The Book of Luke
James J. Barker


Lesson 45
THE PARABLES OF THE MUSTARD SEED AND LEAVEN

Text: LUKE 13:18-21


INTRODUCTION:


  1. One of the great themes of the New Testament is the kingdom of God (13:18, 20).
  2. In Matthew 6:33, our Lord said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
  3. Mark 1:14, 15 says, “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
  4. In Luke 4:43, our Lord said, “I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.”
  5. In these two parables in Luke 13:18-21, our Lord is teaching a lesson about the power and the influence of the kingdom of God. It is a lesson about small beginnings and invisible forces – a little seed growing into a great tree, and leaven quietly permeating.
  6. The parable of the mustard seed is also found in Matthew 13 and Mark 4.
  7. In Matthew 13:31, our Lord said, “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.”
  8. That is almost identical to Luke 13:19. The only significant difference is that in Matthew’s account, our Lord used the term “kingdom of heaven” instead of “kingdom of God.”
  9. “Kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven” are often used interchangeably in the Gospels (cf. Mark 4:30-32).
  10. The Scofield Study Bible defines the kingdom of heaven (or kingdom of God) as, “the sphere of Christian profession during this age. It is a mingled body of true and false, wheat and tares, good and bad. It is defiled by formalism, doubt, and worldliness” (p. 1018).

 

I. WHAT IS THE MUSTARD SEED?

  1. In our Lord’s day, “a grain of mustard seed” was a common expression for anything very small.
  2. In Mark 4:31, our Lord said that the mustard seed “is less than all the seeds that be in the earth.” That is, the mustard seed is the smallest of all the seeds that are in the earth.
  3. Critics of the Bible have tried to find fault with our Lord’s statement, but of course, our Lord was right and the critics are wrong.
  4. Dr. L. H. Shinners is the director of the Herbarium at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. They contain there 318,000 botanical specimens from around the world, and Doctor Shinners is a lecturer at the Smithsonian Institute.
  5. He said, "The mustard seed would indeed have been the smallest of those likely to have been noticed by the people at the time of Christ. The only modern crop plant of importance with smaller seeds than a mustard seed, the only one in modern day, for a crop plant is tobacco, and that plant is of American origin and was not grown in the old world until the 16th century” (www.gty.org).
  6. So this very small seed grew, and it “waxed (became) a great tree” (Luke 13:19), a big shrub actually. The mustard tree is a shrub which thrives best in desert lands.
  7. Some teach that the mustard tree represents the New Testament church. However, the mustard tree would be a very strange symbol for the church.
  8. Advocates of this interpretation teach that the church is a “great tree” reaching all the way up into heaven. Though this is a very popular interpretation, to me it is very unlikely.
  9. First of all, this interpretation would contradict the other parables (cf. Matthew 13:36-43, 47-50).
  10. Secondly, this interpretation contradicts the entire New Testament (cf. II Timothy 3:1-8; Revelation 3:14-22).
  11. Furthermore, this interpretation does not line up with what we are seeing in churches all over the world today – false doctrine, widespread immorality (even homosexuality), worldliness, etc.
  12. The vast majority of people who profess to be Christian show absolutely no evidence of being born again.

 

II. WHO ARE THE FOWLS OF THE AIR?

  1. The little mustard seed grew to be a great tree.
  2. This mustard tree is so large that the fowls of the air are pictured as lodging in its branches (Luke 13:19).
  3. The word “lodged” signifies a permanent dwelling. These are not just birds that stop for a little while and then fly away. These birds are permanent lodgers.
  4. They set up their home and built their nests right there in that great tree. The tree’s branches are big enough and broad enough for the birds to build permanent nests.
  5. The mustard tree grew so big, and so sturdy and strong, that the fowls of the air found it a good place to settle down. It became their permanent home.
  6. Who do these fowls represent?
  7. These parables are also found in Matthew 13, and in Matthew 13 it is quite clear that the parables are all connected.
  8. In Matthew 13:3, 4, our Lord said, “Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up.”
  9. Then later on, our Lord said the fowls represent “the wicked one,” that is, the devil (Matthew 13:19).
  10. Therefore, the mustard tree cannot represent the New Testament church, because the devil is not welcome in the New Testament church! What church would allow the devil to build his nest right in their midst?
  11. James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
  12. The Bible does not say to make him comfortable, and let him build a big nest!
  13. But these fowls of the air are pictured as lodging comfortably in the branches of the tree (Luke 13:19).
  14. The kingdom of God (and the kingdom of heaven) represents the sphere of Christian profession. There is a big difference between profession and possession.
  15. Titus 1:16 says, “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”
  16. The kingdom of God represents the sphere of Christian profession – Roman Catholicism, and Lutheranism, and Anglicanism, and Pentecostalism, and all the cults, etc.
  17. And while there are some true Christians caught up in this mixed multitude, the vast majority of them are not saved.
  18. Today, over 2.4 billion people identify themselves as Christian. But how many of these 2.4 billion people are truly saved?
  19. According to our Lord’s teaching in Matthew 13, there are tares mixed in with the wheat; there are rotten fish mixed in with the good fish; and there are dirty buzzards lodging in the branches of the mustard tree.
  20. Revelation 17 and 18 describe vividly Satan’s one-world church, that will be judged by God during the coming tribulation period. Revelation 18:2 says, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”
  21. What we have here in this parable is a monstrosity – something that claims to be genuine Christianity, but in reality is a strange tree full of dirty birds.
  22. Today there is a great ecumenical effort being put forth to unite all the churches into a big movement. But this movement is unscriptural, and it is moving away from the Bible, and away from God.
  23. I received an invitation in the mail the other day. It was an invitation to join some “Christian” organization. There was no mention of the Gospel or salvation or the Bible, etc. There was no reference to any church or Bible doctrine, etc. Satan himself would be very comfortable getting involved with this crowd.
  24. In fact, I suspect he already is involved!
  25. We are told this great tree is big enough for all, but count me out!
  26. Way back in Daniel 4, King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about a big tree. Nebuchadnezzar dreamt that the fowls of the heaven had their habitation in the branches, just like the fowls in our Lord’s parable.
  27. Daniel explained to King Nebuchadnezzar that the tree represented him, and God was getting ready to cut him down because of his pride.
  28. It is not coincidental that Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon, and the harlot church in Revelation 17 is referred to as, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT” (Revelation 17:5).
  29. And just as God judged ancient Babylon, He will soon judge “MYSTERY BABYLON.”

 

III. THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED AND THE PARABLE OF THE LEAVEN

  1. The parable of the mustard seed describes the outward growth of Christendom, and the parable of the leaven represents the internal growth of Christendom (Luke 13:20, 21).
  2. Some people believe the leaven represents the Gospel, but that cannot be. We are not to hide the Gospel (Luke 13:21). We are to preach the Gospel.
  3. Exodus 12:15 says, “Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses.”
  4. There was to be no leaven during the Passover. In like manner, today we only use unleavened bread for the Lord’s Supper.
  5. Exodus 34:25 says, “Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven.”
  6. When we come to the New Testament, we see that leaven always represents something evil. Our Lord warned about the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
  7. In Luke 12:1, our Lord said, "Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy" (Luke 12:1).
  8. Our Lord also warned about the leaven of Herod (Mark 8:15). Apparently our Lord was referring to the corrupting influence of Herod’s worldly, irreligious lifestyle, his self-seeking political views, and his wicked practices.
  9. The Bible teaches that leaven slowly and invisibly permeates churches, and eventually corrupts the pure Gospel of grace. Galatians 5:9 says, “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.”
  10. Remember, the parable of the mustard seed shows the outward visible growth of Christendom, whereas the parable of the leaven shows the internal, hidden corruption.
  11. If this parable taught the outward growth and progress of genuine Christianity, it would contradict the other parables.
  12. Also, it seems highly unlikely that leaven, which represents sin everywhere else in the Bible, could represent the Gospel in this parable (cf. I Cor. 5:6-8).
  13. Let us also consider the significance of the “three measures of meal” (Luke 13:21).
  14. Let us go back to Genesis, and the law of first mention. In Genesis 18:6, Abraham said to Sarah, "Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal" (Gen.18:6).
  15. These three measures of meal represent communion with our Lord. Remember Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:32-35, 47-51).
  16. Therefore, the woman did not hide the leaven in Hinduism, or in Islam, or in any of the other heathen religions which have absolutely nothing to do with Christianity.
  17. She hid it where it would do the most damage.
  18. Finally, let us also consider the significance of the woman who took and hid the leaven.
  19. In the Bible, a woman often represents a religious system, sometimes good, and sometimes evil. For example, the true church is pictured as the bride of Christ, and the false church is described as a harlot.
  20. The woman "hid" the leaven in the meal. The Gospel should not be hidden. It should be proclaimed (Mark 16:15, 16; II Cor. 4:3, 4).
  21. The woman "hid" the leaven in the meal (Luke 13:21). Therefore, the leaven cannot be the true Gospel.
  22. According to the Bible, false teachers bring in their false doctrine quietly and deceitfully. Jude 4 says they creep in unawares.
  23. Second Peter 2:1 says they “privily shall bring in damnable heresies.”
  24. The dirty old buzzards in the tree do not like it when the true Gospel is preached, and so Satan has the woman "hide" the leaven of false doctrine in the meal, "till the whole was leavened" (13:21).
  25. We do not have the time to go deeply into the book of Revelation, but I would like to just point out two prominent women (Rev. 2:20). The Jezebel in Thyatira was a successor to wicked Queen Jezebel, wife of King Ahab.
  26. Jezebel had corrupted Israel through her wicked Baal-worship. In like manner, churches today are filled with modern-day Jezebels. May God protect us from them!
  27. Finally, in Revelation 17 we see another woman, "THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS" (Rev. 17:5). This is God’s vivid description of Christendom in its final days after the rapture.

 

CONCLUSION:


  1. Our Lord gave these parables as a warning; so His disciples would know what to expect during the long interval between His first coming and His second coming.
  2. How much time is left is impossible for us to say. Our Lord said, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 25:13).
  3. But in the meantime, we are to be ready (cf. Luke 13:23-25).


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