Sunday's Message: The Parables of Jesus - The Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-32)

During the months of September, October and November, we'll discuss the following parables found in the Gospel of Mark:

• September 22 - New Wine and Old Clothes (Mark 2:21-22)
• September 29 - A Strong Man (Mark 3:23-27)
• October 6 - The Sower (Mark 4:1-20)
• October 13 - Lamps and Baskets (Mark 4:21-25)
• October 20 - A Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)
• October 27 - The Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-32)
• November 3 - Clean and Unclean (Mark 7:14-23)
• November 10 - The Wicked Tenants (Mark 12:1-11)
• November 17 - The Fig Tree (Mark 13:28-31)

During the service on Sunday, October 27, we used Mark 4:30-32 to better understand the parable of the mustard seed. Below is the text and a recording of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page. 

Now, some of y’all may remember, that right at the beginning of last Sunday’s sermon, I said that I’d had a frustrating week, and then I told you why, you know, about how I had the three weddings and meetings every evening and, most important of all, a leaking toilet, something that I was sure this mechanically challenged worrier could fix. In fact, I told y’all that I’d already bought a pack of brass nuts and bolts and rubber washers. And so I was ready to go, and Monday was the day. And for that reason, you’d probably assume that this past week was a whole lot better, you know, no frustrations, right? I mean, I didn’t have any weddings and I didn’t have meetings every night and, praise the Lord, the towel could be moved from under the toilet tank. That’s got to be good, right?

Well, if the week before was frustrating, I think I’d call this past week disappointing. And yes, it was all about that stupid toilet and frankly my lack of mechanical skills, maybe even common sense. You see, I can’t blame the materials. And I can’t blame the tools. And I can’t even blame the instructions, because right on the back of the package with the nuts and bolts and wishers there was a diagram that was so easy to follow, a caveman could do it. And even though, at the beginning, everything was going so well that I was actually starting to feel a little bit cocky, as I was tightening one of the nuts, I heard “crack.” I had broken the porcelain. But not only that, on that broken porcelain, I somehow sliced my thumb. Now it wasn’t deep, but all the blood, well, it was the perfect reminder of my triumph. But on the bright side, at least, Debbie wasn’t there to see it. Let’s just say, at that moment, I was disappointed, moving toward discouraged with a little bit of despair right around the corner. 

Of course, having said that, I think I’m safe in saying that we all probably know about that feeling, don’t we? I mean, we all have certain expectations, and there are times when we know exactly what we want to do or feel or accomplish. And then, something happens; we run into some snag we didn’t anticipate or get some news we didn’t expect or make some mistake we sure didn’t plan. And we end up disappointed. And if it stays there, we’re actually pretty lucky, because it’s really easy for disappointments to cause us to feel discouraged, which is just a hop, skip and jump to despair. I mean, if the disappointment is big or expensive enough, how can it not discourage us from trying again? And you know, if we don’t try again, it may be challenging to muster up the hope that things will ever be better than they are right now, but they could get a whole lot worse. And that’s despair. I mean, I think it’s sort of like what they say about acorns and oaks, from tiny disappointments can grow great despair. And I’ll tell you, I believe that may also be true for congregations as they go about doing the best they can with what they’ve got only to feel as though, with every move forward, they get knocked back a step or two. Let me just say, I think disappointments can be pretty powerful and extremely destructive. 

And I’ll tell you, that’s what we’re going to be talking about this morning as we look at another story from the Gospel of Mark, as a matter of fact, the last one he included in the fourth chapter. You see, during the message, we’ll use the parable of the mustard seed to help us deal with the disappointments we may face as we go about doing what God has called us to do. And as we’re done before, we’ll approach it by, first, looking at what Jesus said, and then, second, what it might mean, and third, what are we going to do about it? And hopefully, by the time we finish, we’ll be better able to handle our disappointments before they lead to discouragement and despair. Now that’s the plan.

And of course, it all starts with the parable itself and what Jesus actually said. Now, this particular story comes at the end of a string of parables we’ve been looking at dealing with sowers and seeds and soils. And as we’ve been going through them, I think it’s clear that the disciples had a pretty good idea about what they should be doing, right? Man, they’re like the guys out in a field scattering seeds. Only the seed they were scattering was the good news and the field was the world around them. You see, based on what we’ve already talked about, that was their job. But of course, that wasn’t all they knew; I mean, they also knew that, in the field, there’d be some soil that, for whatever reason, was not very productive and some that was. In other words, there would always be some folks for whom the good news won’t mean a hill of beans while for others, man, it would change their lives, and the disciple knew this too. And as we talked about last week, Jesus even told them about how and why the seeds actually grew. You see, in a nutshell, it was because of the soil and not the skill of the farmer who scattered the seeds and later reaped the harvest. Now these things the disciples knew. 

And I’ll tell you, with all that in the back of their minds, this was what they heard:

Finally, Jesus said:

What is God’s kingdom like? What story can I use to explain it? It is like what happens when a mustard seed is planted in the ground. It is the smallest seed in all the world. But once it is planted, it grows larger than any garden plant. It even puts out branches that are big enough for birds to nest in its shade. [Mark 4:30-32, CEV]

Now that’s what Jesus said. In other words, even though we may know what to do and we may know what will happen and we may know what to expect in the end, when we look at what occurs right after we do our scattering, man, that may be really disappointing. I mean, instead of the immediate results being big and impressive and extraordinary, they’re just not. Of course, we really shouldn’t be surprised; I mean, we’re talking about mustard seeds for crying out loud, the smallest seeds in the entire world, something that would seem to have just about the same prospect for success as me trying out for the Boston Celtics. And so, why would we expect anything other than what we see? And remember, that was disappointing. And yet, for all its smallness, for all its obvious limitations, for all its apparent insignificance, given some time, that tiny seed will grow larger than any other plant in the garden. In fact, it’s going to be so big and so wide and so strong that, when it puts out its branches, it’ll cover enough territory that birds will nest in its shade. You see, before his disciples were sent out to start scattering the seeds, this was the story Jesus shared with them. Now that’s what he said.

And I’ll tell you, as we start thinking about what it might mean for us, well, I think the lesson for them was pretty much the same as it is for us. You see, as we go about our work for God and share the good news with others, if all we can see is the result right here and right now, well, frankly that can be pretty disappointing. I mean, just think about it. On the best of days, scattering seeds in an empty field isn’t exactly a glamor job, now is it? And when you consider that for every seed that falls in good soil another might end up on a road or in ground that’s shallow or among a whole bunch of weeds. In other words, no matter how hard we try, some of the seed is just wasted. As a matter of fact, in the face of the needs all around us and the obstacles we’re going to confront and the expectations and the hopes and dreams we might have, the seeds seem so small and success seems so unlikely and the result, man, is just so disappointing. And that’s not the way it should be. I mean, we’re out there, working for God and we’re doing the very best we can; therefore, we should see some immediate results, right? And yet, when we’re done, what have we got: nothing but an empty field, because regardless of our efforts and expectations, we’re going to have to wait to see the plants grow. That’s just the way it is when you’re out there scattering, and I’ll tell you, that can be really disappointing. 

And you know, before sending them and us out, I think that’s why Jesus challenged us to see more, to see more than just the seed and the soil and the scattering and certainly more than size and quality and immediate results. You see, he wanted his disciples and he wants us to see the ultimate outcome, to see what’s possible when tiny seeds fall into good soil, to see what’s going to happen because we didn’t allow the disappointment to cause us to feel so discouraged and to fill us with so much despair that we stop doing what we know we’ve been called to do. I’m telling you, when the seed is planted in good soil it’s going to grow, maybe not right now, but brothers and sisters, God’s kingdom is going to grow. As a matter of fact, it’s going to grow into something that’s so big and so wide and so strong, it can offer protection and comfort and hope to others. I mean, even though we might be disappointed because we think the immediate result isn’t impressive enough and even though we might be discouraged because we believe the response isn’t what we expected and even though, when we compare what we want to what we actually see, we might feel genuine despair and hopelessness, we can still trust, we can trust in God and we can trust that our work will not be in vain. And I’ll tell you, as we apply this parable, that’s what I think it means.

And so now, what are we going to do about it? I mean, what are we going to do about the seeds and the soil and the scattering? And what are we going to do with this story as we struggle to keep moving forward even when we feel like giving up? What are we going to do with a parable about a mustard seed? Well, in my opinion, I think it can remind us of three things that we really need to remember, as we look at ourselves and go out into our world, and let me briefly share with you what they are. 

You see, first, I think this story reminds us that disappointments are just a fact of life and I include everybody, even Christians. I mean, even though some believers seem to think that following Christ is supposed to make us “inright, outright, upright, downright, happy all the time,” that’s just not the way it is. Let’s get real, from time to time, the seeds are going to seem awful small and the resources really inadequate and the talent mighty slim. And whether it’s a farmer planting his crop or a student taking a test or a church sharing the gospel, the results we see may be disappointing. That’s just the way it is. For example, it’s disappointing when you start a program and nobody comes; that’s disappointing. And it’s disappointing when church attendance isn’t better than it is and when as a congregation, we aren’t as young as we’d like to be and we don’t know why; that’s disappointing. And it’s disappointing when we’re trying to figure out how to do what we’ve been called to do only to face obstacles and detours and challenges we didn’t expect;  man, that’s disappointing. And even though that might not be pleasant for us, I can tell you, it’s not pleasant for me, this experience certainly isn’t new. I mean, just listen to this psalm:

Please listen, God,

    and answer my prayer!

I feel hopeless,

and I cry out to you

    from a faraway land.

Lead me to the mighty rock 

    high above me.

You are a strong tower,

where I am safe

    from my enemies.

Let me live with you forever

and find protection

    under your wings, my God. [Psalm 61:1-4, CEV]

I’m telling you if the Psalmist can feel hopeless, I think we’re allowed to be disappointed, even as Christians, from time to time. You see, that’s the first thing we can remember.

And second, I believe this parable can also remind us that, despite our disappointment, God is still at work. That’s also the way it. Therefore, before our disappointments discourage us from doing what we’ve been called to do, I think we need to remember that God is still out there, working the soil in his fields, preparing men and women to hear and to understand and to trust. Of course, we may not see it. As a matter of fact, given the size of the seed and the quality of soil and the skill of the farmer, any real growth may seem doubtful, God is still actively involved in his creation and within the lives of his children. In other words, our opinions and our feelings and our assumptions really aren’t relevant to the one who holds the universe in his hands. You see, as we pray every single Sunday, his will is going to be done on earth as it is in heaven. As a matter of fact, it’s a lot like what Paul wrote to the Romans:

We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose, and he has always known who his chosen ones would be. He had decided to let them become like his own Son, so his Son would be the first of many children. God then accepted the people he had already decided to choose, and he has shared his glory with them. [Romans 8:28-30, CEV]

Although, on occasion, we’re going to be disappointed, we don’t have to be discouraged. Why? Because whether we see him or not, God is at work, and I think that’s the second thing we can remember.

And third, I believe this parable can remind us that the coming kingdom will be glorious. In other words, those seeds that seem so tiny and that soil that seems so poor and those farmers that often seem so inadequate and confused, when God brings them all together, man, it’s going to produce something spectacular. Of that we can be sure. You see, this is the focus of our trust and the basis for our hope. And you know, I believe the Apostle Paul knew this too. I mean, just listen to what he wrote the Philippians:

Every time I think of you, I thank my God. And whenever I mention you in my prayers, it makes me happy. This is because you have taken part with me in spreading the good news from the first day you heard about it. God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns. [Philippians 1:3-6, CEV]

You see, although we may be living on page 96, in the mind of God, the book has already been written. Therefore, we have no reason to feel despair, to feel hopeless. Our destinies are in his loving and merciful and compassionate hands. And I’m telling you, his coming kingdom will be just as big and broad and glorious as those great big mustard plants that grew from those tiny seeds. And I think that’s the third thing we can remember based on this parable.

As I said a little while ago, on Monday morning, when I heard the porcelain crack, I was disappointed. And as I put a Band-Aid on my bleeding thumb, I was discouraged. And when I thought about Debbie coming home around three o’clock, man, I felt despair. But I guess that’s just the way the cookie crumbles or maybe better the toilet cracks. 

But you know, that doesn’t have to be the case for us, not as we go about sharing the good news to the world around us. You see, even though the seeds seem too small, we know that they will grow into something huge. And even though, as we’re trying to do the best we can with what we have, we may not see the results we expect. Still, we know that something great is coming. And even though sharing the gospel in the world isn’t a cake walk, we know that disappointments are just a fact of life and that God is still working and that his kingdom will be glorious. And that’s true whether my toilet is cracked or not. And next week, we’ll move on to talk about what makes a person unclean and so, if you want to stay clean, you don’t want to miss that one.