Scripture Notes: A Mustard Seed Beginning (Matthew 13)

Jesus likes to use the image of a mustard seed. It is so very tiny, so seemingly insignificant, but when properly planted and cared for, it can lead to massive, momentous results.

In Matthew 13, Jesus tells us that “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

Who would ever think a mustard seed could come to anything at all? It’s only one to two millimeters, just a little round thing that could be easily lost and overlooked. But when someone takes the time and effort to plant it and water it, it grows to enormous proportions. Such is the kingdom of heaven. It started small with Jesus’ twelve apostles, his mother and a few other women, and a collection of relatively few disciples in a backwater region of the Roman Empire. Who would have thought the little movement would come to anything?  Who but God?

The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed in each of us, too. Sometimes our faith feels very tiny, or we think we aren’t really doing much for God. We feel insignificant, unimportant, weak, and small. But if God has planted the seed of the kingdom in us, then it will grow, as long as we care for it.  

The mustard seed is a suitable symbol for what we can do for others as well. Sometimes our smallest actions mean the most and have the greatest results. A simple smile and a kind word can make another person’s day. A little act of service, a show of care even in the most minor things can affect another person forever.

Therefore, we should not neglect the mustard seeds in our lives. God will make them grow in His time and according to His will.