Some might have been discouraged by Jesus statement on parable leading up to this particular passage. How will Jesus' message ever be proclaimed successfully if those who hear fail to understand? Jesus' words here are meant to encourage us, and show us that ultimately what is hidden will be revealed. Just as one does not light a lamp only to hide it's light, neither is Jesus' message proclaimed to deliberately confuse those who hear it.
I have often heard televangelists and the like distort and twist Jesus' words and apply them to giving. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." This is far from an invitation to "sow a seed" in the ministry of the televangelist begging for a donation on the television. The principal at work here is not some sort of divine economics, at least not of the monetary kind. It is actually quite the opposite. When we embrace God's work on this earth, we seek to invest not on earth, where as Jesus says "moth and rust destroy", but in heaven. In other words, our response to the word preached by Jesus will dictate our participation, or lack of participation, in the kingdom. Rather than revealing some sort of divine economics, Jesus is actually revealing a divine paradox. We can invest in our own happiness by seeking to accumulate wealth, but this strategy present its own problem. In order to cash in on that investment, we have to use up or wear out the very thing we have saved up. However, when we cease investing solely in ourselves and invest in others, in God's kingdom, we receive back far more than we can ever imagine; not in hard currency, but in an eternal joy whose value does not diminish or fluctuate.
The next two images Jesus' uses are agricultural. This shouldn't surprise us giving Jesus' context, preaching in the countryside to peasants and farmers. Jesus has a remarkable ability of making His teaching accessible by using imagery that the people would find familiar, and understand. When he talks about a seed growing "secretly", they know exactly what he is referring to. They think about how the growth of a seed is indiscernible to the naked eye, and yet still very much apparent over time. Notice the ordinary rhythm of time, as the farmer sleeps and rises. He may not understand all of the processes taking place for that seed to grow, but it happens nonetheless. It happens over time. The same is true for the kingdom of God. We do not understand how this seed that God plants grows in our hearts, but it does. We may not feel any more "spiritual" from one day to the next, but hopefully from year to year we see ourselves growing closer to God. Hopefully we see our attitudes toward others becoming more Christ-like.
If this seed growing "secretly" models the growth of the kingdom in our own hearts, then the growth of the mustard seed models the growth of the kingdom as a body of believers. Jesus says, "with what can we compare the kingdom of God...it is like a grain of mustard seed." In antiquity, Pliny the Elder would say, "mustard...with its pungent taste and fiery effect...grows entirely wild, though it is improved by being transplanted: but in the other hand when it has once been sown it is scarcely possible to get the place free of it, as the seed when it falls germinates at once." Jesus didn't chose mustard as an object of comparison for the kingdom of God because of its "pungent taste and fiery effect". He chose it because of its tenacity. As the Roman Empire sought to stamp out the growth of Christianity, they found that the kingdom is as hard as mustard to eradicate. What began as a tiny seed in a backwater of a Roman province, had germinated to become a community of faith, hope, and love.
It's easy to beat ourselves up over our mistakes, to spend each day looking deep into our heart and lamenting the lack of growth. While that behavior is understandable, it also makes about as much sense as a farmer pulling up a chair to watch a seed grow. We can't judge our spiritual life a success or failure based on what happens day-to-day. Instead, look at where you are compared to a year ago, or even five years ago. Do you find yourself more drawn to God in prayer? Do you find yourself loving, or at least no longer hating, those you once thought to be unlovable? Are your priorities focused more on the eternal than the temporary? If you can answer any of these questions positively then rest assured that, though it may not be as evident as you would like, God's seed has found a place in your heart, and is steadily growing into a crop that will yield a harvest in His kingdom.
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