Matthew 13:31-32 Another
parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain
of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:Which indeed is the
least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and
becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches
thereof.
Psalms 104:12 by them
shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, [which] sing among the
branches.
Matthew 6:26 behold the
fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into
barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Isaiah 40:31 but they that
wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings
as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not
faint.
Psalms 50:11 I know all
the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field [are] mine.
Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and
one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
Psalms 91 He that dwelleth
in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the
Almighty.I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in
him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and
from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under
his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.Thou
shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that
wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy
right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.Only with thine eyes shalt thou
behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which
is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall
thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his
angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up
in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.Thou shalt tread upon
the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set
him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will
answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him and shew him my salvation.
Unbelievers who wish to discharge any responsibility they
may feel if they admit to the scriptures as truth; love to point out that the
mustard seed is not the smallest seed and the branches of a mustard plant are
not strong enough for a bird to nest in.
What they do not love to recognize is the scriptures say
Yeshua was delivering a parable not a botany lesson. By definition a parable is
an analogy using activities and wording that is common to your audience.
It is obvious from extra biblical sources recorded at the
time that a mustard seed was commonly used to denote something being small. If
I said the sun rose and set no one would assume I did not know the earth
rotates but would understand such a statements meaning as used in common language.
Secondly the word lodge by definition is not a permanent residence
but a place of temporary rest; as in landing on for shade, rest, or to spy out
a tasty bug, which is commonly seen on such a plant.
The scripture speaks well that the wicked will do wickedly;
meaning those who refuse YHWH as Elohim will continue in trying to justify
their unbelief.
Leaving behind such nonsense and waste of words let us look
at the meaning for our living; as this is the purpose of the telling of this
parable.
In the parable of the sower we learned that the word of YHWH
may be heard by many but only those whom have been prepared to receive seed
will see it grow to maturity and bear fruit.
In the parable of the wheat and tares we learned that the
teachings of man may grow alongside the life God has planted in us; often times
indistinguishable until the life matures bringing forth fruit and then the
false with the fruit of death is removed.
A few things to keep in mind when considering the parable of
the mustard seed; Yeshua is building line upon line precept upon precept, the
seed is the word of the kingdom (that over which a king exercises sovereignty),
Yeshua would also use a mustard seed to exemplify that a small faith is capable
of impossible things, in the epistle to the Romans we are told from faith to
faith the righteousness of Messiah is revealed in us, and Paul would by the
Spirit tell us faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of YHWH.
At our salvation we are often very much ablaze to live
properly for YHWH and to see him move in our life, but a reliance on Him to be the one that lives
properly both to will and do in and through us as our life is something that comes with maturity.
The roots and plant
do not resemble the seed but when they have matured they produce seeds; that
are as the seed from which they come.
Not only does the mustard plant grow to heights of seven to
nine feet, but their ability to propagate has led to some to refer to some
breeds as “weeds”.
Yeshua said He came that we might have life and life more
abundantly…YHWH is life. So as we become one with Him; by complete reliance and
trust and expectancy of Him to be our
life (forsaking all trust in ourselves, or the person of others, or
society, or the world) He becomes truly sovereign in us.
The perfection of
this is seen in Messiah never saying or doing what He did not see the Father
doing; being and living as the express image of the Father. This is what
inspired Paul to forget the things behind (good and bad) and lay aside the sin (of
self-reliance) that so easily besets us; that He might press toward the mark of
the prize of the high calling in Messiah Yeshua.
The result of this sovereignty is we become a place where
provision of rest can be found by others.
We are told the very creation awaits the manifestation of
the sons of YHWH. This side of our resurrection Yeshua is to be manifested in
us as we are hidden in Him, a living epistle of the living Word; after our resurrection
we shall be as He is and manifested to the entire creation.
Truly the mind of man has not imagined what YHWH has
prepared for us to receive.
