Have you ever felt you are too small to make a big difference? The world is filled with insurmountable problems that seem unfixable. Everywhere you look, there are natural disasters and humanitarian crises. So what can just one person do to help? The Bible gives us commands and directions on how to live our lives. God continually remains faithful to His people and provides for their needs. But when faced with a big world filled with big issues, you can quickly become overwhelmed. Jesus taught a parable in Matthew 13 that reminds us that a little faith goes a long way. If you feel like you don’t have much to offer, you can be encouraged by the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Leaven.
In Matthew 13:31-33, Jesus teaches, “He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a person took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all the other seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.” He spoke another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three sata of flour until it was all leavened.”
Even in the parables’ brevity, Jesus shows that something small can make an impact. In just a few verses, two different parables show the effect of tiny things on the world around them. These stories were meant to describe the Kingdom of God. Though it didn’t seem significant or influential when it started, Jesus wanted his disciples to know that it would change the world. The fact that Christians are still making disciples today over 2000 years later is proof of this.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
Have you ever seen a mustard seed? A mustard seed is so tiny that you can barely see it in your hand. If someone were holding a mustard seed ten feet away from you, you wouldn’t be able to see it. It could sit on the tip of your finger, and a strong breeze could blow it away. You’d probably never find it if you dropped it on the carpet.
According to this parable, that’s what the Kingdom of God is like. However, anyone that’s seen a mustard plant grow knows not to plant it in a small pot or garden. Farmers would probably plant it in an open field because it takes so many nutrients from the ground and needs such a large area to grow. Most people in Jesus’s day had a little home garden where they grew food and produce. They would have known that you never put a mustard seed in the main garden. They knew they would need to plant it in a large area because it could grow to be a large bush or even the size of a small tree. In the case of this parable, such a large tree that even birds would make their nest in it for rest and protection.
The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed because it started small when Christ came to us as a baby. But it’s had a massive impact and has changed the lives of millions of people throughout history. What started small has become a worldwide church where people can find rest and protection. Today, as a believer, you’re a part of a branch. And as a part of the Kingdom, this message still applies to you because the Kingdom is still growing, and the tree is still sprouting new branches. So let God use what you consider a small contribution to make a great kingdom impact.
The Parable of the Leaven
After Jesus teaches about the mustard seed, he introduces a similar message through the parable of the leaven. He tells the story of a woman who is making bread. She has a huge portion of flour to use. It’s the equivalent of about fifty pounds of flour, which could easily feed one hundred people. Yet, in such a large batch of dough, she only needs a small portion of leaven or yeast to make the entire batch rise. Have you ever made bread from scratch? After you add the yeast and let it grow, it can double in size in just a few hours. A pinch of yeast can influence and permeate the whole batch of dough.
Christianity has done and should continue to do this in our society. Leaven is what makes the bread rise. The leaven of your faith will continue to elevate humanity in the gospel and our community.
The yeast we use today is pure, but 2000 years ago, it would have been made from soured dough and fruit juices to ferment. From that fermentation process came leaven. As you can imagine, leaven could be very dangerous if you did it wrong. If you had a bad batch of leaven, it could ruin a whole batch of dough. A little bit of lousy leaven could destroy the same batch that a little good leaven would transform.
The Bible also talks about good leaven and bad leaven in regard to our faith. Just like a smidge of faith can go a long way to transform your heart, a smidge of sin could cause immense destruction. Therefore, the Bible warns us to flee from immorality. You can’t just practice your faith on Sunday if you want good leaven. Good leaven is meant to work its way through your whole life and through the whole of our society so that we, as believers, are influencing the world out there. God created you to be an influence in the Kingdom of God. Your faith can move mountains.
Next Steps
These parables teach us two big lessons we can still implement in our life in 2023!
1. Let God Use Your Small Contribution to Make a Great Kingdom Impact
Jesus’ ministry started small. He came from a small town called Nazareth. No one thought anything good could come from Nazareth, yet that’s where the world’s savior grew up. He started with just 12 followers and no place to lay his head. The discipleship movement started in Jerusalem and now reaches almost every part of the world. The Bible says that in the end, every tongue and every nation will gather together in heaven to praise God. Even the United States was an unreached land 300 years ago; now, it’s a Christian nation. It doesn’t take much gospel influence to transform the world.
Jesus commands us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them God’s commands. When we say yes to the Great Commission, God will do great things through us. There are still over 3000 ethnic groups that don’t have access to the Kingdom and have never heard the gospel. That represents over 249 million people. There’s still work to be done. The question is, will you be the one to do it?
2. You Can Be the Leaven that Permeates our Society for His Gospel Glory
Leaven is usually unseen. It starts in the unseen parts of your life, not the public ministry. It begins with you abiding in Christ and his Word, and then it permeates your whole soul. Are you spending time in the Word so that Scripture can permeate your life? Do you spend time in prayer so that the Holy Spirit can influence your life? If you don’t prioritize time with God, it’s much easier for the lousy leaven of sin to be the biggest influence on your life. Jesus says that we just need faith as small as a mustard seed. He doesn’t require much. All you have to do is start and seek God for a few minutes every day and then see the Kingdom of God permeate every area of your life.
When you do this, it will follow you wherever you go. The leaven of Christ will permeate your whole workplace, your whole school, and your whole community. When you become a disciple who makes disciples, the influence will spread as those disciples make more disciples. It will be like a domino effect that keeps spreading and growing. This is how revivals start. So don’t underestimate what God can do when you have a little faith and a little faithfulness.
So what are you going to do? God is waiting to do big things through the small acts of faith that His disciples produce. So don’t underestimate what God will do even today through your obedience and faith. It’s never too late in the day to seek Him and serve those around you for the Kingdom.
