The Kingdom of the Mustard Seed, June 17 Worship

Jesus teaches us that the mustard seed "is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade" (Mark 4:31-32). That sounds more like a biology lesson than spiritual instruction. What is Jesus trying to say? It might be  that Jesus was trying to spark the imagination of His listeners. Maybe the message of this parable is that God is infinite and creative. Maybe the point is that God loves to see life thrive and grow. It could be that Jesus is saying that God’s Kingdom is a place where small things can become significant. The easy answer is that Jesus’ story is about all this and more. We are always challenged to keep growing in our vision of what God can do and how we can be blessed in His care.