Mark 4:30-32 From Seed to Tree

Jesus gives us another parable about seeds and the Kingdom of Heaven today. This time it is about the growth potential of the seed and of God’s Kingdom.

We looked at the amazing blueprints locked away within each seed yesterday. Each seed has within it the instructions of how to create the complete plant, including the fruit, containing new seeds, for the harvest. Jesus wants us to look at a different aspect of a seed today. He has in mind a specific seed too; the mustard seed.

When Matthew shared his account of Jesus’ parable regarding the mustard seed I did a little googling. I wanted to know if the mustard seed was the smallest seed on Earth. I found out that there are currently smaller seeds, however, in Jesus’ region and His era the mustard seed was the smallest one planted for crops.

Mustard also comes in many varieties, but the one in Jesus’ part of the world can grow to be over six feet high and become tree like. It has heavy branches and bushes out in all directions. All of this from a tiny seed, that can fit on the end of your finger.

Jesus likened this amazing size difference to the Kingdom of Heaven. From one Man being buried in the ground has sprung up the world wide spread of God’s Kingdom. Just out of curiosity I googled how many Christians there are in the world. NPR.org stated that as of 2010 there were 2.2 Billion Christians in the world. At that time Christianity was the world’s leading religion. It also said that this century Muslims will surpass Christians in numbers. I’m pretty sure God isn’t too worried about the numbers.

When I was thinking about the “Seed” I also thought about “pre seeds” or “early seeds” that God placed here on Earth. I would consider Noah and Abraham both to be seeds. Noah, because ALL mankind was remade through his family. Although, his wife and his son’s wives were most likely from other bloodlines.

Abraham was the father of many nations, and especially Israel. The entire Jewish nation traces its lineage back to Abraham, not just Israel (aka Jacob). They do this because Abraham was the one to receive the promise of his descendants outnumbering the stars. So Abraham was the seed for the first covenant.

Adam could be considered a “pre seed” too when you get right down to it. Adam and Eve were the first ones God gave the promise of a savior to. After they sinned in the garden and received a curse from God, He promised to one day send a deliverer in the form of a descendent of Eve to reconcile us back to God.

All three of these men received a promise from God about a future with Him. All three of these men, along with every other man in history, died, was buried, and decayed into dust. So they were not the seed. You see, one of the most amazing things about a seed it that it doesn’t bring forth life until AFTER it is buried in the ground. Once the seed is planted it sprouts and begins to grow and form that plant it has been aching to build.

Jesus had the life of God in Him but He couldn’t build God’s Kingdom until He too, was “planted.” He had to be buried and rise again from the grave to start the exponential growth of God’s Kingdom. Every teaching, promise and miracle before that morning was preparation of the “soil” for planting, along with weeding to ensure a good start. The Seed has grown into the Tree of Life. And we are held secure in its branches.

Thank You Jesus for the visual aids. Thank You for breaking the stories down into understandable concepts for us. I know a LOT of people didn’t comprehend what You were sharing at the time. But I’m convinced that those who repented and turned to You after Pentecost were finally able to grasp Your truths. The Holy Spirit showed them the truths in Your stories. They became some of the first growth on the Tree; the first members in God’s Kingdom. Thank You for saving me a spot in the Tree too. I started to say that I would help bring more “leaves” onto the Tree with me, but that is actually up to You to do. I shout about how wonderful the Tree is, but it is the Tree itself (You) that causes the growth. I’ll just sing out and invite more birds to join me in the branches instead.