Matthew 13: 31-32

Parable of the mustard seed of heaven

 

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)

In the Bible, Heaven is said to be a mustard seed. God planted a mustard seed in his field. Heaven is Jesus Christ. And his field represents Israel. There is a scene of Jesus talking to a Samaritan woman when she comes to Samaria. In John 4:22

 『Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 』 He who planted in his field means God. God planted Jesus Christ (mustard seed) in his field (Israel). So the mustard seeds grew into large trees, and birds in the air inhabited. These flying birds are the ones Peter saw in his vision. It is the Gentiles. Jesus Christ was born in Israel, but the Gentiles enter the kingdom of God before Israel.

The parable of the mustard seed says that the kingdom of God looks weak at first, but after the death and resurrection of the Messiah, the Gospel will spread through the coming of the Holy Spirit. Even Jesus' disciples started the kingdom of God very poorly. They were disappointed and despaired at this weak start. To them, the parable of the mustard seed would have given tremendous comfort and challenge. Just as the smallest mustard seed grows into a mustard tree large enough for birds to grow, the kingdom of God will grow and grow enormously on this earth.

However, when Jesus heard the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus must have been shocked by the fact that the beginning of the kingdom of God is very small. Because they, like the Jews of the time, misunderstood that God was the kingdom of God to defeat Israel's enemies and make Israel politically strong. However, through these words, they did not disappoint and should have courage and perseverance because God's beginnings will eventually grow like a mustard tree.

After the death of Jesus on the cross, the resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of God was expanded, but Satan has prevented the expansion of the kingdom of God in every way. It is to politically persecute the Saints, distort the Bible, spread the false gospel, and lead them away from faith. In particular, Jesus says that the size of faith is not important. In Matthew 17, a man brought someone who suffered from epilepsy, but the disciples could not fix it. So he brought a child to Jesus and Jesus healed him.

The disciples asked Jesus, "Why can't we heal the disease?"『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 hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 』(Matthew 17:20)
Jesus said, "Because you did not have the faith of a mustard seed." People think that mustard seed belief is "pure and sincere faith." So many churches say, "You must pray and ask every day to have this faith." You can't have this belief with the flesh or blood. Only those who repent and deny themselves can receive this faith as a gift. Only in order to gain this faith, you must repent and become a land-keeper. Farmers sow seeds when the land is cultivated. The only way we can do is to deny ourselves and go into the cross.

 

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