He [Jesus] said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like…It is like a grain of mustard seed…It is like leaven…
Luke 13:18-20
Though Scripture does not tell us someone asked Jesus what was Heaven like, Jesus gives, here, two metaphors for what Heaven is like, a mustard seed and leaven (yeast). The mustard seed is quite small and, yet, it can grow into a sizable tree in which birds may build their nests. In Mark 4:30-32, Jesus said the mustard seed was “the smallest of all seeds on earth.” Biblical critics have used this statement to claim Jesus was not deity because the smallest seed is really the epiphytic orchid seed. To understand this criticism, we must, first, understand and acknowledge that Jesus was the God-man. Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. There has been no other human like Him ever. As the God-man, Jesus maintained perfect separation between the two persons. There was no mixture of the two for mixing them would either, make Jesus less of a man and, therefore, unable to die for our sins, or, make Jesus less than Almighty God and, therefore, unable to redeem man. Jesus, the man, was not omniscient. He knew what people of His day knew. Yes, He, also, knew the hearts of men. But, that was revealed to Him by His Deity. Jesus, also, received other revelations from His Deity, as in His discussion with His Disciples about the future in Matthew 24-25. The smallest of seeds known to man in that day was the mustard seed. Currently, the smallest seed is the epiphytic orchid seed, identified in 1888, and, until a smaller seed is discovered through man’s inventions to see ever smaller things, will remain so. The mustard “tree” is classified as a bush but, its height can be up to 20 feet and its width is the same as its height, a standard by which horticulturalists use for classifying such plants as bushes. Jesus’ metaphors are meant to show the Kingdom of Heaven growing as a result of the growth of the number of Christians who were saved after Jesus’ death, resurrection and, ascension, are being saved now and, will be saved in the future up until the return of our Lord, Jesus. A seed is something that grows and bears many seeds just like it. Leaven increases the volume of bread, in particular, when it is added. Yeast, leaven, is rich in protein and certain vitamins, making it a flavorful additive to food. As Christians, we must, also, be “seeds,” that bear much “fruit” and “leaven” that brings the “flavor” of the gospel to all we encounter as well as helping our brothers and sisters in Christ to “rise” to the challenges all Christians must face in this life. We will have an eternity to enjoy our Savior and Lord, Jesus.
Source: S C Ball February 27, 2023
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