Small seeds

Jesus gave another parable concerning the kingdom God which used seed in another way. The parable of the mustard seed is found in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 13.

"He presented another parable to them, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds; but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.'" Matthew 13:31-32

The point is that the seed is smaller than all other garden seeds, and yet it produces something larger. The kingdom of God can work in this way. A very small amount of information can produce great consequences. The word of the kingdom is the seed; the field is the heart. The logos of the kingdom even in a small quantity can grow into something of great size and influence not only in us, but in this world.

We tend to emphasize the quantity of knowledge today, just as they did in the time of Christ. Yet what we see in history and in our world today are those with a singular focus having great impacts. Saint Benedict of Nursia wrote some simple rules for his monastic community, and provided a foundation for monasticism in the west. Martin Luther had a focus on justification by faith, and began the Protestant reformation. William Carey had a focus on bringing the Gospel to other cultures, and began the modern missionary movement. Small seeds can become significant impacts our world.

In the kingdom of God, life focused in a small thing in an individual can produce a great impact in this world.