Luke 13:18-21
The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”
And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” (ESV)
In each of these parables we see how the Kingdom begins small and innocuous, but that it eventually becomes large and conspicuous. The Kingdom of God is now growing, as more and more souls are added to it daily. When the second advent of Christ occurs, the Kingdom will be like the grown mustard tree and the leavened bread – full and complete. Jesus uses these analogies as two of the seven parables regarding the Kingdom in the gospels. The Kingdom will prosper more and more until the end, guaranteed; the number of people we will see in heaven will be beyond imagination:
Revelation 7:9-10
A Great Multitude from Every Nation
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (ESV)
The New Bible Commentary says of these two parables:
“These two parables are here connected with the coming of God’s saving rule in Jesus. They contain the promise that God’s work would come to a glorious fulfillment, no matter how small its beginnings seemed to be. Just as a mustard seed grows to tree-like proportions and a small amount of yeast permeates a large amount of dough and makes it expand, so what begins as a small influence will increase and spread widely”
Maranatha! IC -|- XC
Prayer for Today:
Thank you Lord for your already-not-yet Kingdom of God. One day it will be fully realized, when you come again to reign and rule the nations and heaven and earth. For now, we are comforted, knowing that we are citizens of that kingdom, now. Amen.