Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32, Luke 13:18-19
The Parable
Matthew 13:31-32
“Another parable He put forth to them, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.’”
Lesson
The mustard seed of which he spoke is small and inconsequential when compared to other plant seeds. In the world of man, where is everything is measured by how great it becomes (how big the business is, how great of an athlete, how much money, etc.), the mustard seed is easily dismissed.
When Christ established His church, it was not by the military defeat of a great earthly kingdom, it was not through great pomp and circumstance, but it was small and humble; at the time of His death, there were but very few who had remained with Him. Looked at from an earthly standpoint, His ministry could almost be viewed as a failure, because at one point there were many who followed Him, but at the end very few.
But it wasn’t a failure; from this few, from this smallest of seeds, grew the church which is found over the entire earth; in which men come and take refuge and “nest in its branches.”