. This is the third type of seed mentioned
in this chapter. The use of different seeds is the Lord’s way of describing
various aspects of his message. In one parable he sows wheat which, if well
received, produces a harvest of faith. In the other parable, Jesus says that
the seeds are the sons of the kingdom. But what is the mustard seed?
c) The seed –
Jesus used a seed that would be familiar to the people listening – a mustard
seed. What is significant about a mustard seed? What would they think about
this seed?
Mustard
is a small seed but it is very pungent. It has a bite to it and can be
irritating, disturbing or penetrating. Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is
like this seed. An old-fashioned home remedy for a bad cold or pneumonia was to
smear a mustard pack on the chest and cover it with a cloth. This would burn
into the skin and create a terrible itch. This is what went through the
hearers’ minds when they thought about mustard. They caught the meaning Jesus
intended that the kingdom of heaven was arousing and disturbing to people.
Plant it in the community and it stirs things up negatively or positively.
Now
Jesus says that it is the smallest seed. That bothers some people, especially
horticulturalists who know that mustard is not the smallest seed. Some say that
if Jesus is God he should have known that. But Jesus is pretty keen about these
things and what he was doing was using a common proverb of that culture that
used mustard as a symbol for smallness. It’s like when we say “he’s as big as a
house.” It’s an expression indicating size without being literal.
Jesus
wanted his hearers to know that the gospel is like a mustard seed. It is
seemingly small. It does not look like much. It does not sound like much. We
say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” It’s simple and
the world does not get excited about it. It’s not an earth-shaking philosophy.
It’s even despised. But if you believe it, this insignificant gospel will
change your life. The gospel has literally brought down kingdoms when people
believed.
d) The tree – Now
things get strange. Jesus said that the mustard seed is the smallest seed, yet
when it grows, it becomes the largest of garden plants, a tree even. Birds
actually perch on its branches.
Sometimes
driving in Southern Manitoba you see a yellow field of flowers. That is a
mustard field. Have you ever seen a mustard tree? No, probably not. But they
must have them in Palestine, because Jesus talks about mustard trees. Actually,
no. Apparently, Israeli tourism will take you to a “mustard tree” for the sake
of showing you the object of Jesus’ parable. But it’s not a tree. Mustard trees
don’t exist. Then why did Jesus say this?
In each
parable there is something a little off. Not every soil yields a harvest; weeds
are planted among the wheat; and a mustard seed grows to be a tree? Jesus was
teaching that this growth was unnatural growth. It is not what you would expect
from a mustard seed. Something good can turn into something ungainly; something
meant to be humble can become unnatural.
What is
the gospel supposed to produce in the human heart? If we follow the steps of
Jesus who was meek and lowly, humble and gentle, we find that our hearts are
transformed to be like his, humble, gentle and lowly. His life challenges our
pride, our self-centeredness and our ego-centric lifestyle. Jesus said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the
very last, and the servant of all,” (Mark 9:35). That is the normal growth
of the mustard seed.
What is
unnatural growth? Pride, ambition, the domination of others. In the OT a tree
often stands for authority, power and dominion. Consider Daniel 4 where
Nebuchadnezzar has a dream about a great tree that is cut down. He was that
tree and God humbled him. The worst day in the history of the church was when
Constantine legalized and made Christianity the state religion. In history,
whenever the church gained the upper hand together with the state, trouble followed
in the form of apostasy and heresy.
Paul was
speaking to the church when he said, “Be
completely humble and gentle…” (Eph 4:2). The early Christians never went
around promoting the church they belonged to. In the book of Acts you will
never read a word about the church as part of the preaching of the gospel. The
church doesn’t save; Jesus saves. The church does not transform lives; Jesus
transforms lives. When the Christians talked to people, they talked about the
Lord. When a church becomes a kingdom it resembles a proud tree. But where is
the Lord in this?
e) The birds –
What about the birds? In the first parable, Jesus said that some of the seed
fell on the path (v. 4) and the birds came and at it up. Later, explaining this
parable to his disciples, Jesus said it is Satan who snatches the seed away (v.
19). The birds then, are the agents of Satan.
Some
commentators say that the mustard seed grows to be a tree that has branches
strong enough for birds to perch. And they say that these are song birds –
robins, bluebirds and so on – and are symbols of beautiful things happening in
the church, or Gentiles who come to the Lord. That doesn’t seem to fit the
meaning of the symbols. These are not song birds, they are vultures and
buzzards. Revelation 18:2 speaks of hateful birds that inhabit Babylon.
If we
follow what Jesus is saying it is not a pretty picture. The humble plant that
was supposed to cause a stir has become a tree, admired and accepted. The
birds, the agents of Satan, have nested in the plant that Jesus planted. It
started out good but soon allowed false teaching in its midst; it grew popular
and attractive; worse, it allowed its apparent influence to cloud its true
purpose and it branched out in the garden, dominating the landscape. Another gospel
has taken root, a more acceptable gospel.
2. The Parable of the Chortitza Oak
The Parable of the Mustard Seed reminded me of another
tree in Mennonite folklore and history. I am calling this the Parable of the
Chortitza Oak.
A large
and very old oak tree grew in what is now called Zaporozhye, Ukraine. It is
estimated to be about 800 years old. The old oak was revered, even worshiped by
the people of that land, for it was said to bring blessing to young couples
seeking to marry. Even the Cossacks used this great old oak as a meeting place.
Back in
Prussia, or what is now Poland, Mennonite farmers were running out of land and
sought a new place for the landless Mennonites. Katherine the Great invited
them to settle a then empty land. So in 1789 a number of Mennonite families
made the long trek from Prussia to Imperial Russia. When they arrived tired and
hungry, they rested under the old oak. It was a shelter for them, and in time a
landmark in their travels. Like the people of old, the Mennonites came to
revere the old oak and saw in it a symbol of the growing and spreading
Mennonite faith and culture.
Following
the collapse of the Soviet Union in 90’s, the tree also began to show signs of
dying. Today it is a lifeless, leafless relic of the past. It got too large,
too old and maybe too revered. A wealthy admirer could not stand to see the old
oak fall and rot, so he has propped up the tree and its branches with poles and
ropes.
Before
the old oak died someone had the foresight to preserve some of its acorns.
Several offspring of the grand old tree are now planted in Canada. One is in
B.C., one is in Ontario, one is planted at Canadian Mennonite University and
another is much closer – it is planted at the Mennonite Heritage Village Museum
in Steinbach. (The irony here is that the "great tree" is reduced to its humble origins again; it starts out small once again through the seeds or saplings).
If the
Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Chortitza Oak are connected
it is in this one principle: We must be careful not to allow that which is born
in humble circumstances to become more than it was meant to be. We are given a
Great Commission by our Lord, but it is not to proclaim a church or a
tradition. Jesus commands us to proclaim that He is Lord and Savior. Ours is
not to worry about what other organizations are doing; our calling is to preach
Jesus in word and deed.
So what is this church’s role in the community of
Kleefeld?
This
church needs to be a wonderful stirring agent in the community without
overshadowing it with overbearing prominence. We are to be pungent like a
mustard seed, adding flavor and even being a little disturbing – not annoying
or forceful. It is by our gentleness, meekness, lowliness and love that we seek
to disturb our community.
What
else is small like a mustard seed? Salt! Salt is a pervasive preservative that
gets into the meat to keep it from spoiling.
What
else is small? Light! Think “candle” in this regard; a tiny point of light in a
dark place. Can you imagine people who are used to living in darkness all of a
sudden exposed to light? But a candle is soft and mellow, a great introduction
to the idea of light.
Jesus
said, “You are the salt of the earth…you are the light of the world,” (Matt
5:13, 14). You and I are to be like the mustard seed, salt and light, to
influence our corner of the world for Jesus – not for anything else, no cause,
no program, no organization – for Jesus!
That is
our role in the community of Kleefeld.
As we
begin this new “church year” let us commit ourselves anew to the Lord. You may
want to do this in various ways. The insert in your bulletin asks you to
covenant with us as a church to some personal and church-related commitments.
You may want to check them all or just a few – that’s up to you. You may want
to share this with a friend or spouse, or tuck it into your Bible to remind
yourself later. But whatever you do, whatever you think, be sure to do this
little act of covenanting with the Lord in mind. It is to him that you make
this promise.
God
bless us all as we seek first the Kingdom.
AMEN
My Covenant
I plan to
grow by ______________________ (increasing my Bible Study time, reading more
scripture, praying, volunteering…)
I plan to
help improve my church’s serve/effectiveness by:
____ Praying
______ For my own growth
______ For the pastors, minister, and deacons
______ For the Spirit to grow our church
____ Serving
______ by teaching
______ by leading clubs
______ by serving on a committee
______ by helping with Missions Close to Home
____ Advocating
_____ for EMC Missions
_____ for AIM
_____ for Compassion Canada
_____ other
_____________
I plan to
engage my community by ___________________ (getting involved with Honey Fest.;
town council; getting to know my neighbor, etc.)
I covenant
to support the church with my prayers, gifts, involvement, attendance,
financial contributions and service for the building up of the church of Jesus
Christ here and globally
Signed
_________________________________
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