He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” Luke 13:18-19 ESV

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “ If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. Luke 17:5-6 ESV

This week we are going to look at one of the parables that Jesus told to His disciples. A parable is a story about something familiar that can help us to understand something about God, something spiritual.

In our first verses Jesus tells His disciples that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. A mustard seed is very tiny, but even though it is a weed in a garden, if it keeps growing, it actually becomes a tree so big that birds can build nests in it! Jesus uses this image to help the disciples see that God’s kingdom is growing, too. Even though, right then, it was only Jesus and His disciples spreading the good news, He wanted them to know that God’s kingdom would continue to grow bigger and bigger just like the mustard tree grows so big.

In our second verses Jesus also compares our faith to a tiny mustard seed. His disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith. A simple Biblical definition of faith is believing that God is true, that Jesus died to save us, trusting in their promises, and committing our lives to them. But like God’s kingdom, our faith can grow, too, just like the mustard seed. Every time that God answers a prayer, or His word speaks to us when we read our Bible, or we can talk to him when we are hurting, we are growing our faith. We trust God more and we do things that we know would please God, like loving the people around us, listening to our parents, helping our neighbor, being kind, and generous.

And if you share the good news about God and Jesus with someone, you are not only growing your faith, you are also growing the kingdom of God, just like the disciples!

This week talk with your parents about growing your faith and growing the kingdom of God like a mustard seed.

Blessings and growing your faith like a mustard seed in the kingdom of God!