Mark 4:30-34 – Small Beginnings
Jesus is telling parables to describe the kingdom of heaven. What is the kingdom of heaven? The church. His first parable is about how individuals in the church believe and grow as Christians. Now, He is going to describe how the whole church grows.
He compares the church to one of the smallest and tiniest seeds, the mustard seed. This tiny seed then grows into a large and far-reaching plant. The church itself has a small, weak, seemingly insignificant beginning, when all the followers of Jesus are able to fit in one room. However, the church grows and fills the earth in amazing ways as these believers take the Gospel everywhere.
The church hasn’t finished growing yet, and this parable is a wonderful promise of how great the church will be. We must be careful not to despise small beginnings in a church because God does great things with small beginnings.
Jesus speaks in parables using simple examples of everyday things, but He takes the time to explain the parables to His disciples knowing that one day they will need to explain and teach them to others.
Questions
- What is the kingdom of heaven?
- What was the church like when it first began?
- Why did Jesus explain His parables to the disciples?
Prayer Points
- Pray for those men in ministry in our churches.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.