Small Beginnings Make a Big Difference
The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches....The kingdom is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened. Matt. 13:31-33, RSV.
Have you ever felt insignificant? Have you ever concluded that your church is too small and puny to make a difference?
I suffer from both kinds of insignificance as I drive through a great city. It makes me wonder, "What is the use in even trying?"
Christ's earliest disciples must have felt that way. The Jewish leadership must have helped them in their insecurity by pointing out what a motley little crew they were--unlearned peasants and fishermen. And they intimated that Jesus couldn't possibly be the Messiah. His kingdom would never amount to anything.
By outward appearances the Jews were right.
It is in the face of all that smallness that Jesus gave the parable of the mustard seed. It wasn't actually the tiniest seed in Palestine, but it was the smallest one cultivated. Yet it became the largest of the cultivated shrubs, reaching a height of from 10-12 feet.
That little beginnings can make a difference is the lesson of the mustard seed. They can change the world. Outwardly the church of Jesus' day was miserably insignificant. Yet by the end of His life Jesus was telling the disciples to take Christianity to all the world (Matt. 28:19, 20). And they did, thereby illustrating the truth of the mustard seed.
The lesson: we can make a difference--both as a group and as individuals. Don't be put off by small beginnings, but put your heart and soul into God's work. It is by such dedication that Christ's message has spread to all corners of the earth.
The parable of the leaven is also about the kingdom growth, but this time in the hearts and lives of individuals. Just as a bit of yeast or leaven transforms the flour into which it is kneaded, so the gospel transforms every part of a person's life.
The interesting thing about leaven is that it is a symbol of evil in the Old Testament. Hardly looks like one for righteousness. But the truth is that there are two leavens in the world--that of Christ and that of the devil. Therefore choose your yeast carefully.
The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches....The kingdom is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened. Matt. 13:31-33, RSV.
Have you ever felt insignificant? Have you ever concluded that your church is too small and puny to make a difference?
I suffer from both kinds of insignificance as I drive through a great city. It makes me wonder, "What is the use in even trying?"
Christ's earliest disciples must have felt that way. The Jewish leadership must have helped them in their insecurity by pointing out what a motley little crew they were--unlearned peasants and fishermen. And they intimated that Jesus couldn't possibly be the Messiah. His kingdom would never amount to anything.
By outward appearances the Jews were right.
It is in the face of all that smallness that Jesus gave the parable of the mustard seed. It wasn't actually the tiniest seed in Palestine, but it was the smallest one cultivated. Yet it became the largest of the cultivated shrubs, reaching a height of from 10-12 feet.
That little beginnings can make a difference is the lesson of the mustard seed. They can change the world. Outwardly the church of Jesus' day was miserably insignificant. Yet by the end of His life Jesus was telling the disciples to take Christianity to all the world (Matt. 28:19, 20). And they did, thereby illustrating the truth of the mustard seed.
The lesson: we can make a difference--both as a group and as individuals. Don't be put off by small beginnings, but put your heart and soul into God's work. It is by such dedication that Christ's message has spread to all corners of the earth.
The parable of the leaven is also about the kingdom growth, but this time in the hearts and lives of individuals. Just as a bit of yeast or leaven transforms the flour into which it is kneaded, so the gospel transforms every part of a person's life.
The interesting thing about leaven is that it is a symbol of evil in the Old Testament. Hardly looks like one for righteousness. But the truth is that there are two leavens in the world--that of Christ and that of the devil. Therefore choose your yeast carefully.
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