Parables Of Jesus Christ

The parable of The mustard seed and the leaven.

The mustard seed and the leaven.
Matthew 13:31-32
The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
Mark 4 :30-32
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."
Luke 13:18- 19
The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches."
The purpose of the Parable of the Mustard Seed is to teach a "big idea" using elements , that are common, easily recognized, and representational of something else. Focus on an element can lead missing the main point of the parable. Jesus using everyday items showed in my opinon the practice of principles rather than inflexible adherence to laws. Further emphasis on a singular point is given when multiple parables are given consecutively on the same subject, as is the case with this parable. As you can see this Parable is contained in all three of the synoptic gospels. However, the Gospel of Matthew provides us with the most information, as it includes one parable before and after the mustard seed parable, each teaching on the same subject. Each of the three parables: the weeds and the wheat, the mustard seed, and the yeast have common elements in them, they have simplier meaning firstly, about "the kingdom of heaven," "a man," jesus, "a field," the world; "seed," the Word of God or its effect; "growth" or "spreading," church growth; and the presence of evil, symbolized by weeds, birds of the air, and yeast. This Parable , Jesus uses a tree coming from a seed to represent kingdom growth, consistent with other tree/kingdom references (Ezekiel 17:23 and Daniel 4:11-21). The seed's growth attracts the presence of evil-depicted as birds (Matthew 13:4,19; Revelation 18:2)-to dilute the church while taking advantage of its benefits.
So, the picture painted in this parable by Jesus is of the humble beginnings of the church experiencing an explosive rate of growth. It grows large and becomes a source of food, rest, and shelter, for both believers and false professing individuals that seek to consume or take advantage of its benefits while residing or mixing among what was produced by the seed. I think Jesus is predicting that, while the church will grow extremely large from just a small start, it will not remain pure. While this is not a condemnation of the "bigness" of modern Christianity, it does show us the greatest burden that comes with it. The Parable of the Mustard Seed is both a prediction and a warning. We have to listen to the warning.