“Again he said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade’ ” (Mark 4:30-32).

To an onlooker of Jesus’ day, His small group of Twelve apostles would not have been too impressive. To have looked at Jesus and His disciples with an awareness of the extreme opposition which rose up against Him would have created a daunting view of their future. At His death they all deserted Him. It seemed a small, insignificant beginning for a worldwide movement.

Christianity began in a stable in Bethlehem and would have been unnoticed by the powers-that-be in Rome, the greatest political regime of the day. Yet, today the message of Jesus is proclaimed all over the world. In the Book of Revelation the redeemed sing a song in heaven: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). Heaven will be filled with believers from around the world.

That is the point of this short parable. God’s Kingdom may have had a small beginning in the eyes of the world but it has power, fertility and has extended to every tribe and nation. Christianity, which started small, has had in it the explosive power that can’t be contained by opposition no matter where the opposition has come from.

That is also true in a personal way. The message of the gospel has power when we believe it to accomplish more than we can imagine. We may believe it a first with our frailty and weakness showing, but when the final chapter of our lives is written it will describe us as conquerors because of the power of this gospel to change our lives. This parable pictures what happens to us when the good news about Jesus takes root in our hearts. The sky’s the limit.