Optimist’s Roundtable
By Martha Sykes
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches”. Matthew 13:31-32
Jesus loved to use parables to get a message to those who were listening. What is Jesus saying, not only to those who were around Him that day so many years ago, but to us in this present day world?
Think about those words. A small seed. A mustard seed to be precise. We have probably heard this parable many times in our lifetime, or maybe not. We can wonder why Jesus chose such a small item to represent something as large as heaven. Maybe He did it because even though the kingdom of heaven is enormous, are we somewhat blind to its reality?
He says the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. If you’ve ever seen a mustard seed, they can be as small as a grain of sand. You can probably hold thousands of them comfortably in the palm of your hand. Yet, when planted, it will grow into a very large bush that is big enough for birds to build their nests among its branches.
We certainly live in a society that is enamored with bigness. Even with churches, many Christians have gone beyond small churches, and even big churches to the mega church. We hear about the problems in the world, such as hunger, and the many crises around the globe. World problems are talked about daily, but we sometimes overlook the tiny seed problems that are at the root of these global situations. Sometimes these little things have great power and affect thousands or millions of lives.
Jesus chose to tell a parable about the smallest thing that His audience could identify with like a mustard seed. At the end of this story, we realize that we should never underestimate the power of little things.
Sometimes it takes a “little” bit of patience to work with people. Sometimes it takes a “little” bit of love to redeem a situation. Sometimes it takes a “little”bit of grace to bring about healing. Let us always pray for that little bit of God’s grace to help us through our big problems.
