A sower of seeds.

Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?  It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” Mark 4:30-32

Have you ever seen a mustard seed? They’re tiny things.  The smallest is about 1mm, which is about a fourth of the size of a BB. What’s that? You’ve never seen a BB? Okay, the smallest of mustard seeds is 1/32 of an inch. If you can’t visualize 1/32 of an inch, and you don’t want to go through the trouble of checking a ruler, just rest assured that the seed isn’t very big at all. You okay with that? Good, then let’s move on.

In his parable, Jesus uses the tiny mustard seed to describe the kingdom of God, which at first glance doesn’t seem to be a good fit at all. After all, the mustard seed is so small, but God’s Kingdom? Wouldn’t you agree that it’s anything but small?

Perhaps Jesus drew his analogy from, not only the size of the mustard seed, but from the size and the strength of the shrub that the small seed becomes.

Still, what does one small seed have in common with the kingdom of God?

Let’s start with the mustard seed itself. It’s either planted in or falls on fertile soil, where it germinates for some time, before it sprouts and begins to take root in the ground as the plant itself bursts through the top layer of soil and begins to grow. As Jesus said, that small plant becomes the largest of all garden plants, offering even the birds of the air protective shade from the heat of the sun.

Okay, let’s take a look at God’s Kingdom. What is its origin? Does it grow from a seed? If it is a seed, then who plants it? And what happens to it?

The answer to one of these questions is found in Matthew 28:19.

“Therefore, go out and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,”

In essence, what Jesus is telling us is that as Disciples of Christ, we are to go out and “sow seeds” for the Kingdom of God. What kind of seeds?

Well, these seeds aren’t tangible; you can’t see or touch them, but ironically enough, they do carry weight. The seeds we’re talking about here are our words and thoughts about God and Christianity that we pass along to others.

You are called to plant a tiny seed of hope in the hearts and minds of all that you meet. It is the hope of God’s Promises, the hope of His Word, the hope of His Son, the hope of Salvation, the hope of being filled with His Spirit, and the hope of a new life when we’re born in Him.

God has equipped you to be a sower of seeds, to help grow His Kingdom. At some point in your life, someone took the time to plant a seed in you. Look at what it has become, at what you have become. Don’t you want to do the same for someone else?