He Taught Them Many Parables… (The Parables Of The Mustard Seed And The Leaven Of Bread) # 4

In Matthew 13:31-32, we read, “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.”

Next, let’s look at “The Parable of the Leaven of Bread.”

In Matthew 13:33-35, we read, “Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.”

Introduction: The Bible tells us that the Lord, “…taught them many parables.” What a blessing it would have been to hear Him teach just one parable, but the Bible says, “He taught them many parables.”

Look at Luke 13:34-35, we read, “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.”

Illus: Walter Wink said, “Parables are tiny lumps of coal squeezed into diamonds, condensed metaphors that catch the rays of something ultimate and glint it at our lives. Parables are not illustrations; they do not support, elaborate or simplify a more basic idea. They are not ideas at all, nor can they ever be reduced to theological statements. They are the jeweled portals of another world; we cannot see through them like windows, but through their surfaces are refracted lights that would otherwise blind us--or pass unseen.” (The Christian Century (Nov. 5, 1980). Christianity Today, Vol. 30, no. 6.)

In this sermon we want to look at these two parables.

WHY DO WE WANT TO LOOK AT THESE TWO TOGETHER?

We want to look at “The Parable of The Mustard Seed” and “The Parable of The Leaven of Bread,” because they treat the same subject from different points of view.

“The Parable of the Mustard Seed” and “The Parable of the Leaven of Bread”, are called by some, “The Sandwich parables.”

Illus: William M. Taylor noted, "They . . . constitute a pair, and must be studied together if at least we would get at the full truth regarding the subject of which they both treat."

To put it another way:

• The parable of the mustard seed reveals the growth of the kingdom of God AMONG US (in the world)

• The parable of the leaven reveals the growth of the kingdom WITHIN US (in our hearts)

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Both of these parables show how fast growth can take place, and something that is very small, can in a short time become very large.

• One parable is considered to be POSITIVE (Mustard Seed)

• One parable is considered to be NEGATIVE (The Leaven)

Remember, a parable takes something that is earthly, and uses it to teach us something spiritual. This is why the Lord frequently said, “The Kingdom of heaven is like…”

In these two parables, He show us what the kingdom is like in comparison to a MUSTARD SEED and to LEAVEN.

First, let’s look at-

I. THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED

Look at Matthew 13:31-32, we read, "The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches"

WHY DID THE LORD CHOOSE TO USE A MUSTARD SEED IN THIS PARABLE TO TEACH US THE THINGS HE WANTED TO TEACH US?

The expression "A grain of mustard seed" is a figure of speech used in scripture to denote the smallness of things.

For example, in Luke, the Lord alluded to the smallness of a mustard seed in relationship to small faith.

Look at Luke 17:6, we read, “And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”

In every parable that he spoke, He had a purpose for using that particular parable.