Parables of the Mustard Seed & the Yeast

Luke 13:18-21  

Sometimes it seems as if the other side is winning. Evil people abound and seem to prosper. Godly people are a minority and even some of them fall into serious sins. If we look at what we ourselves have accomplished for the Lord, it seems so insignificant in the face of the huge task of establishing God’s kingdom on this earth.

Luke 13:18 Then Jesus asked,

“What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to?

19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden.

It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”

20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to?

21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

What is the Kingdom of God?

His birth was heralded as the birth of a king (Luke 1:32–33).

Jesus preached that God’s kingdom was at hand (Matt. 11:12). His miracles, preaching, forgiving sins, and resurrection are an in-breaking of God’s sovereign rule in this dark, evil age.

Believers are transferred from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of God (Col. 1:13). He is universally sovereign over the nations, humankind, the angels, the dominion of darkness and its inhabitants, and even the cosmos. The kingdom of God is “already” present but “not yet” fully completed, both a present and future reality.

1.The seed represents what?

The seed represents the beginning of the Kingdom of God,

especially the central message of the Word, the gospel.

2. What does the garden represent?

The Lord has given us a corner of His field to sow and produce a crop for Him. Our garden consists of the people with whom you have contact, to influence them for the sake of the kingdom of God.

3. What did the man do? Why? How do we produce crops?

The man threw the seed into his garden. Until he did that, the seed did not sprout and start growing.  

There is no such thing as a seed that will produce a crop without being planted. If we want to reap a crop, we must sow the seed of the gospel into the hearts of sinners. And the gospel will not have any effect until it comes in contact with sinners. - sowing that simple seed with our children, with family members, with friends and acquaintances at work or at school, and with strangers whenever we get the opportunity.

4. What does “the birds of the air nested in its branches” mean?

It simply means that the nations of the world are going to find a resting place and protection and security and blessing because of the influence and the growth of Christianity. Christianity, as we speak today, in name is the largest religion in the world;  And it came from such a small and obscure beginning. Just as Jesus said it would.

What is the significance of the seed to the tree?

That little seed seemed so small and powerless. It was just a speck in the man’s hand. What could it possibly accomplish? But it wasn't long until it produced a plant large enough for the birds to nest in. Inherent in that tiny seed was the life and power to produce a sturdy tree.

So it is with the gospel. In Jesus’ day, the popular notion was that the kingdom would come in with great fanfare. It would have a dramatic beginning, so that all would marvel. But Jesus is teaching that the kingdom would begin almost invisibly, without much notice, just like this man planting this small seed. But, having been planted, it would powerfully grow until it accomplishes God’s purpose in sowing it.

What is the message of the story?

The two parables in our text are here to encourage all who serve the Lord Jesus Christ with the simple truth that His side is going to win. The gospel will spread to all peoples and that God’s sovereign purpose through Christ will be accomplished. Dr. Ralph Winter of the U.S. Center for World Mission has shown that

by 1993 the kingdom of Christ is currently expanding at a rate of over three times the rate of world population growth (“Mission Frontiers,” May/June, 1994).

How powerful is a tree?

Have you ever considered the amazing power in a seed? Throw a small seed near the foundation of your house and it may eventually crack that foundation. We've all seen concrete sidewalks buckled because a tree seed had been sown nearby. The power in a seed is the power of life. Sequoia trees that stand 300 feet tall and are almost 30 feet in diameter are contained in a small seed that you can easily hold in the palm of your hand.

The seed grew because of the life within it by the mysterious process of life. It’s the same way with the gospel. The power comes from God imparting His life to dead sinners. When God acts through the gospel, all we can do is marvel at His great power to transform lives.

How does multiplication takes place from a single seed?

Think of the powerful results that can come from the single seed planted. Thousands of new seeds are produced, each one capable of producing thousands more life-giving seeds.

A.The point here is about, the external growth of the kingdom. The kingdom, will start small, from the external viewpoint looking at it and it's virtually invisible. I mean there was nobody just sort of looking from the outside at Jesus and His disciples and His apostles and saying wow, I see the King and the kingdom.

That's why the whole idea that Jesus was the King was so ridiculous. That's why when they crucified Him, they put a placard up over His head to mock Him in the way that came first to their minds, Jesus of Nazareth, what? King of the Jews. There was no way to view the kingdom. It was obscure. You couldn't see the king. You couldn't see anything about His followers that looked anything like a kingdom than anyone else had ever seen.

B.The second story looks at the internal. It views the kingdom of God, not in its external growth, but in its internal influence.

He knows they're struggling. They just...they can't see it. It looks invisible. He doesn't look like a king. They don't look like rulers in a kingdom. Doesn't even look like a kingdom.

What is the significance of the leaven bread ?

The woman’s three measures of flour were equal to about 39 liters or 50 pounds of flour, a large amount. The point is that just a small amount of leaven was all that was needed to permeate this large mass of dough.

The smallness of Jesus and His ragtag band of followers is no problem with regard to the worldwide spread of the gospel. The power does not depend on Jesus’ followers, but on the power of God through the gospel. The size of the task proportionate to the smallness of the force is not a hindrance to Jesus’ ultimate triumph.

"It isn't going to be very quick, but over time this leaven is going to permeate the whole amount of dough.

What does it mean? the world.

What is the leaven? The kingdom. It's hidden in the world.

But while they don't see it, you're influencing the world through your testimony and your righteousness and the gospel and the work of the spirit. Lives are being touched, lives are being changed, and just like leaven that permeates, we bubble up and we change what's around us.

What is the significance of mixing the leaven?

1.The leaven must come in contact with the dough for the power to be unleashed. (same point with the seed). Once the contact has been made, the power is unstoppable. The power works from the inside out.

You can’t reverse the process.

 2. Our job is to bring the leaven of the gospel into contact with the mass of humanity. Once the gospel penetrates the hearts of those whom God has chosen to save, God transforms the hearts of sinners.