“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)
The mustard seed is a very commonly quoted illustration for Christians. Usually, it is the other portion of scripture in Matthew 17 that talks about having faith as small as a mustard seed. When I read this portion of scripture, it hit me that these two ideas might be linked. Jesus talks in this chapter about the Kingdom of Heaven being like a mustard seed. He describes it as starting as the smallest of seeds, but eventually growing into something large and sturdy. The last sentence especially drew my attention where He says that birds came and made their nests in the branches. I believe that what Jesus is saying here, is that the Kingdom grew strong enough that others wanted to be part of it. The Kingdom was able to support them and bring them in.
Now I want to compare that back to the idea of faith. Faith is usually discussed in a personal way. We want to have faith to be healed. We need to have faith to be saved. We want to have faith that God is going to provide. It is usually described in a self benefiting way, which is not at all a bad thing. Having faith for all of those topics is good and an important part of our Christian walk.
However I want to look at faith in a broader, kingdom mindset. If we compare faith to the Kingdom of Heaven, we see that both start as small seeds. Then it is described as maturing into a strong, grounding point. Our faith grounds us as Christians. We find strength as our faith grows, and lets us stand firm when things try to uproot us. Taking that a step further, I believe our faith can strengthen our fellow believers’ faith as well. It describes the grown tree as a place that others can come and make their nests. When we take the time to strengthen our faith in the same way that God’s kingdom grows, we make it a place that others can find refuge and be built up. We can’t ever have faith for someone else. Ultimately that is a step they have to take on their own. But we can strengthen others through our faith and find strength in others. I believe that is the way God’s Kingdom is supposed to work, and is demonstrated by the way God’s Kingdom grows.
