He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” Luke 13:18-19
And He *said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. Matthew 17:20
The picture in this week's blog is a 2 ml bottle with 100 mustard seeds in it. To put this in perspective 2 ml is less than 1/2 teaspoon and this bottle is less than half full with seeds. Each seed is approximately 1 to 2 millimeters (0.039 to 0.079 in) in diameter, yet when planted can produce a mature tree of between 6 and 20 feet with a 20-foot spread, although exceptional plants can reach 30 feet tall under ideal conditions. They have a spreading, multi-stemmed growth habit with a drooping or weeping branch structure. The plants will grow into a mature canopy within thirty to forty days but not usually beyond 80 days.
Jesus said, if we could just have faith the size of a mustard seed grain, we could move mountains. That sounds like such a profound thing, but when you see the "littleness" of what Jesus is comparing our faith to, it is even more profound to realize that it takes such little faith in Him that we can affect an entire world. Can you think of a forest with 100 trees all between 6 and 30 feet tall coming from this little bottle. Even more importantly can you imagine the change in our world if we could live with just a little faith knowing that it could impact the lives of so many around us. If our faith could build the canopy of this world, it would be a place for people to land, be safe and thrive.
Now you may not like mustard per se, but in reality, this comparison is not about the condiment but the miraculous impact that such a small seed can have when planted and cared for. This parable is about the impact that just a little faith can have in changing the world and what each of us can do when we simply believe in the power of Christ healing love once we have planted our faith in the right soil. We don't need big bold witnessing. We don't need to have brash and powerful testimony. We don't need to shout from the top of a building. We don't need megaphones, sound systems or flashing lights. We simply need to have a little faith...
Much love
Preach
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