Nanny McPhee and the Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-34)
I consider myself to be an avid movie watcher.
I love action movies, the real blood and guts kinda stuff, like Rambo, Rocky and The Godfather ( I have watched almost all of them!). But I am not a fan of the Rockies that followed after Rocky 3. I thoroughly enjoyed The Godfather, especially 1 & 2. I also love thrillers or suspense. Movies that keep you guessing like Split, Prisoners, Nightcrawler and so forth.
However, ever since I got married and had two kids, I have been introduced to other genres that I have heard of but never really seen. One of them is fantasy. One of the movies in this genre is titled Nanny McPhee. I must admit that I enjoyed it, particularly one of the lessons. The lesson was: things are not what they appear to be. Let me explain.
One night Mr Brown, played by Colin Firth, hears a knock on the door. When he opens it, he sees Nanny Mcphee, played by Emma Thompson. She is, to use a lack of a better word, UGLY. She has a big round nose. A hairy mole, a long protruding tooth, dry and grey hair, and no fashion sense. She is unimpressive. However, as the movie goes on she is not what she appears to be. She has magical powers and in the end, turns into a beautiful person.
Things are not always as they appear.
The same can be said for the Kingdom of God. Jesus uses the parable of the mustard seed to teach us that:
God’s kingdom begins insignificantly but will be great in the end.
When we talk about God's Kingdom, what do we actually mean? What does Jesus mean when he talks about it? Is he talking about a physical building? A castle? A realm? No! He’s talking about God’s rule in the lives of people. And just like the mustard seed, it is sown small (v31), but grows large (v32).
30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? v31, “It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds (what does the bird represent) of the air can make nests in its shade.”
God's rule will take hold of people’s hearts and spread until it reaches a great number of people.
This teaching may have surprised the disciples. They expected God’s kingdom to arrive in a cataclysmic way, where God’s King would overthrow and destroy their enemies and establish God’s kingdom. They got this from the book of Daniel. In Daniel chapter 2 we come across a King by the name of Nebuchadnezzar. He was the King of Babylon. One day he had a dream, and in his dream, he saw a large statue - an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. Then he saw a rock. This rock was cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands. The rock smashed this huge statue into pieces!
What does this mean?
The statue represented the Kingdoms of the world, from the least powerful to the most powerful. The rock represented God’s kingdom. It will crush every kingdom and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is what the disciples expected. But Jesus says, hold on, not yet, for now God’s kingdom is going to be hidden and obscure, but one day it will itself endure forever. And this seems to be God’s pattern when he wants to bring about big results.
For example, when he wanted to fill the earth, he used one couple Adam and Eve - now we have over 6 billion people in the world. When he wanted to gather people for himself, he began the process with one man, Abraham - out of him came the nation of Israel. When he wanted to save his people from famine and starvation, he used one man, Joseph. Yes, Joseph, the boy who was thrown into the pit by his brothers but God rescued him, and placed him second in command in Pharaoh's palace. When he wanted to save his people from a tyrant who enslaved them, he used a fugitive, a murderer, a stutterer by the name of Moses. Finally, when God wanted to establish his kingdom, he sent God the Son. He did not come in splendour and majesty, but was born of the virgin Mary in a stable among animals, and she laid him in a manger in an animal feeding trough. When he grew to become a man, he did not usher in God’s kingdom with power and might, like in King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Instead, he teaches and preaches. He calls people to repent. He shows mercy by delivering the demon possessed, healing the sick, the leper and the paralytic. He forgives sins and fellowships with sinners.
As a result he is met with hostility, opposition and then rejection. This happens quite early in Jesus’ ministry. That is why Mark mentions it in chapter 2: 6, “Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” and in chapter 3:6, “Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.”
They succeed. He is nailed to a cross and dies a cruel death. But three days later, he came back to life. And at this point you would think, and so too the disciples, that he would establish God’s kingdom. However, he does not do that. Instead, he ascends to heaven and sits on his heavenly throne next to God the father. He leaves the kingdom outreach program to twelve unimpressive disciples.
One was a sceptic, Thomas.
One had anger issues, Peter.
One betrayed him, Judas.
And the apostle Paul was not good looking, and he had an issue that he was dealing with and seemed to greatly upset him. He does not mention it, but calls it a thorn in his flesh. Yet these men, through the help of God the Spirit, went everywhere and spread the good news about God's Kingdom, that is, the one true King has arrived.
His name is Jesus. He loves you and wants you to be in his kingdom. But first you must turn away from sin and believe in him. This message spread throughout Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. And people came into God’s kingdom.
First 3000 in Acts 2:41 and then it grew to 5000 in Acts 4:4. And it’s still growing and will continue to grow until we get to a point where every ethnic group will be reached and brought into the kingdom of God. Revelation 7: 9 tells us this. “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,”
When God wants to do something big, he starts off small.
Why should we know this truth?
So that we may worship the right person this festive season. In a few weeks we will celebrate Christmas. And it is at this time that the big and impressive things of the world will be on display. The top of the range car, the fancy holidays, the new phone, tablet and laptop will be advertised everywhere. And Jesus, his humble birth, his sacrificial death to save sinners like you and me, will, at least for some of us, be an afterthought, less impressive, small and insignificant. Listen to what one person said, when asked, what do you think about the birth of Jesus? He said and I quote,
“A boring, unimaginative story” - A wordly view
The Christian stories excel at being so boring and unimaginative.
“ ‘Let there be [x]’, and there was [x]”
Uhm… okay, F for effort, that is simply not inspiring or mind-jogging at all.
The story about the birth of the supposed Christ is no exception; it is just dull.
Compare with other god-births, and we can find plenty of more imaginative ones.
The birth of Athena / Minerva for instance…
The birth of Minerva — René-Antoine Houasse
…is a whole heck of a lot more interesting.” (end quote). https://www.quora.com/What-do-atheist-think-about-the-birth-of-Jesus-Christ
We live in a world, in a culture that worships bigness and greatness. We even have a saying: bigger is better. The more money you have, the greater respect you gain. The more educated you are the more esteem you receive. The more gifted and talented you are, the more praise you receive. Are you bored with Jesus? Are you less impressed? Do you think he is small? Is he someone that has become insignificant to you during this time?
If yes, then you are a worshipper of worldly greatness.
Christian, I say to you, REPENT!
Do not worship the big and impressive found in our culture, but what the world deems small and insignificant!!
Worship Jesus.
For you know that when God wants to show greatness, he begins small. And one day you will see Jesus, not as a baby, not as a failed rabbi, or a weakling, but the almighty glorious king. The glorious king that is described in Revelation 1: 12 - 18:
“12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”
This is King Jesus. Worship him this Christmas.
