He
presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like
a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is
smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger
than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come
and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES."
Insights: The mustard seed describes the kingdom in
order to encourage us. I don't know
about you, but sometimes I get discouraged.
I just think that no matter how hard we try we always seem to be crushed
and crowded out by the evil world around us.
If you feel that way, can you imagine how the disciples felt? Let me make one last observation before I write
about the significance of this parable for us today. What are these birds to represent? Some people think they represent demons and
the reason they think they represent demons is because of the earlier parable
where the birds snatch it away and it talks about the bird representing Satan
who takes the Word away. But keep this
in your mind, this is a new parable and the birds could represent anything. I think there are two things to notice
regarding these birds. One, considering
the birds live in this bush, the bush must be very large. Two, the birds live in the mustard bush so
they can eat at home. In other words, the
Kingdom of Christ grows so extensive that the nations find their shelter and
protection in the kingdom. Now the birds
are not the mustard bush and they are not necessarily part of the kingdom, but they
benefit by its presence in the earth. This
truth is important because wherever Christianity flourishes the people, the
birds, which climb in the branches, prosper even though they don't know Christ. Wherever the Kingdom has extended, you have
an environment of protection for the people who aren't even in that kingdom
truly. Now this last thought takes us
back to the way the disciple felt and the significance this parable would have
had on them. The kingdom will grow so that
many will find lodging in its branches. And
what the parable is trying to tell us is that in spite of the opposition, in
spite of the three bad soils, in spite of the presence of the weeds, we're
going to win. The kingdom is going to
grow and grow and grow and grow and grow.
We're not this little group of people trying to hold the fort. We're the people on the winning side and the
kingdom is growing.
Questions:
- Are you presently feeling discouraged in your Christian
walk?
- Will you allow the Holy Spirit to encourage your heart to remain faithful?
Prayer: Father, the
obstacles of life often result in discouragement in my life. Grant me, please, Your presence so I may walk
faithfully with You to victory. Amen.
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