Dear Explorer,
Read Matthew 13:31-32
and
Read Mark 4:30-34
I've grown things all my life and thought that I understood these verses to just mean the relationship between how small the mustard seed is, versus how large the plant is. But doing research for this study, I learned something I had never known.
Most herbs are short rooted, germinate quickly, and produce their seed fairly quickly. Not so with mustard. When you plant mustard, you will probably decide that it is not going to grow because it takes forever to emerge from the soil. Why? Because before you ever see the plant, it sends out a network of underground roots before coming up out of the soil. By the time it pokes its head up, it already has a strong root system to support it.
Now, tell me, why does Jesus say that His Kingdom will be like that?
I believe that when we become followers of Jesus our first assignment is to grow deeply downward into Jesus – becoming rooted and grounded in Him. Studying the Bible, spending time with Jesus in prayer and worship and spending time with other followers of Jesus so that they can encourage and teach us, helps us to grow and get rooted.
I love the Living Bible paraphrase of Colossians 2:6-8.
And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust him, too, for each day's problems; live in vital union with him. Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done.
When we put our roots deep into Jesus, our lives will overflow with visible attributes that others can see and enjoy.
Read Matthew 13:33
Yeast is a tiny organism that multiplies very quickly. So quickly that it takes only a very tiny amount to make a large amount of flour rise. Even just a ½ teaspoon of yeast, if given the right conditions, would make 60 pounds of dough (3 measures) rise so that it is double in size. We'll talk more about yeast later, but here Jesus is emphasizing that even though His Kingdom may seem tiny – it is powerful! I think that most followers of Jesus don't even realize the supernatural power (the Holy Spirit) that exists in their core to impact the world for good. As we let God lead us, He will accomplish great and marvelous things through us.
Now this is an interesting parable, because in most cases in the Bible, yeast represents sin. So, this is an unusual example that Jesus used for the yeast to represent His Kingdom within us. We'll talk later about the Kingdom spreading and growing quickly like wildfire. Here He says it doesn't take much yeast to spread through a lot of flour.
Another thought is that whether we know it or not – we, like yeast, are influencing those around us – either for good or for bad. We have far-reaching influence.
In Concentric Circles of Concern, Thompson taught that our impact in like concentric circles (circles within circles – like a target or dartboard). It starts at the smallest circle: our family, then our close associates and then extends to people who we don't even know their names, but we contact on a regular basis – like the mailman, or clerks at stores, or nurses, etc. He estimates that an average person has about 70 people that they encounter regularly. Of course, it is constantly changing.
If you looked at your life for the past week, how many people have you come into contact with? Make a list and put a + or a – beside each name depending on what kind of influence you think you had on them. (Remember there is no such thing as neutral)
Ask God to help you change those negative impacts to positive ones next time. You may need to ask Him to forgive you for behavior that resulted in negative impact.
In His service, dale
Next study