A Morning Cup of Tea: The Mustard Seed

This morning we are discussing the mustard seed. In the first few verses of this passage, Jesus tells the parable of the mustard seed. He said the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man sowed in his field (v31, paraphrasing). The mustard seed is a tiny, tiny little seed. Yet it can grow to be a big tree. Go here   to see what a mustard tree looks like. This is not the mustard plant from which we get our condiment and spice from, but something entirely different.  I thought that was pretty interesting, because I knew about mustard plants, but had never seen a mustard tree before.
  Before sending the multitude away, Jesus told them one more parable (v33) ... The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in 3 measures of meal, til the whole was leavened.
  God can take something so tiny, such as a mustard seed or yeast, and something big and wonderful comes from it. We as Christians are part of God's kingdom. If we work together, we can do wondrous things, such as bringing others to Christ.
  Once the multitudes had gone the disciples asked him to explain the parable of the tares and the field. (Verses 37-43) Again, paraphrasing. Please read this for yourself. The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of man (Jesus). The field is the world and the good seed are the children of the kingdom --those who do God's will. The tares are the ones who choose not to do God's will, and the enemy that sowed the tares is the devil.  The reapers are the angels.
  Jesus will send the angels to gather up his own, and the others will be cast into the fire.  
  In this reading I've seen Jesus say "He who hath ears to hear, let him hear." I'd like to do a study on that sometime, to see how many times he says those words. He wanted those who heard his voice to pay attention, really listen. We may not literally hear his voice today, but we have his words. He wants us to pay attention to what he says. But again, it's our choice. We can listen or not. We can do his will or not. But he is letting us know what happens when we do his will, and when we don't. It's a very sobering thought.
  I will leave you with this. Please, if you have any questions, comments, feel free to leave a comment. Tomorrow we will finish up chapter 13 of Matthew.
   
 

This morning we are discussing the mustard seed. In the first few verses of this passage, Jesus tells the parable of the mustard seed. He said the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man sowed in his field (v31, paraphrasing). The mustard seed is a tiny, tiny little seed. Yet it can grow to be a big tree. Go here   to see what a mustard tree looks like. This is not the mustard plant from which we get our condiment and spice from, but something entirely different.  I thought that was pretty interesting, because I knew about mustard plants, but had never seen a mustard tree before.
  Before sending the multitude away, Jesus told them one more parable (v33) ... The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in 3 measures of meal, til the whole was leavened.
  God can take something so tiny, such as a mustard seed or yeast, and something big and wonderful comes from it. We as Christians are part of God's kingdom. If we work together, we can do wondrous things, such as bringing others to Christ.
  Once the multitudes had gone the disciples asked him to explain the parable of the tares and the field. (Verses 37-43) Again, paraphrasing. Please read this for yourself. The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of man (Jesus). The field is the world and the good seed are the children of the kingdom --those who do God's will. The tares are the ones who choose not to do God's will, and the enemy that sowed the tares is the devil.  The reapers are the angels.
  Jesus will send the angels to gather up his own, and the others will be cast into the fire.  
  In this reading I've seen Jesus say "He who hath ears to hear, let him hear." I'd like to do a study on that sometime, to see how many times he says those words. He wanted those who heard his voice to pay attention, really listen. We may not literally hear his voice today, but we have his words. He wants us to pay attention to what he says. But again, it's our choice. We can listen or not. We can do his will or not. But he is letting us know what happens when we do his will, and when we don't. It's a very sobering thought.
  I will leave you with this. Please, if you have any questions, comments, feel free to leave a comment. Tomorrow we will finish up chapter 13 of Matthew.