“The
Mustard Seed”
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen. It is often said that a parable is an earthly story with a
heavenly meaning. Jesus spoke in
parables in order to get the attention of the people and communicate his message
in such a way that they would understand it and remember it.
It’s the same reason preachers today use sermon illustrations. The best illustrations are those that relate to the
everyday lives of the people you’re talking to.
That is why Jesus so often uses parables of an agricultural nature,
including the Parable of the Sower; the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard;
the Parable of the Weeds in the Wheat; the Parable of the Lost Sheep; and, of
course, our text from today’s Gospel reading: The Parable of the Mustard Seed. “Again he said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is
like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?
It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the
ground. Yet when planted, it grows
and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the
birds of the air can perch in its shade.’” In a few weeks the wheat harvest will be starting in
McPherson County, where I grew up.
Though I was raised in town, some of my fondest childhood memories are summers
out on my uncles’ farms, helping with the harvest.
For those of us in a rural, agricultural community, it is easy to relate
to the earthly story of this parable.
We are not like the exchange student from Japan who stayed with some of
my parishioners in Indiana. In
Japan, he lived in such a large, crowded, industrial city, where space was at
such a premium, that he said they had no yards or parks, and he had hardly ever
in his life seen any kind of plant, grass, or trees actually growing outdoors.
But, we live and work with growing plants every day.
We know what happens when you plant a seed.
We watch each year the cycle of crops being sown, sprouting, growing,
maturing, and being harvested. That is exactly the earthly story of this parable: The tiny
mustard seed grows into a large plant.
That is the earthly story, but what is the heavenly meaning of “The
Mustard Seed”? Jesus is telling us
that even the tiniest spiritual seeds which we plant will bear fruit.
He is encouraging us not to give up, not to despair, but to keep on
planting spiritual seeds for the kingdom of God.
It’s very disappointing for us not to see any results from
the seeds we have planted. When I
plant flowers each year, some quickly begin to sprout and grow, but others die
out, or just don’t do much. We’re
really pleased when something grows and does well for us, but we’re disappointed
and impatient when something doesn’t.
It’s the same way with the spiritual seeds that you and I plant.
We’re disappointed when we don’t see results. “Again he said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is
like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?
It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the
ground. Yet when planted, it grows
and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the
birds of the air can perch in its shade.’” Keep on planting spiritual seeds for the kingdom of God.
First of all, plant the seeds of faith in your own heart and life.
Jesus died on the cross to pay for the sins of the world.
All your sins are forgiven on his account; he has made you right with
God. Trust in him as your Savior,
and keep on planting in your own heart and life spiritual seeds for the kingdom
of God. Here in worship today, a seed is being planted in you; when
you study God’s Word, a seed is being planted in you; when you receive Christ’s
body and blood in the Lord’s Supper, a seed is being planted in you; when you
come to the Lord in prayer, a seed is being planted in you.
Even though you may not see or feel the results immediately, yet these
seeds will bear fruit in your life.
But, remember, the first rule of farming:
You can’t have a harvest if you don’t plant the seeds.
Plant the spiritual seeds of faith in your own heart and life. And plant the spiritual seeds of faith in the hearts and
lives of those around you. When you
invite relatives and friends and neighbors to join you in worship, you are
planting a seed. Every time you
witness to Jesus, in both word and deed, you are planting a seed.
When you reach out to help those who are troubled and hurting, you are
planting a seed. When you show
kindness, compassion, Christian love, you are planting a seed.
When you give of your time to serve the Lord, you are planting a seed.
When you contribute financially to the work of the Lord, you are planting
a seed. When you pray for others,
you are planting a seed. As we observe Father’s Day next Sunday, it’s important to
remind ourselves that THE number one thing you as a father or mother can do for
your children is to plant the seeds of faith in Christ in their hearts and
lives. As Paul says, “Bring them up
in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
Plant the seeds of faith in your children, by bringing them to receive
the Sacrament of Holy Baptism; by worshipping with your children here in God’s
house; by bringing your children to Sunday School, Confirmation class, Youth
Group; by praying for your children and praying with your children; by setting
for your children in your own life an example of faithfulness, to them and to
your Savior. Paul says in 1st Corinthians, “I planted the seed, Apollos
watered it, but God gave the increase.”
It can be very frustrating when we don’t see any fruit from the spiritual
seeds we have planted. Sometimes we
may become disheartened and feel like giving up because we don’t see any
results. But, even if we don’t see it, we trust that, like the
mustard seed, God will give the increase, God will make the spiritual seeds we
plant sprout and grow and bear fruit in our hearts and lives, and in the hearts
and lives of those around us. Paul says in today’s Epistle Reading, “We live by faith not
by sight.” Even when you don’t see
the results, even though you don’t reap the harvest, trust that God will give
the increase, and keep on planting those spiritual seeds for the kingdom of God,
in your own heart, in the hearts and lives of those around you, in the hearts
and lives of your children. “Again he said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is
like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?
It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the
ground. Yet when planted, it grows
and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the
birds of the air can perch in its shade.’” Amen. Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office
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