Generally Speaking

With His parables, Jesus compared invisible aspects of the kingdom of God with visible aspects of the earth. In so doing, He provided us with divine intuition of the Holy Spirit so that we may understand the nature and essence of various aspects of the kingdom of God. With the mustard parable, Jesus gives us a particular view of His church.

When we compare the meanings of this parable with meanings of His other parables (including miracles, events, and dissertations) pertaining to the worldly and divine aspects of His church, then we can understand what's going on in His churches today and what's to become of them.

Aspects of the Mustard Parable

The particular aspect of the kingdom of God that Jesus illustrated with the "likenesses" in His "mustard" parable is the "church" that Jesus came and planted in the earth. Here are the representative elements in the parable that compare the mustard tree with His church.

THE MAN -- The man is Jesus Christ who God the Father sent down from heaven to accomplish this work. (Isaiah 55:8-11 and John 19:30)

THE SEED -- The seed is His church, which began with about 120 men and women assembled together in an upper room in Jerusalem. These are they whom Jesus chose from among the Jews, whom He indoctrinated with the word of life, and whom He anointed with power from on high by baptizing them on the day of pentecost with the Holy Ghost.

THE FIELD -- The field is the earth. Specifically, it is the planet Earth as distinguished from the world and its corruption that Satan (the prince of this world) generates. It is the good (Mark 4:20) fertile ground; such as compares with the Garden of Eden that God created in the midst of that which was without form and void and with darkness upon the face of the deep.

THE SOWING -- The sowing pertains to the continuing proliferation of the gospel of salvation; which the church, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is carrying unto the uttermost part of the earth. This is the task Jesus has assigned to His church for the fulfillment of the purpose of His mission here: that is: for the salvation of God's lost ones and for the edification of us the church. Jesus illustrated this expectation of us by His two miraculous feedings of the multitude. Jesus blessed and broke the bread (which represents His word/His flesh) that it might be multiplied. But He did not distribute it. He gave that task to His disciples (His church) to carry out.

THE GROWTH -- The growth pertains to the increase of both the spiritual aspects and the worldly aspects of His church in response to the power of the gospel. Jesus tells us about this in Mark 4:26-29: And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

THE GREATNESS -- The greatness refers to both the size and the influence of the church in comparison to other religious bodies of the world. The number of Christians in the world in the year 2003 is reported (Encyclopedia Britannica Almanac 2004) to be more than two billion. This being the case, we are one-third of the world population and almost twice the number of Muslims. Adherents of other religions in the world number far fewer.

THE BRANCHES -- The branches are illustrative of the seemingly innumerable Christian institutions, denominations, sects, churches, and congregations in the world that have grown from those original 120 "trees of righteousness" (see Isaiah 61:3). These branches provide different kinds of doors through which the unsaved of various inclinations may enter and begin receiving a steady spiritual diet of the life-giving, holy, living word of God.

THE FOWLS -- The birds and fowls refer to the worldly unsaved and to the demons that belong to the prince of the air; the prince of this world; Satan. (See Ephesians 2:2, John 12:31, John 14:30, and John 14:11) They are also known as false brethren and as wolves in sheep's clothing. These fowls are prominent among organized worldly churches. They can be recognized by their distracting chattering and defilings commonly attributed to perching birds.

THE HERB -- The herb refers to worldly aspects of the churches; to such things as functional structure, physical facilities, traditions, church histories, identity doctrines, social composition, community relations, money matters, and similar considerations. These can lead a church to pride itself as a member of the local community, rather than as belonging only to the kingdom of God. As stated in James 4:4, "friendship of the world is enmity with God". Like the earthly herb that cannot survive the winter season, neither shall the temporal worldly aspect of the church survive the wrath that is to come. It shall pass away like a body without a spirit; while the divine church within (the spiritual body of Christ) shall endure and survive the wrath.

THE TREE -- The tree (perennial) represents the spiritual body of Christ within the church that is composed of born again believers in Jesus Christ. It represents Christ's truly divine church, which will endure until He returns to receive it unto Himself and carry us into the everlasting glory of our Father in heaven.

By comparison, the mustard herb/tree parable describes the nature of the "church(s)" that Jesus planted in the earth. As a "church body", it is bi-natured like each of us are. Individually, we have flesh bodies (temporary) within which we, the spiritual (permanent) beings travel through this life. Likewise, organized churches have a worldly "shell" within which the spiritual part of it lives. That spiritual part is the body of Christ (alluded to in John 3:5-7, Ephesians 5:23-27, Colossians 1:18&24, and 1Corinthians 12:12-13), which is composed of regenerated (born again - converted) Christians; referred to as the bride of Christ -- His church; for which He will come again to receive us unto himself. (See John 14:1-6&12)

The Apostle Paul wrote that the flesh wars against the spirit. Likewise the worldly interests of a church will war against the spiritual body of Christ within. Whenever the soul (psuche) of the worldly element of the church succeeds in totally dominating the church activities and behavior, that "church" will wane and die. When the body of Christ within is suppressed to the extent that the regenerated Christians can no longer prevail in the power of the Holy Spirit to fulfill Christ's purpose for His church; then the Holy Spirit (pneuma) will depart from that "church body" (Although He remains in each regenerated member). The spiritual (pneuma) regenerated Christians will then drift away from it. For, as we are told in the James 2:26 Bible passage; the body without the spirit is dead.

In the mustard parable, the birds and fowls of the air represent those in the church "shell" who are unregenerated persons and those who are even the devil's demons (some in human form) that war aginst the works of the Holy Spirit. Quite often these strive to take over the leadership of the churches. Jesus gave us foreshadowings of this aspect of today's worldly church. Throughout the four gospels Jesus warned us about the unrighteous pharisees, scribes, sadducees, and leaders of the synagogue (congregation/assembly). His dialogues and dissertations concerning them were just as explicit and pertinent for the churches of today as they were for the synagogues then.

Also in the mustard parable, the mustard plant is referred to both as an herb and as a tree. The herb represents the worldly "shell" (temporal), and the tree represents the body of Christ within (eternal). The herb is an annual plant that withers away in the winter season and does not grow back. The tree is a perennial plant that survives and lives on beyond the winter. This is an important consideration in both the mustard parable and the drawnet parable also. (Matthew 13:47-51) All of the Christian churches and the gospel sharing evangelical Christians make up the drawnet that has been and is being drawn through the earth netting all kinds of life.

At the end of the world, when Jesus returns to receive His church, His angels will separate out from the drawnet "His church" (not the herb, but the tree -- Isaiah 61:3). This is the "resurrection of the body" of Christ to be received up into everlasting glory. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. But those represented in the mustard parable as the herb, the birds, the fowls, and all their trappings shall be relegated to a considerably less desirable environment.

Source: Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language

HERB
1. any seed plant whose stem withers away annually. 2. any plant used as a medicine, seasoning, etc.

Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary

MUSTARD
a plant of the genus sinapis, a pod-bearing, shrub-like plant, growing wild, and also cultivated in gardens. The little round seeds were an emblem of any small insignificant object. It is not mentioned in the Old Testament; and in each of the three instances of its occurrence in the New Testament (Matt. 13:31,32; Mark 4:31,32 Luke 13:18,19) it is spoken of only with reference to the smallness of its seed. The common mustard of Palestine is the Sinapis nigra. This garden herb sometimes grows to considerable height, so as to be spoken of as "a tree" as compared with garden herbs.

Source: Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words

MUSTARD PLANT (sinapi)
a word of Egyptian origin; is translated "mustard seed" in the NT. "The conditions to be fulfilled by the mustard are that it should be a familiar plant, with a very small seed, Matt. 17:20; Luke 17:6, sown in the earth, growing larger than garden herbs, Matt. 13:31, having large branches, Mark 4:31, ... attractive to birds, Luke 13:19 [RV, '(became) a tree']. The cultivated mustard is sinapis nigra. The seed is well known for its minuteness. The mustards are annuals, reproduced with extraordinary rapidity ... In fat soil they often attain a height of 10 or 12 feet, and have branches that attract passing birds" (A. E. Post, in Hastings Bib. Dic.) The correct RV translation in Matt. 14:32, "greater than the herbs," for the AV, "greatest among herbs" (the "mustard" is not a herb), should be noted. As the parable indicates, Christendom represents a sort of Christianity that has become conformed to the principles and ways of the world, and the world has favored this debased Christianity. Contrast the testimony of the NT, e.g., in John 17:14; Gal. 6:14; 1Pet. 2:11; 1 John 3:1.

HERB (lachanon)
denotes "a garden herb, a vegetable" (from lachaino, "to dig"), in contrast to wild plants, Matt.13:32; Mark 4:32; Luke 11:42; Rom. 14:2.

Source: Strong's Greek Dictionary of the New Testament

MUSTARD (sinapi)
sinapi (sin'-ap-ee): mustard (the plant). Appears only 5 times, all translated, "mustard" (in the gospels only)

HERB (lachanon)
lachanon (lakh'-an-on): vegetable; herb. All of the four uses of the transliterated Greek word, "lachanon" (lakh'-an-on) were translated "herbs" in the KJV New Testament.