In Mark 4:30-34 we read about the Parable of the Mustard Seed. Think about the process of a seed being planted and germinating into a tree.

The seed needs to be planted in the soil. The seed could lay dormant for years but with the right amount of sunlight, temperature, and moisture something miraculous happens. What can happen to the seed in Mark 4? It grew and became a tree. Isn’t it amazing that in a small seed, there are all of the components needed (with water/sunlight) to push through the soil and become a tree! The ingenuity is staggering. Something seemingly so insignificant can grow, and blossom, never mind where this parable takes place: the Middle East, which is a dry, arid landscape. Jesus goes on to say that the birds of the air made a nest in its branches (Mark 4:32).

Jesus shared this parable as a comparison to the Kingdom of God. What are some of the characteristics of the Kingdom? The seed is small but it grows up into something formidable. It is unstoppable. It is beautiful. It is compelling. It is, in many ways, counter-intuitive. The Kingdom of God requires a sense of smallness, a sense of humility by which we understand that our competency, skills, or ingenuity do not bring about the supernatural work of God but our humility and our neediness are where God works … and impossibilities become realities through faith in Jesus, who ushers us into the Kingdom of God!