Our local area is famous for its corn crops. “Chilliwack” corn is highly sought after in stores and farm markets in Western Canada. It seems that as we drive down country roads, almost every farm is either berries or corn.
Every day the corn gets visibly taller. I wondered how tall corn could grow, so I looked it up. While typical “tall corn” reaches about 8 feet, the world’s record corn reached 45 feet. That is nearly as tall as a four-story building.
Recently I saw a hummingbird rest briefly on the top of a corn plant. I was surprised, not by the hummingbird, as we see them occasionally, but by its choice of perch.
The hummingbird on the corn reminded me of a familiar passage of Scripture.
[Jesus] said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” Luke 13:18-21 ESV
Of course, the mustard seed analogy was perfectly clear to the original audience. They were an agrarian society and familiar with the crops of the day. Today, most of us don’t grow up watching mustard planted, and many have never baked anything, so they have never seen yeast at work.
Indeed, the kingdom has grown exponentially here on earth since the day of Jesus. It has grown from very few followers at the start, to thousands joining the church a day after Pentecost, to over 2.5 billion identifying as believers today. That doesn’t include all the people in the interim who were born and died as believers.
We could question how many of the 2.5 billion are true believers, but even if most are not, the church has exceeded what anyone could have conceived in Jesus’ day.
Sometimes we feel as if the church is stagnant or perhaps even losing the battle. We wonder where the harvest is or how the church could possibly grow against the culture of the day.
Yet, day by day, member by member, it continues to grow even if we are not seeing it personally.
When we get discouraged, we would be wise to remember Christ’s words.
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 ESV
Christ has defeated sin and death. The process continues until all whom the Lord has called to be His own are saved, so the battles continue. The victory is already assured.
Hold fast, my friend. Like a grain of yeast, or a mustard seed, or a kernel of corn, the kingdom is growing soul by soul, moment and day by day. Nothing in all of creation can stop it.
Through Christ, we have victory. Rejoice and praise His name.
Kevin
SUMMARY
A hummingbird resting on top of our tall Chilliwack corn reminded me of Jesus’ mustard seed parable. It’s a picture of how the kingdom of God keeps growing quietly, soul by soul, even when we can’t see it happening.
TAKEAWAY
A hummingbird perching atop a cornstalk sparked a reflection on Jesus’ parables of the mustard seed and the leaven in Luke 13:18-21
The kingdom of God has grown from a handful of followers to over 2.5 billion believers today, exceeding anything imaginable in Jesus’ time
Christ’s promise in Matthew 16:18 assures us the church’s growth cannot be stopped, even when it feels stagnant or discouraging
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