Lesson#28

PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST
LESSON #28
THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD TREE AND THE BIRDS (MAT 13:31-32)

• MEMORY VERSE: PROVERBS 8:13

• BACKGROUND:
• THE MUSTARD SEED AND TREE:
• WE KNOW THAT MUSTARD DOES NOT GROW TO THE SIZE OF A TREE. HERBS DO NOT USUALLY GROW INTO TREES BECAUSE THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT BOTANICAL STRUCTURE FROM TREES. THE GROWTH OF A TREE IS SLOW BUT THE GROWTH OF AN HERB IS RAPID. HERBS DO NOT DEVELOP WOODY TISSUE AS A TRUNK.
• BOTANISTS SUGGEST THAT THE SPECIES SPOKEN OF IN THIS PARABLE IS THE khardah, ARABIC FOR MUSTARD.
• WHILE THIS PARTICULAR TYPE OF MUSTARD MIGHT GROW BIG TO APPEAR TO BE A TREE (10-20 FT. HIGH), IT IS NOT A TRUE TREE.
• BECAUSE OF THE TINY SIZE OF THE SEED, IT CAME TO SYMBOLIZE SMALL BEGINNINGS, AND WAS THE SMALLEST WEIGHT OF MEASURE.
• THE MUSTARD IS FIERY HOT WHEN BRUISED.
• THE MUSTARD IS ATTRACTIVE TO BIRDS FOR FOOD AND SHELTER.
• THE MUSTARD ONLY LIVES LONG ENOUGH TO DEVELOP FLOWERS AND SEEDS.
• THEREFORE, WHEN JESUS SAID THAT THIS MUSTARD GREW INTO A BIG TREE, HE IS TALKING ABOUT AN EXPANSION COMPLETELY FOREIGN TO THE VERY NATURE OF AN HERB.
• THE POPULAR MISINTERPRETATION OF THE PARABLE:
• MANY THEOLOGIANS, PASTORS, AND TEACHERS TEACH THE FOLLOWING INTERPRETATION:
• THE CHURCH, WHICH STARTS SMALL WITH ONLY THE DISCIPLES, WOULD GROW LARGE TO FILL THE EARTH WITH ITS GOOD INFLUENCE AND ANYONE COULD TAKE REFUGE IN IT.
• WHY IS THIS A MISINTERPRETATION?
• THE BIBLE NEVER TEACHES THAT CHRISTIANS WILL BE A MAJORITY IN THIS WORLD. INSTEAD, TRUE BELIEVERS ARE ALWAYS SPOKEN OF AS BEING A REMNANT.
• THE PREVIOUS PARABLE SPOKE ABOUT THE TRUE AND THE FALSE GROWING TOGETHER IN THE WORLD UNTIL THE END OF THE AGE.
• THEREFORE, THE CONTEXT OF THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD TREE INDICATES THAT THE CHURCH WILL NEVER CONVERT THE WORLD.
• A KEY TO THE TRUE INTERPRETATION OF THIS PARABLE:
• TO UNDERSTAND WHAT JESUS MEANT BY THIS PARABLE, WE MUST UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRUE CHRISTIANITY AND CHRISTENDOM (CHURCH CHRISTIANITY).
• TRUE CHRISTIANITY:
• TRUE CHRISTIANITY IS FAITH OR BELIEF IN GOD THROUGH A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST.
• THIS PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST OCCURS WHEN A PERSON INVITES JESUS INTO HIS HEART AND LIFE AND EXPERIENCES THE NEW BIRTH.
• THIS PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST MAKES US PART OF A BODY OF BELIEVERS CALLED, THE BODY OF CHRIST.
• CHRISTENDOM (CHURCH CHRISTIANITY):
• CHRISTENDOM IS THE TOTALITY OF ORGANIZED CHURCH RELIGION THROUGHOUT THE WORLD WITHOUT REGARD TO DENOMINATION OR BELIEF OR TO A BORN-AGAIN EXPERIENCE.
• CHRISTENDOM MAY OR MAY NOT LEAD A PERSON TO FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST.

• THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD TREE AND THE BIRDS (MAT 13:31-32)
• READ MAT 13:31-32
• WHAT DOES THE GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED REPRESENT?
• THE GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED REPRESENTS THE WORD OF FAITH IMPLANTED IN THE HEART OF A BELIEVER MAKING THAT PERSON A TRUE BORN-AGAIN CHRISTIAN. IT IS THE APOSTLES OF JESUS DAY.
• WHAT DOES THE FIELD REPRESENT?
• IN THIS PARABLE, THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW USES THE WORD, FIELD, THE GOSPEL OF MARK USES THE WORD, EARTH, AND THE GOSPEL OF LUKE USES THE WORD, GARDEN.
• THESE WORDS REPRESENT THE FIELD OF THE WORLD AS IN THE FIRST PARABLE IN MAT 13.
• WHO IS THE MAN WHO PLANTED THE SEED?
• THERE IS NO HINT GIVEN AS TO THE IDENTITY OF THE SOWER IN THIS PARABLE, BUT IT IS ASSUMED TO BE CHRIST BASED ON THE CONTEXT OF THE CHAPTER.
• WHAT DO THE BIRDS REPRESENT?
• REMEMBER THE MEANING OF THE BIRDS (FOWLS) IN MAT 13:4. LET’S BE CONSISTENT!
• THE BIRDS REPRESENT SATAN AND HIS DEMONS.
• WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT THE BIRDS COME AND NEST IN THE TREE?
• SATAN AND HIS FORCES ARE IN THE CHURCH TO EAT UP THE TRUE SEED OF THE GOSPEL.
• WHAT DOES THE TREE REPRESENT?
• THE TREE REPRESENTS THE FACT THAT THE NUMBER OF BORN-AGAIN BELIEVERS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AND THROUGH HISTORY WOULD GROW TO BE A LARGE GROUP.
• THE TREE REPRESENTS THE GROWTH OF CHRISTIANITY.
• WE CAN SEE THIS GROWTH IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF LARGE CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS THAT HAVE BECOME MORE CONCERNED WITH TREE GROWING RATHER THAN SEED PLANTING.
• THE CONSIDERATION OF CHURCH HISTORY AND PROPHECY:
• THE SEVEN CHURCHES, WHICH JOHN WROTE ABOUT IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION, ARE PROPHETIC STATEMENTS ABOUT CHURCH HISTORY IN THE AGE BETWEEN THE FIRST COMING OF CHRIST AND THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. THIS AGE IS CALLED, THE CHURCH AGE.

• THE HISTORICAL PERIOD OF HISTORY RELATED TO THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD TREE AND THE BIRDS IS THE INDULGED CHURCH OF CONSTANTINE (312-606 AD)
• WHEN EMPEROR DIOCLETIAN DIED IN 305 AD, THE SUCCESSION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE WAS IN DISPUTE. ON THE NIGHT BEFORE A BATTLE, TO SETTLE THE MATTER, CONSTANTINE, THE LEADER OF ONE ARMY, HAD A DEMONIC VISION OF A CROSS AFLAME IN THE SKY WITH THE LATIN WORDS, “BY THIS SIGN CONQUER”. CONSTANTINE WON THE BATTLE MAKING A BARGAIN WITH DEMONIC POWERS. HE BECAME EMPEROR IN 312 AD AND ORDERED ALL CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION TO STOP AND THAT ALL PAGAN TEMPLES WERE TO BE CONVERTED TO CHRISTIAN CHURCHES.
• CHRISTIANITY BECAME THE STATE RELIGION, AND BY LAW, EVERYONE HAD TO PROFESS TO BE A CHRISTIAN OR HE WOULD LOSE HIS JOB.
• INFANT BAPTISM WAS REQUIRED BY LAW.
• NAMES OF THE PAGAN TEMPLES WERE MODIFIED TO REFLECT NAMES OF CHRISTIAN SAINTS. (FOR EXAMPLE: APOLLO WAS CHANGED TO ST. APOLLINARIS.)
• THE NAMES OF PAGAN GODS ON STONE IDOLS WERE CHANGED TO THE NAMES OF CHRISTIAN SAINTS.
• A COIN FROM CONSTANTINE’S REIGN HAD ON ONE SIDE THE PAGAN GODS AND ON THE OTHER SIDE, CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS.
• PAGAN FEAST DAYS WERE CONVERTED TO CHRISTIAN HOLIDAYS MAINTAINING SOME SEMBLANCE OF PAGAN SYMBOLISM. FOR EXAMPLE, EASTER AND CHRISTMAS.
• IN 322 AD THE COUNCIL OF NICEA ARGUED THE DEITY OF CHRIST. THEY DECIDED THAT CHRIST AND GOD, THE FATHER, ARE EQUAL.

• WHAT THEN, IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD TREE AND THE BIRDS?
• THE TRUE CHURCH STARTED SMALL AND GREW RAPIDLY BUT BECAME MORE CONCERNED WITH BUILDING THE LARGE INSTITUTION OF CHRISTENDOM IN WHICH SATAN IS PRESENT AND WORKING IN ORDER TO STOP THE TRUE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL THAT WOULD SAVE PEOPLE.

HOMEWORK
THE PARABLE OF THE LEAVEN AND MEAL (MAT 13:33-35)
THIS IS A SELF STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FORCORRECTION.

• APPLICATION OF THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD TREE AND THE BIRDS (MAT 13:31-32)
• EXAMINE YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE. ARE YOU PLAYING CHURCH OR DO YOU HAVE A CLOSE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST?
• HOW CAN YOU TELL IF YOU HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST OR NOT?

• WHAT CAN YOU DO THIS WEEK TO DEEPEN YOUR WALK WITH THE LORD?

• PREPARATION FOR THE PARABLE OF THE LEAVEN AND MEAL (MAT 13:33-35)
• READ MAT 13:33-35
• THIS IS ANOTHER PARABLE THAT IS OFTEN MISINTERPRETED, SO REVIEW THE CHART ON PAGE 2 AND 3 OF THE NOTES IN THIS LESSON.
• WHAT IS THE SYMBOLIC MEANING OF LEAVEN? HOW DO YOU KNOW?
• FOR BACKGROUND, READ EXO 12:15-20 EXO 34:25 LEV 2:11 LEV 6:14-18 EXO 12:8, 15, 19, 20 LUK 12:1 MAR 8:14, 15 MAT 16:6, 12 MAT 22:23, 29 ACT 23:8

• WHO DOES THE WOMAN REPRESENT? HOW DO YOU KNOW?
• WHAT IS MEANT BY THE THREE MEASURES OF MEAL?
• READ GEN 18:6 EXO 16:36 NUM 15:9 NUM 28:12, 20, 28 NUM 29:3, 9, 14

• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE?

• MEMORY VERSE: 1COR 5:7