[Scripture: Matthew 13:31-35]
I am excited to tell you that spring is in the air. We have a backyard, so I am making a raised garden where I can grow fresh, organic vegetables because Lisa and I love to do that. My sister gave me over thirty Korean pepper seedlings a few weeks ago, but I killed them all. So, last week, I went to her house and got fifteen more pepper plants. They were good and healthy plants. This time, I will try not to kill them.
My sister has a green thumb, and I have a brown thumb. I had the exact same pepper plants she had. Her plants look great and grow healthily, but mine all died. It is a mystery how she can germinate all kinds of seeds and make them healthy and valuable. Any plant under her care is healthy and fruitful.
The pepper plants which were under my care died, but the pepper seeds which were planted in my sister’s garden are strong and healthy. I was impressed when I saw them in her garden because they looked so valuable.
This little incident taught me a spiritual lesson. We are God’s creation. God made us by his own hands. Therefore, when we are under God’s care and planted in God’s garden, we will be emotionally healthy, physically strong, and spiritually worthy because God is the green thumb of all the people who come to him. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:18).
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Today I want to talk about parables. Parables teach many moral and spiritual lessons. For example, my father told me many sayings to teach me things. Among them, there were two sayings that my father told me the most. The first one was “The early bird gets the worm,” and the other one was “Strike while the iron is hot.” He wasn’t teaching facts about the lives of birds, but rather he wanted to teach me how to be a diligent man, so he used to use these proverbs.
Jesus Christ used many parables because he wanted to teach the hidden secret of God. The parable of the mustard seed is one of them. Jesus wanted to reveal the divine secret to his disciples. Sometimes, Jesus did not want to display the mystery of God to those who did not follow him.
Today’s spiritual lesson taught through parables is that Christians must stand in the right spot. When we follow the right path, we become valuable in the eyes of God and others.
The Mustard Seed and Yeast
Mustard probably originated in the foothills of the Himalayas and Mediterranean regions and is now widespread throughout the world. It is grown commercially in India, Canada, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Bangladesh, and even the United States. However, when Jesus told the parable, mustard grew everywhere like a weed, and people recognized it as weed. They did not value it because it was a weed. Who cares about weeds in your backyard?
It was the smallest of all seeds. It had no value because it was so small. If it grew in the wild, it was nothing more than a weed that people didn’t pay attention to.
In this story, I can see how the value of the mustard seed changed.
The first change that affected its value dealt with the field. When a man took a mustard seed from the wild and planted it in his field, it grew like the most significant plants, like a tree. The parable tells us that changing the field will help the weed grow like a tree.
The second change was in how people viewed it. If a mustard seed sprouted in the wild, it was a weed that no one cared about. But when a man planted it in his field, it grew like a noticeable tree that people valued highly. Birds also came and sat on the branches.
As you know, birds eat seeds. However, when a man sows a small seed in his field, the plant is no longer weak but strong enough to embrace birds.
The birds in this parable were not actual birds, but rather Jesus was talking about how to overcome our feelings of inadequacy, weakness, and insecurity or any kind of negative feelings about yourself that are hurting and bothering you. The main spiritual lesson of the parable of the mustard seed is how to get out of the problems of low self-esteem.
The Yeast
The parable of yeast has the same storyline. If yeast is wrongly placed on a wooden table, which is low to the floor, it is considered dust or garbage to be swept away. But when a baker puts yeast into dough, it makes the dough rise, and the dough can retain its value.
The message of this parable makes it clear that every creature of God has a proper place to function. If a mustard seed is placed in the wild, it is a weed. But when a man puts it in his field, it becomes a valuable crop that is fruitful and multiplies.
The Function of Parables
Jesus did not use parables to give people information about farming, but instead he explained how to lead a spiritual life. A spiritual life means completing our joy and hope in Jesus Christ. In John 15, Jesus shared about the story of the true vine. He said, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.” Jesus said again, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
The parables were not stories of farming but stories of people, and these parables help and guide people from their despair to hope in Christ.
Example from the Life of Ruth
I want to share the story about Ruth and Naomi because it is the best example of turning our despair into bright hope as we go through temptations and trials in our lives.
In the book of Ruth, the first disaster that struck the people of Israel was famine. It caused extreme shortages of food that affected the entire country. Naomi did not have enough food for her family, so they decided to move into the country of Moab to avoid starvation. Since famine is a natural disaster, evacuation seemed to be the best option.
When Naomi stayed in the foreign country, her husband and two sons died. No one cared for her just like a weed. After she lost everything, she decided to come back to her hometown with her daughter-in-law.
However, verses 16-18 tell us how Naomi and Ruth became the most blessed people in Israel. When they came back to Bethlehem, they met Boaz. Boaz was a wealthy landowner in Bethlehem in Judea. After they met, Ruth became the great grandmother of King David.
How did they meet Boaz? They met when she returned to her hometown.
However, who is the man to us? And how could Christians meet the one who restores our spiritual identities as blessed ones? The answer is clear. When we come to the place of worship, Jesus Christ will help us become radiant people, lead brilliant lives, and look for a bright future.
The spiritual lessons today are about how to move from despair to a hopeful life!
- Come to the place of God to worship.
- Stay with the one who brings to you perfect restoration of your spiritual identity!
When we come to the place of worship, Jesus Christ will help us become radiant people, lead brilliant lives, and look for a bright future.
2022.05.01. Pastor Cloud Poy
@ Photo on Unsplash
