From our Sunday service on August 31, 2025, Mark 4, Ezekiel 17, Matthew 13, and Luke 14. This is part 3 of our Parables of Christ series. Watch the full message: The Ever-Growing Kingdom – The Parables of Christ #3 on YouTube.
Today we’re in part three of our series on the parables of Christ, and today’s topic is the ever-growing kingdom. We’re going to look at a few parables that tell us how the kingdom of God grows.
Last week we looked at the value of the kingdom of God, and how God wants us to abandon everything in pursuit of his eternal kingdom. Once you’ve made that decision and chosen to be part of the kingdom, it becomes important to know how the kingdom you’ve joined works, and how you can share in its growth. So today we’ll look at the kingdom itself to see both how and where it grows.
God wants you to know that he is always growing his kingdom, and he wants you to be a part of it.
The Secretly Growing Seed
We’ll look first at the secretly growing seed, to learn about the source of the kingdom’s growth, in Mark 4:26.
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.
Mark 4:26–29
This should seem familiar. In week one, on the parable of the sower, Jesus said something specific to his disciples: if they couldn’t understand the parable of the sower, how would they understand all his other parables? The parable of the sower is the foundation on which the other parables build. Once again Jesus uses farming as an illustration of the kingdom, and he assumes you were listening the first time.
Everybody knows enough about farming to know that the first step is plowing your field and putting in seed. Then what does the farmer do while it grows? Does he tend those plants twenty-four hours a day? No. He plants the seed and goes about his business. He goes to bed and rises night and day, and he waits. The seed springs and grows up, “he knoweth not how.”
Today we understand the science of plants better than they did in the first century. But even understanding all the complexities that go on in a piece of wheat, could we take the fundamental elements and build a plant ourselves? We’re nowhere near that. We might be able to gene-splice it, modify it a little, or selectively breed it, but the mechanism by which a plant grows might as well be magic to us. That’s what Jesus says here. The farmer’s job is to grow wheat, but it isn’t the farmer’s wisdom that makes it grow. He just knows that if you have good soil, put seed in it, and get some rain once in a while, sooner or later wheat will sprout. As verse 28 says, “the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself”: first the blade, then the ear, and after that the full corn in the ear. First it sprouts, then a stalk grows, then the head of the grain develops, and ultimately the grain is produced. Only then does the farmer return, and as verse 29 says, “immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” The farmer’s effort is at the beginning and at the end. In between he has no investment in the growth.
So what does this mean? First, who is the man spreading seed? If we look back at the parable of the sower, in the same chapter, the seed is the word of God being spread to all, and the planter is anyone who shares the gospel. Some seed fell on stony ground, some on good ground that accepted the gospel and grew into salvation. Here we have the same picture of somebody sharing the gospel into soil. What is the fruit? From the parable of the sower, it’s when a person pursues faith to the point of accepting the gift of God and producing the fruit of salvation in their life.
What is the mystery, then? Why doesn’t the man know how? The earth produces the fruit without any human intervention. If you left your wheat field unharvested, there’s a good chance it would replant itself and you’d have wheat growing somewhere else. The same is true of the gospel. We start the process of growing the kingdom by telling people the gospel, and once we plant it in someone’s life, we go about our own business, not knowing whether God is still working on them. The work of God is invisible. That’s what this parable is about. When we give the gospel to other people, the work of convincing them to be saved does not come from us. No amount of words can convince a soul whether or not to believe in God. We plant the seed and deliver the gospel to the soil, and then it’s up to God, the invisible force, to grow it into the fruit of salvation. The harvest is the moment a man comes to God, and then God, the owner of the farm, harvests that fruit of salvation for himself.
What’s our application? Our responsibility is to share the gospel, and the results are in God’s hands, not ours. A lot of times we’re discouraged about giving the gospel because we put too much weight on ourselves and not enough on God’s work. We think we need to have so many verses memorized, or so much experience. I like to point out that in the first century people didn’t have a Bible in their pocket. All they had was the truth they knew in their minds and hearts. God can work through you even if you can’t bring up a lick of Scripture in that moment. The gospel isn’t just exact words but the message Christ gave: all men are sinners, all are in need of a Savior, and they can’t save themselves. Jesus Christ, God himself, came in the flesh, fully man and fully God, and died on a cross to pay for our sins. Because he died for the sins of all humanity, if you choose to trust in him instead of your own righteousness and surrender to him for your salvation, the Bible says, “Then thou shalt be saved.” Even if you can’t say those words exactly, you can still say that God will save you. God offers transformation and renewal. Even if you can’t say a lick of Scripture, you can still spread the gospel.
When we walk away from giving someone the gospel, that’s not the end of the story. When I was a teenager working in vacation Bible school, I would give the gospel to a kid who was distracted and just wanted to get back to playing games, who only wanted to get saved because a friend did. It was discouraging. But the effects of salvation don’t come from our efforts. They come from God. I may not have convinced that child in that moment, but there was still a seed planted, and I don’t know what happened after that. He could have understood years later and come to Christ, or it may have been a foundation Christ built on later. We don’t know how big an impact we can make if we don’t take the first step and plant the seed.
At the same time, we can’t convince ourselves that we’re the ones who bring people to Christ, or think, “If I could just say it in a way they could understand, they’d believe.” It isn’t our wisdom that brings people to God but the drawing of the Holy Spirit. Once we’ve shared the gospel, the rest is out of our control, and we give it into God’s hand. The lesson is not that we do nothing, but that we do something and trust God to do something amazing with it. When a soul is saved, we don’t say, “I did it.” We say, “Praise the Lord that he did it.”
The Mustard Seed
Now the parable of the mustard seed, in verses 30 to 32, to learn about the scale of the kingdom’s growth.
And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
Mark 4:30–32
Jesus says the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, specifically black mustard, a very small, almost unnoticeable seed. If it was on the ground you’d walk by and not know it was there. The gospel is like that, almost invisible, and you don’t see its effects yet. But once the plant sprouts, it grows by massive amounts in a short time. These plants can reach full maturity in about ninety days. We often say “mustard tree,” but it’s really more of a bush, up to ten or even twelve feet tall. Jesus is comparing it with the other plants in the garden. If you plant bell peppers and tomatoes, and then mustard, the mustard will quickly overtake the garden because it’s massive and overshadows everything else.
One thing I didn’t know until I studied for this is that mustard plants are highly invasive. Jewish farmers would have known this well. Under Jewish law you could plant only one type of crop in a field, so if you wanted mustard for spice you needed a field dedicated to mustard, and another for wheat, and you’d have to make sure one didn’t overtake the other. God knew the wisdom of planting when he gave the law: you don’t want crops depriving each other of nutrients or fighting each other. Still, the second you planted mustard it would spread, its seeds would fall out and go into your other fields, and for years you would be fighting the spread. You had to be very careful if you wanted to grow mustard in Israel. The illustration for the gospel is clear. The gospel isn’t just a big tree. It’s more like an invasive species. When the seed is planted, it continues to spread and expand and overtake, and nothing else in the garden can stand against it.
Verse 32 says it also provides shade, so that “the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.” Here the kingdom of heaven shelters the birds, which represent individuals from all the nations of the world. How do we know? We compare Scripture with Scripture. Turn to Ezekiel 17, verse 22.
Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent: In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.
Ezekiel 17:22–24
Here is a prophecy about God’s future work through the Messiah. There’s a high cedar on top of a mountain. God cuts a tender twig from it and plants it, and it becomes a goodly cedar that bears fruit, and all the birds gather under it. When we studied Daniel, the birds of the air represented the kingdoms taking shelter under Babylon. This was a very common Old Testament picture. So the new tree God plants, the kingdom of God, will bring shelter for all the nations, not just Israel. They will all take shelter under this new mustard bush.
Why mustard? There are other invasive plants God could have used. At this time mustard was used as a seasoning and condiment, as it is today, but also as a medicine for chest congestion and inflammation, and mustard oil was used to improve circulation. So mustard isn’t just like the salt of the earth that provides seasoning. It is also a source of healing for the world. The gospel isn’t just something that tastes good. It helps. It helps you breathe better and have a fuller life, and it improves your quality of life. The kingdom of God is like that seed. It grows and expands, and it provides renewal.
The application is that the kingdom of God starts small. At first its effects may go unnoticed, but in a short time it grows massively and overtakes all the competition around it. It provides nutrients and flavor, and it can heal those who receive it. Its scale ensures that all people in the world can take shelter within the kingdom. Christianity began in the first century and, very quickly, it became known around the world that Jesus Christ is Lord, and people from all over the world began to join the kingdom. We also have a lesson for ourselves: we may never see the seed we planted, and we will never fully comprehend its effects. We might plant a seed of the gospel in someone’s life and think it’s nothing, but when we walk away it shoots up, grows into a massive tree, and begins to spread into other fields we never sowed in, through efforts we never exerted. Because of our initial effort, it grows, spreads, overtakes, provides for the needs of others, and heals them.
The Leaven
Now Matthew 13, verse 33, the parable of the yeast and its unstoppable growth. Matthew 13 also has the parable of the mustard seed, but we went to Mark because it has the longer account and gave us more details to look at.
Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
Matthew 13:33
That’s short, but the truth inside it blew my mind. I almost overlooked just how impactful this parable is. Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a woman making bread with leaven. What is leaven? Today we buy yeast on its own and add it to our dough so it rises. That’s what I thought for years: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast.” I thought that in Sunday school, in high school and all through Bible college, and nobody corrected me. But I missed the point.
In the first century you couldn’t buy a packet of active dry yeast. You would go to a baker and buy a piece of starter dough, similar to the starter we use for sourdough today. It came from a previous batch of bread that had fermented naturally through wild yeast. You kept a chunk of dough in a container to start all your future batches. To make leavened bread you had to start from a previous batch.
Now the scale. “Three measures of meal” sounds like three cups. That’s what I thought, too. Three measures is the equivalent of about sixty pounds of flour. A tiny bit of dough was hidden in sixty pounds of wheat or barley flour and worked through it. That’s enough food to feed hundreds of people. The leaven was small and insignificant compared to the flour, one piece of starter for sixty pounds. But once the woman kneads it through the dough, although she can no longer see where the starter is or what it’s doing, over time the bread transforms into something completely different. It’s no longer a flat, cracker-like pita but an indulgent, fluffy sourdough. It expands and grows just like the mustard seed.
What’s our application? First, the effects of the gospel are not always immediately evident. Once you mix in the starter, you have to have a little faith that you’ve mixed it all the way through. When we spread the gospel, the effects often take a long time to show up. If you don’t wait for bread to rise, you get a cracker. You can’t force the gospel’s effects to happen fast, but you can keep kneading the dough so the leavening agent can take effect.
Second, and this is the most powerful part, it takes those who have already received the leaven of the gospel to take what they’ve received and pass it on to the next batch. The first gospel came from Jesus, who gave it to the disciples, who gave it to their students, who gave it to their congregations, and on and on until we get here today. Each of you has received the leavening agent from those who came before you. The gospel can’t spread without the previous batch being the starter dough for the next generation. That’s a lot to get out of one verse.
Third, when the gospel takes effect, it completely transforms us. The bread that received the leavening agent is no longer what it was. In the same way, when we receive the gospel into our hearts, we are no longer the crunchy, unpleasant bread we were. We’re transformed into a beautiful loaf of sourdough. Our lives aren’t broken and crusty. They’re refreshing and fluffy. The gospel is not always evident, the gospel needs us to spread it, and the gospel completely transforms lives.
The Great Banquet
Our last parable of the day is the parable of the great banquet, in Luke 14:15, which shows the breadth of the kingdom’s growth. For context, Jesus has been invited to a Pharisee leader’s house for a Sabbath dinner and gives two parables. The first, about humility, came after the Pharisees fought over who got the seats of honor. Then one of them misses the point and speaks up.
And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
Luke 14:15–20
Jesus uses the situation at a Sabbath feast to teach an eternal truth. In the first century these feasts took a lot of effort. You couldn’t work on the Sabbath, so everything had to be prepared ahead of time, with hours and hours of work. To be invited was an honor, very personal and relational. It meant the host really cared about you and saw you as a close friend. So the man invites those he knows and loves, prepares all the food, and sends word that the work is done and the meal is hot. One by one, they make excuses.
Remember how I said the parable of the sower is foundational? Each of these excuses lines up with it: the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, or the pleasures of this life, the weeds that choke. Jesus is referring to the Pharisees in a specific way. The preparation for the feast is the preparation for the Messiah, and Revelation speaks of the marriage supper of the Lamb. The Jews and religious leaders said, “Yes, we’re waiting for the Messiah. We’ll be there when he comes.” But as Jesus sits in a room with Pharisees who haven’t chosen to follow him, he says, in effect, “I’ve invited you to my feast, but you, like those seeds in the field, are being choked by weeds.”
One has purchased new farming property and needs to see what he has to work with. That’s the cares of the world. Another has purchased oxen and needs to see whether he got what he paid for. That’s the deceitfulness of riches. Another was just married and wants to enjoy his new wife. That’s the pleasures of this life. These religious leaders said the Messiah was the goal they were waiting for, but when Jesus sat at dinner with them as the Messiah, they all made excuses. Nicodemus wanted to follow Jesus, but he didn’t. Some in the Sanhedrin supported Jesus but were too scared to speak up. Joseph of Arimathea didn’t show up until after Jesus was dead, to bury him. These rich, powerful rulers said their whole lives, “I’m for the Messiah,” but quickly turned away, distracted by worldly worries, wealth and pleasure, and chose not to commit to Christ.
So what does the host do?
So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
Luke 14:21–24
In response to the rejection, the host is furious. He prepared dinner for the invited guests, but when the time came they didn’t want to come, so he invites those less fortunate, who you wouldn’t expect to be invited. Shockingly, everyone invited comes. But there is still room. So the host says, “If you’ve reached everyone in the city who wants to come, go outside the walls. Go down the main roads and find anybody and everybody you can and invite them. The dinner is ready. I’m just waiting for people to come.”
Who do these people represent? The poor represent the sinners. Who are the sinners? Each and every one of us. The people invited to begin with were the religious leaders and the Jews who were entrusted with the gospel and decided not to follow it. The city is implied to be Jerusalem. When Jerusalem wasn’t enough to fill the kingdom, God says, “I’m not going to give it just to Israel. I’m going to give it to the whole world, and I want anybody and everybody you meet to know what I offer in my kingdom.” There’s plenty of room for salvation. The mansion in heaven has a lot of rooms, and God is more than happy to build a few more for a few more people.
What’s the application? Although the religious leaders and many of the Jews would ultimately reject Christ, God gives a wide-open invitation to all the world. God wants his house as full as possible. He puts no limits on who is invited except those who personally choose to reject his invitation. As the text says, none of those who were bidden shall taste his supper. The only way you don’t come is if you reject his invitation.
God Is Growing His Kingdom
God has created this great kingdom for us to be part of. The message of these parables is simple: God’s kingdom is always growing, and he wants us to be a part of it.
The secretly growing seed reminds us that the kingdom grows by God’s power, not our own. We plant the seed of the gospel, but only God can make it spring up into eternal life. The mustard seed shows us that even the smallest beginnings of God’s work can grow into something vast, unstoppable and welcoming to all people. The yeast teaches us that the kingdom’s influence may begin quietly, even invisibly, but over time it transforms everything it touches and prepares others to continue the work of spreading the gospel. And the great banquet reminds us that God’s invitation is wide, and he wants his servants to go out into the highways and byways and find anyone and everyone willing to accept the invitation. Although some will reject it, his table is wide open to those who don’t, and he desires his house to be full.
Together these parables assure us that God’s kingdom is a reality. It is ever growing, transforming and inviting. The work is driven not by our hands but by God’s. Our role is not to control the results of our work but to faithfully plant the seed of the gospel by spreading the news of God’s invitation, and to trust that God will continue his invisible work even after we are gone. God is always growing his kingdom, and he wants you to be a part of it. So the question today is, will you choose to be part of its growth?
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