The mustard seed parable is well known as if the church of
Christ may grow in numbers though it started small like a mustard seed. The birds
of the air in the parable are understood as people who need shelter and rest.
But that is not what Jesus says. Notice a concern found before He uttered this
parable, "With what parable shall we picture it?" Jesus reveals the
secrets of the kingdom of God through the teachings in parables. The kingdom of
God is like a mustard seed not in quantity but in quality. The seed's quality
is pungency and bite. The smallness of the seed indicates lowliness and
gentleness (Ephesians 4:2). The focal point of the kingdom of God in His sight
is church who are the regenerated by the blood of Christ Jesus. The church of
Christ is humble and meek like a mustard seed and yet pungent and biting,
changing and transforming people into being worthy of God. The message of the
church of Christ is rather powerfully working in heart and mind to strip off
all the facades and pretenses. It is truth and reality which consumes all the
illusions and fantasies and delusions of the world and breaks through the heart
of the prime evil in humanity. That is how church functioning in the kingdom of
God. The birds of the air indicate the demons of Satan. Jesus warned His
disciples before He gave the interpretation of the parable of sower. “Do you
not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?”
(Mark 4:13 NKJV) In that parable Jesus calls the birds of the air as Satan
(Mark 4:15). Given the Lord’s interpretation, the church grown up greater than
all herbs and shot out large branches indicates unnatural growth which embraces
the devil’s nest under its shade. We are now living in the kingdom of God which
is inner and invisible world in our minds and hearts. As Jesus teaches us in
the parable, this is what is really going on in the ages and generations. False
teachings and heresies are really in the churches like nest under its shade.
"Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.” (Mark 4:30-32 NKJV)
"Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.” (Mark 4:30-32 NKJV)
(Wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_seed)
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