One the problems that Jesus faced during his ministry on earth was people’s misconception of the Kingdom of God. They had certain expectations as to what the Kingdom of God would be like, but they were wrong. This is why Jesus spent much of his time teaching about the Kingdom and what is was truly like. He had to correct their thinking.
But what were they expecting and how was it different than what the Kingdom is actually all about? They thought that the Kingdom of God was going to come in a powerful, abrupt, and awesome way. They expected shock and awe. They were expecting this sort of arrival because this was the way it came the first time back in the book of Exodus. The Israelites were once powerfully and unquestionably vindicated in the public eye of the Egyptians (through the ten plagues and the crossing of the Red Sea). In leaving Egpyt, the Kingdom of God came in power and the presence of God manifested in the form of a pillar of cloud and fire. It was a powerful, awesome thing. Because it happened that way in Egypt, of course it would happen like this again, so they thought. They thought that the main difference between then and now was that it was Egypt the first time, and now it would be Rome.
This isn’t what happened though. When Jesus, a poor carpenter’s kid from Nazareth, started preaching the Kingdom of God, people were not quite sure what to make of it (see Matt. 11:1–6 and Mark 8:27–30). This wasn’t what they expected. The King was born in a manger? Royalty belong in palaces and luxury birthing suits! These were humble beginnings—quiet, small, and…well, normal. This is not what people were expecting.
One way that Jesus corrected their misconceptions about the Kingdom of God was by comparing it to a mustard seed (Matt 13:31). Jesus explained to them that the Kingdom, like a mustard seed, starts as something small and unassuming, but what it becomes over time is so big that it’s unimaginable. By comparing the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed (and leaven in bread), Jesus is teaching people not to underestimate the Kingdom of God by its humble beginnings. Jesus was clarifying that even though the Kingdom of God began as something that seemed small, quiet, and weak, it was an unstoppable force that would spread to the uttermost ends of the earth.
This is one of the things that is unique about Christianity and the Kingdom of God. It doesn’t use force, it doesn’t use the sword, guns, or tanks. It’s subtle. It invites. It’s small and it’s quiet. This attests to God’s great power. It is the weak ones who have to force their will upon others. Those who are truly powerful gain their followers not by coercion, but by trust and love.
Furthermore, this means that God is able to use the likes of you and me, the small, meek, poor, and insignificant, to spread his unstoppable love to the ends of the earth. This also means that he can use the submissive death of a humble King to transform the entire world.
Lastly, God doesn’t do anything small. At times it may feel like what he’s doing is inconsequential, when in fact, he’s got epic plans.
