Dwell in the Word Mark 4:30-34

Consider these questions as we dwell in Mark 4:30-34:

1. How does Jesus use the analogy of the mustard seed to convey a powerful message about the growth and expansion of the Kingdom of God? What is the significance of emphasizing the smallness of the seed in this context?

2. The passage highlights the purpose behind Jesus' use of parables, including the concept of the Messianic secret. How does this approach serve His mission, and why is it important for His disciples to grasp the deeper meaning behind His teachings?

3. The closing statement underscores the private instruction that Jesus provides to His disciples, revealing a deeper layer of understanding. What does this reveal about Jesus' discipleship strategy and the role of His chosen followers in spreading the message of the Kingdom of God? How can believers today apply this approach to their own discipleship and outreach efforts?

Transcript:

Okay, as we land here in verse 30, we're seeing a continuation of the basic theme that we've seen for the last several verses, right? Jesus is teaching in parables, and what does he use as a parable? Well, it's like a grain of mustard seed. We've been hearing a lot about seeds in the last, what, maybe 20, 30 verses? And Jesus is continuing that idea. And so He compares what He is talking about here, the Kingdom of God, to a grain of mustard seed. Well, and what does He say? Well, it's the smallest of all seeds on Earth. Now, there are people out there who say that, well, see, the Bible is wrong. A mustard seed isn't the smallest seed. And so clearly, Jesus was wrong. That's not the point that Jesus is making. Jesus is not saying that this is the absolute, smallest seed there's ever been or ever will be. He's saying it's of the smallest. He's saying, This is a tiny seed. He's using this language to get his point across. And so he's saying, Of the smallest of seeds that you have seen, that you can think about you audience who is out in front of me, and I guess those who are reading also, but you think about this seed.

It is tiny. But what has it become? It becomes something huge. It spreads out. It has leaves. It has branches. Even birds can sit down on it and can make a nest and sit in its shade. And so what is Jesus saying? Jesus saying that when a seed is sown, when the Kingdom of God goes forth, the Word goes forth, and these seeds spring up, and it may not seem like much. In fact, it may be hidden at first, but it is going to expand. It is going to get bigger, and then there is going to be benefits to this expansion. And so Jesus is saying, This is what we should expect about the kingdom of God. This is what we should expect about faith. And again, it's just like many of the other things we've heard about seeds in the last several verses. Faith is growing. The kingdom of God is expanding, and it doesn't seem like much at first. In fact, it's secret, but it will grow because it's done by the power of God. It is a miracle. And so as this passage closes out, you can see if you're watching on video that I highlighted with many such parables, He spoke the word to them.

And that's what I want to point out here. Jesus spoke a lot of parables, but they're not all written down. The ones that are written down are written down for a purpose. The stories that we have in the Gospels are there for a specific reason. We don't know everything that Jesus taught. We don't know every miracle that Jesus did. But the ones that the authors of the Gospels give us are there for a purpose. And we can see that as we have been systematically going through Mark, right? We see the idea of the seeds connected and the other things that we have, things like the Messianic secret, these words that Jesus have been saying are there to show us something about what Jesus is doing. And you'll notice here, once again, we have the Messianic secret in this idea of the parables. He did not speak to them without a parable. But privately to his own disciples, he explained everything, even the teaching that he has. It isn't just being veiled by parables. It's not even being explained to the masses. He's getting in with His disciples, and he is discipling them. He is teaching them in private.

And so right now it's secret. And like the mustard seed, it's small. It's just these 12 guys or maybe even some more of the disciples, but it's a small group, but that seed is going to grow. It's going to get bigger. It's going to be like the tree that has all the branches that has the birds of the air making their nests in it. And so that is the idea that we're meant to see, that the Kingdom of God, that the Word of God goes out and it grows. And so as we apply this, it's basically the same application we've seen the last few days. I'm excited about the fact that we've had the same application and the same stories over and over because it's so important for us to remember. Do we trust that the Word of God is going to go forth and is going to expand? Do we proclaim the Word? Do we sow the seed? Do we really believe that the Word of God is sufficient? Do we throw it out there and let the Spirit work? Maybe we do. Maybe we don't. But that is what we are called to do.

We are called to sow the seed and let God do what God does, grow His people, expand His kingdom. And so may we trust in the truth that God's word will do that work, and may we sow it to the people that we know, sow it to our children, sow it to our friends, our family, so that it can be put to use by God, the Holy Spirit, for the glory of His kingdom.