Small beginnings don't mean small endings. A favorite story of mine is the feeding of the 5,000 miracle (John 6:8-11). This miracle is found in all four gospels; it is of such great importance.
The Boy with Barley Loaves: Faith in Action
A young boy had come to listen to the new teacher, Jesus, preach. The thronging crowd was hungry. He happened to be there with his basket that contained five barley loaves and two fish. This was probably enough to feed his family, but certainly not 5,000 people. The disciples brought the small amount of food to the Lord who blessed it. They then distributed and fed everyone. They even had leftovers! His small offering was turned into a miraculous meal for thousands. In our lives today our small beginnings can have huge outcomes if the Lord has His hand in it.
What the Kingdom of God Is Like: Parables of Growth
The Lord shares two parables in Luke 13:18-21 in which He explains what the Kingdom of God is like. From the humble beginnings of a tiny mustard seed, a large tree develops; so large, birds nest amongst its branches. Jesus gives another example in the Parable of the Yeast (Leaven). Both the mustard seed and yeast demonstrate how small, humble beginnings can lead to extraordinary outcomes when God is at work.
Yeast changes dough. Without yeast bread doesn't rise much. It is more like a flat cracker. But with a little yeast added to the dough we can have a large loaf of tasty bread. Yeast appears insignificant when first added to dough, as does the tiny mustard seed when it is planted, and yet both grow and become something useful and quite magnificent.
Small Beginnings, Big Impact: Luke 13: 18-21 -The Church's Mission
The kingdom of God is this way. The church began in an insignificant Roman province of Judea. Its founder was an itinerant preacher who was deemed a criminal and executed. And yet, from the people in the Upper Room in Acts 1:13, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the gospel message of Jesus and His death and resurrection for our sins has spread throughout the world. These small beginnings made a big impact as Jesus explains in the parables of Luke 13:18-21.
Encouragement in Trials: Eternal Glory Awaits
We may not always see the impact we make. We may sometimes feel like we do very little for the Lord, but we can't let ourselves get discouraged. Our encouragement comes from keeping eternity in our minds and hearts. 2 Corinthians 4:17 tells us that we may have "light and momentary troubles," but they are achieving an eternal glory that is so much more important. Psalm 126:5 echoes this when it says, "Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy."
The Power of the Holy Spirit: Transforming Lives
And in 1 Corinthians 15:32-44, Paul describes the resurrection of the body: sown perishable/raised imperishable; sown in dishonor/raised in glory; and sown in weakness/raised in power; from something unimportant to something of supreme importance—all of this by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Those disciples in the Upper Room were afraid. They were few in number, weak, unsure of the future. They had no real power until that moment when the Holy Spirit fell on them. The Holy Spirit enabled Peter to preach to a crowd of thousands and see 3,000 come to faith in Christ. The unimportant fisherman became the tool that the Lord used to build His church.
Growing in Grace: A Lifelong Journey of Faith
When we first become Christians, we may believe that we have great faith and courage, and indeed, maybe some do, but for most of us we are but babes in the Lord. We understand little, like a child learning to speak or someone learning a new language. We are learning the ways of the Lord. We are learning to trust Him. Our faith grows, our courage grows, our understanding of God grows over time.
As 2 Peter 3:18 says, "But continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." From a small thing, over time we become filled with the knowledge and power of the Lord, like the seed that becomes a tree or the small lump of dough that becomes a large loaf of bread.
The Mustard Seed and the Birds: Resting in God’s Protection
In this parable the mustard seed grows into a tree where birds lodge. The birds most probably represent the people of God—those who have believed in Him. They don't just take a rest on a branch of the tree but they lodge there. They build their homes there in the tree. They feel safe enough to want to stay. The tree protects them. Our Savior is our safe place where we also want to stay. He is our home where we rest in His arms of protection. The prophet Ezekiel tells us, "On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches" (Ezekiel 17:23). This scripture is often interpreted as a prophecy of the coming Messiah.
Being Salt, Light, and Yeast: Transforming the World
Where the parable of the mustard seed was mainly talking about the missionary growth of the church, the Parable of the Yeast refers also to the effect the church has on the world. We are the salt and light. We are agents of change in the world. We are the ones whose task it is to spread the love of Christ to all. When we do this, the world changes. The more light there is, the less dark there will be. The more love there is, the less hate there will be. The more God that we show, the less Satan will be seen. Although Christians may be few in number, our effect on the world should be disproportionately large.
Just as yeast comes into contact with all parts of the dough, causing it to rise and grow in size, so we are to cause change when we come into contact with the world. They should see Jesus in us. Will they always? No, sadly probably not. However, if the overall experience others have with us leads them to say, "I want what they have," then our effect will be like the yeast in the dough.
Like the words of a recent hymn, "I just want to speak the name of Jesus, over every heart and every mind." (1) Do we really want to do this or do we just say we do?
Faith in Action: Living Out the Gospel
As a church, we spread the gospel of Christ because this is what He told us to do. But also, very importantly, we live out our faith in action. The book of James makes this very clear. In James 2:17 he says, "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." Is our faith dead or alive?
As Christians, we are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, take in the stranger, and visit those in prison (Matthew 25:35-45). This is us, as yeast, acting on the world. Through our small actions, individually and together, we will show people the love of Christ and change the world. We don't just convert the hungry and then leave them starving—we feed them. We don't just speak Jesus to the sick—we provide medical services or show them we care by being there for them in their suffering. We tell the homeless about Jesus—but then help them find shelter. We aren't just talk; we act!
Patience in God's Timing: Trusting the Process
When yeast is mixed with dough, you can no longer see it. It all seems to be the same. And yet, the yeast is what causes the mixture to rise, change, and become a loaf of delicious bread. When the yeast is added, change is happening whether you can see it or not. Eventually, you will see it.
Faith, time, and patience are required. Don't give up on your work as a Christian. Be a diligent Christian—one who recognizes that, in God's time and through God's power, not our own, this world, in the end, will, with one voice acknowledge that Jesus is Lord of all.
(1) I Speak Jesus by Charity Gayle. Listen to it here.
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