Mustard Trees = Faith and Kingdom
The coming kingdom of God
“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 rest in its branches.’” Matthew 13:31-32
“And He said, ‘How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.’” Mark 4:30-32
“Therefore He was saying, ‘What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden; and it grew and became a tree; and the birds of the air nested in its branches.’” Luke 13:18-19
Faith
“And He said to them, ‘Because of this littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you.’” Matthew 17:20
“And the apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ And the Lord said, ‘If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you.’” Luke 17:5-6
When I went to Israel, one of the keepsakes I brought back was a bookmark with dozens of mustard seeds from which mustard trees grow, sealed on it. If you consider the period/ full stop at the end of this sentence – THAT is how SMALL a mustard seed is and it is only mentioned five times in Scripture.
If you wonder why Jesus might use this little seed to illustrate the wonder of His coming kingdom and our faith, here are some reasons to consider:
· The mustard tree typically grows up to 20 feet (6 meters) in height, with a gnarled and twisted trunk that creatures find protection from the heat.
· It is unusually hardy in the desert and requires little water.
· It is one of the fastest growing trees on earth.
· It is salt-tolerant so it can grow in soils that are laced with salt.
For those of you who are familiar with Scripture, these facts hold extra wonder!
————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Take care with love, especially His, from Darlene, who still prays for you each day.
PS: You can also find the devotions on line/ on your mobile phone here: www.weakdaydevotion.com .
NOTES: I choose to believe the Bible because it's a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They reported supernatural events that took place before, of specific prophecies; and claim that their writings are divine rather than human in origin.
The Five Solas: Individuals are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, as revealed by Scripture alone to the glory of God alone!
Find my full statement of faith: https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com (where you will also find a series of Bible studies). For the books, go to Amazon books. For prayer requests/ updates, email: darlenerichard@gmail.com