Title and Other images courtesy of Pixabay.com

Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Matthew 17:20

The seed of this sermon began cooking almost two months ago. I was in my back yard pulling weeds. It seemed every weed pulled revealed six more. At that rate I would have been buried under a mountain of dandelions, chickweed, and poison ivy in about twenty minutes. I had the thought: Is this a joke these vicious, worthless weeds are playing on me? Then I realized, it was April 1^st…and I was the weed-pulling fool! It’s appropriate – the weeds in my yard don’t fool around; they’re deadly-serious about burying me and everything else on my little ½ acre!

For the rest of the afternoon I thought seriously about the mustard seed Jesus used as an illustration of the Kingdom of Heaven. When kingdom seed is planted here on planet Earth, it grows like the mustard bush, overwhelmingly fast, and beyond expectation. Jesus called it a “tree,” big enough for birds to nest on the branches. In fact it is considered a bush, a big one, sometimes reaching twenty feet high. It’s a bush that grows big enough to act like a shade tree. It is also not a bush many of Jesus’ contemporaries would plant; it’s a nuisance.

Such is the thinking of Jeremiah Damir Bašurić, a Reformed Church minister who tells the story of The Mustard Seed ministry of Alberta, Canada. He calls it a ministry of Mustard Weed[1], begun by a youth group in the basement of their suburban church. The ministry meets the needs of the homeless and marginalized of their city. The members of this more than 100-year-old church fled from the city to the suburbs, escaping the presence of these unwanted nesters who came into their building from the cold. But the rebellious youth group began acting like the image of God they’d seen in Scripture and built a makeshift shelter in the new church building, and secretly brought in those in need. These days this makeshift helping seed has grown into a huge tree for the nesters, with a staff of directors, managers, and many more who feed Alberta’s needy.

Beside the phenomenal growth possibilities of the “mustard weed” how else does this apply to the Kingdom of Heaven?

The mustard tree was potentially a noxious weed, which could take over your garden and crops. At the time, there were even laws prohibiting planting mustard trees by certain crops because of its threat to other plants. It would be like Jesus coming today and saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is like a dandelion! Even though it is a small seed, it spreads an unstoppable plague across cities.’ Or the Kingdom of Heaven is like a pothole, or a gopher, a pimple, used needles in your lawn. The Kingdom of Heaven is here, but it is more like a weed and pest than a towering tree. To make things even more complicated. Jesus adds that birds will come and perch in its branches. Gardeners and farmers also did not want these pests indulging in their garden. Not only is the Kingdom of Heaven like a weed, it attracts unwanted birds which will further destroy your fields and economic livelihoods![2]

Now we’re getting somewhere. The mustard tree is a noxious weed, growing like weeds do…burying unsuspecting respectable preachers in their back yard when given a chance, like potholes destroy Cadillacs and Mercedes, or gophers destroy lawns, or pimples destroy your chance at becoming a super model. And who wants the street people nesting in the branches of your well-cared for church?

Pests in the garden…a communal problem getting in the way of our economic stability and comfortable worship. And mustard weed believers are just like ‘em.

A Providence-Dependent Faith

Mustard-weed believers have a faith that can move anything because it is Provident-Dependent. Like seeds of the mustard bush depend upon the ground’s nutrients, rain from above, and the design of God in their DNA, mustard-weed believers live life in the expectancy of God's provision rather than being self-sufficient. Salvation comes that way - by grace. There's no reason to believe that it’s not expected by God that we continue our life in Christ like the seed planted.

Faith depends on God, unbelief leans on self. We are often like the man who got a new hunting dog, and wanted him to track a bear that was terrorizing the countryside. No sooner had they gotten into the woods than the dog picked up the scent; but in a moment he caught the scent of a deer, and headed off in a new direction. A few minutes later he switched to the trail of a rabbit that had crossed the deer trail. And so on...until finally the hunter caught up with his new dog, barking triumphantly at a field mouse he'd cornered in a stump. We start out dependent on Christ for everything, moving towards glorious service in the kingdom, and wind up far from faith, leaning on our own understanding. Jesus said the mountain would jump if you had just the tiniest bit of faith. He meant faith in God, not yourself, and unquestionably-not faith in having faith!

What is it like to have faith in God? It is living what the senses cannot see. One commentator said it this way: If you don't live it, you don't believe it. A corollary truth is: If you don't live it, what's the point of believing it? Faith without works is dead! Faith, that has no daily application in my life is worthless. Preacher Harry Ironside told of a Christian widow in Scotland. It was extremely difficult for her to provide food for her little family, but she trusted the Lord and taught her children how to put their faith in Him.

One day came when the purse was empty, and the pantry bare. Like the widow of Zaraphath[3], who had only a handful of flour remaining in the big barrel to stand against she and her son starving, this faithful mother reached into the container to scoop-up the last bit to make some bread for the hungry children. As she bent over the barrel, she couldn't hold back the tears anymore; her faith was gone. Her small son heard her sobs, and ran to her. Mother, what are ye weepin' about? Dinna God hear ye scrapin' the bottom of the barrel? Faith lives what senses can never see.

Faith oftentimes means a change in plans.

The disciples could not accept Jesus' plans. They did what you and I do, clinging to our plans and desires like Jesus can't possibly know what we need, or what's best for us.

As children bring their broken toys with tears for us to mend,

I brought my broken dreams to God because He was my friend.

But then, instead of leaving Him in peace, to work alone,

I hung around and tried to help in ways that were my own.

Finally I took them back and said, Dear God, why are you so slow?

My child, He said, what could I do? You never did let go.'"

I must admit that I have had my plans changed so many times I should know much better than to hold things tightly. I learned it hurts when God either pries my fingers loose, or He allows me to plunge headfirst into the disasters I stir up. I’ve gotten much older, and just a little wiser, and I'm learning to let go more. God understands my need and the future; why shouldn't I trust Him with it?

The artist, Raphael's painting of The Transfiguration pictures the whole of this account. Up above, Christ is hovering in glory, accompanied by Peter, James, and John. Down below, in the same picture, the father holds his frantic, tortured child. The helpless disciples are looking, in despair, at the struggle which they are not able to calm. Divine strength above, feeble human confusion below. What keeps the whole scene from being our worst nightmare is that the poor, confused disciples in the foreground are pointing the distressed parents of the child up to the mountain where Christ is seen.

What direction are you pointing in? Faith is not some system of magic words, said in the right atmosphere, in just the right way....that will somehow motivate God to do just what you want Him to do. Rather, it is that link, that upward look, by which our vital connection with Him allows us to see the kingdom, and His purposes. If you want comfortable faith that requires no changes, no trust outside what you can see and feel, no discomfort, or possibility of pain and loss, a faith that moves nothing, simply do nothing – but expect nothing also!

But if you would have faith that moves anything, depend on Jesus, fellowship with Jesus, trust Jesus. The mountains of your problems may be big....but the promise is that faith in Jesus will dump them into the sea!

Mustard-weed faith that can move anything is sometimes found in the strangest, most unexpected places.

A bishop in the late 19^th century, paid a visit to a small college, where he had dinner with the president of that school.

The bishop remarked that he thought the millennium was close, since everything about nature had been discovered, and all possible inventions made. But the college president disagreed, stating that he felt the next fifty years would bring amazing discoveries and inventions. Human beings would be flying through the skies like birds. Nonsense! shouted the bishop. Flight is reserved for angels! The bishop's name was Wright. He had two sons, Orville, and Wilbur.