Mustard Seed and the Yeast

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
Matthew 13:31 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."
33 He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."
34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world."

I did a little research on this one to try to understand the meaning. Keep in mind Jesus taught a series of parables here in Matthew 13 and they all should be considered when pulling just one like this apart. The mustard seed was indeed the smallest seed in the region that one would intentionally plant in efforts to have a harvest. A seed so small would indeed grow into a bush or shrub so big that it had characteristics of a tree and it actually produced a decent amount of shade and a place for birds to rest. Similar to this is the small amount of yeast that is introduced into a fair amount of dough. Eventually it penetrates the full amount.

I guess so it is with our Christian faith and message. At the time when Jesus was teaching these parables it really wasn't okay or openly acceptable to be a follower of Christ. From this small group of dedicated followers would emerge the guys who who begin to spread the gospel throughout the region and eventually to all the world.

If you try to apply this on a personal level someone with a little bit of faith can do so much. One faithful person can impact many.