MUSTARD SEEDS

The Mustard Seed

How significant is the mustard seed? Scripturally it starts off as the tiniest of seeds and grows into a large tree that offers lodging and shelter to the birds and a rich herb for people. If you want to "spiritualise" it, you could say a place where angels dwell and the life experiences of people become very exciting. I know that that could be seen as taking liberties, but think about it. It's probably not too far off the truth.

Mat 13:31 He put out another parable to them, saying, The kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field;
Mat 13:32 which indeed is the least of all seeds, but when it is grown it is the greatest among herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.

Faith Like a Mustard Seed

Mat 17:15 Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and grievously vexed; for oftentimes he falls into the fire, and often into the water.
Mat 17:16 And I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.
Mat 17:17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him here to Me.
Mat 17:18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and he departed out of him. And the child was cured from that very hour.
Mat 17:19 Then the disciples came to Jesus apart, and said, Why could we not cast him out?
Mat 17:20 And Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Move from here to there. And it shall move. And nothing shall be impossible to you.
Mat 17:21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.

Luk 17:6 And the Lord said, If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say to this sycamine tree, Be rooted up and be planted in the sea! And it would obey you.

Now we have to ask the question, has anyone seen any mountains or sycamine trees on the move lately? I personally have never seen a mountain or a tree move. Does that mean none of us have faith? Not at all. First up, we need to have a look at what faith is, and then compare it to the mustard seed.

Faith

The Bible tells us that Rom 10:17 Then faith is of hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

I am going to use editors license here. In this verse Word is rhema. The Word (logos) of God is Jesus and that which comes from the living Word is rhema. So in effect, you have the person (logos), and what He says (rhema).

So in effect, when Jesus tells you something, or plants a seed in your heart, it will grow until it becomes something you can act upon. It's a bit like having a feeling that won't go away and when you do something about it, you discover that your feeling was absolutely right. When you know that it is Jesus telling you something or giving you wisdom, knowledge, word in season, prophesy etc, you can act upon it with the assurance that it is right. That is faith. Hearing what Jesus is saying to you and believing it.

The works of that faith is to do what Jesus is telling you to do. The fruit comes later when your obedience comes to fruition.

The Mustard Tree

A life of faith will start out small and, as you nurture it, it will continue to grow into something incredible. The faith that Jesus had came from His Father.

Joh 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, The Son can do nothing of Himself but what He sees the Father do. For whatever things He does, these also the Son does likewise.
Joh 5:20 For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all the things that He Himself does. And He will show Him greater works than these, so that you may marvel.
Joh 5:21 For as the Father raises the dead and makes alive, even so the Son of Man makes alive whomever He wills.

Jesus said that He did nothing except He saw His Father do it first. In those times when Jesus drew aside from the crowd and went to spend time with His Father (and ours), His Father showed Him the things He needed to do.

In like manner, as we draw aside to spend quality time with our Lord, so we also will be shown what to do. This may start of small (as the mustard seed) but will grow as we nurture our relationship with God.

We will indeed live an incredible life surrounded by angels and full of adventure. Mustard will be the very spice of our lives.