Perspective: Planting the Seed

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Planting the Seed

[Jesus] put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the 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."

Matthew 13:31-32 (NRSV)

What good is chance not taken?
What good is life not living?
What good is love not given?

From "Here Goes" by Bebo Norman

Jesus once compared the Kingdom of God to a tiny mustard seed that, when it is planted, grows into a large plant in which birds can find shelter.  Earlier, Jesus taught His followers to pray, "Your kingdom come.  Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."¹  This prayer reminds us that the Kingdom of God is not necessarily Heaven but rather anywhere God's will is done.  If the Kingdom of God is indeed like a mustard seed, as Jesus said, then the the mustard seed must have something to teach us about how God works.

Jesus provided explanations for a few of His parables, but the Parable of the Mustard Seed is not one of them, so we have to ponder its meaning for ourselves.

The parable reminds us that the mustard seed is very small.  In fact, this seed has been used as an example of something tiny.²  That said, the parable teaches us that within this tiny seed there is a lot of potential.  When planted, "the smallest of all the seeds," Jesus said, grows into "the greatest of shrubs."  Perhaps this parable teaches us that, though we might think we have very little to offer, when we offer what we have to God, God can do a lot with it.  On another occasion, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."³

In the middle of the first century, the church in the city of Corinth was wracked with division.  The congregation was started by St. Paul, but, later on, another pastor named Apollos came along and nurtured the congregation.  Some members of the congregation favored Paul, but others favored Apollos.⁴  When Paul wrote to the congregation to address this divison, he used a gardening metaphor which I think is similar to the Parable of the Mustard seed.  He wrote, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth."⁵  Both pastors did what was theirs to do, and God blessed their efforts.

When we offer what we have to God and do with it what God has placed in our hearts to do, God blesses our efforts.

If "the smallest of all the seeds" is to grow into "the greatest of shrubs," it must first be planted.  The process of germination, by which a seed puts down roots and puts forth shoots, happens in the ground, out of the sight of the one who planted it.  It might appear that nothing is happening, but growth is happening just beneath the surface.  When we don't immediately see results, we might be tempted to think that our efforts were wasted.  When we plant the seeds God has given us, we must be patient, for God just might be at work in ways that we do not yet realize.

Suppose for a moment that, for some reason, the person who planted the mustard seed would not have the opportunity to watch it grow into a great shrub.  He would have to have faith that his efforts were not wasted.  Sometimes we have to entrust our efforts to God, and sometimes we have to gauge our success not by evident results but by our faithfulness in doing what was ours to do.  Paul once wrote, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose."⁶  Typically we apply these words to our adversities, but I think we can apply them to our efforts as well.

May you, dear reader, recognize the seeds God has given you, and may you have the courage to plant them.  May you entrust your efforts to God, and may you have faith that God will make them fruitful.


Notes:

1. Matthew 6:10 (NRSV)
2. William Barclay.  The New Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Matthew, Volume Two.  2001, Saint Andrew Press.  pp. 88-89
3. Matthew 17:20 (NRSV)
4. 1 Corinthians 1:11-12
5. 1 Corinthians 3:6 (NRSV)
6. Romans 8:28 (NRSV)

The close-up photograph of the mustard seeds was taken by Wikimedia Commons user Damitr and is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.  The photographer is in no way affiliated with this blog.