METHODIST DAILY REFLECTION FOR TODAY, 31ST AUGUST 2026 - A PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED
DATE: MONDAY 31ST AUGUST, 2026.
THEME: A PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED
PASSAGE: MATTHEW 13:31-33
31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
33 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.
MESSAGE:
The parable of the mustard seed is a well-known story to many Christians. We have all heard it since we were kids. But somehow the real meaning of the parable is not known to many of us. What message did Jesus want us to take out from that story?
In this parable, Jesus teaches us that all good things must start with small beginnings. That is why He used mustard seed, a tiny seed to show how a small thing can turn ins something as big as a tree that even birds can make their nests in the tree's branches. The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed.
In the Bible, Jesus literally states, that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. He meant that the Kingdom of God during His time was seen to be insignificant. It was hardly noticed during its start and no one pays any attention to the seed - a grain that is so small that it was almost difficult to locate in case it falls on the ground.
It was Jesus with His twelve disciples who started the movement. He compared them to a mustard seed. He wants to tell us how the Kingdom of God started, how they started with small beginnings that later grew and embraced the world.
"... A man took and sowed in the mustard seed his garden, and it grew and became a tree..."
Jesus implies the sower being none other than Himself. "And it grew and became a tree" - the mustard grew into a tree. We all know that mustard seed doesn't grow into a tree but only into a shrub. What Jesus was trying to teach us is that even if He only had a few preachers, His Kingdom will grow and many will follow. By faith, even if it sounds impossible, it happened with the power of God, their task to spread the Word to the lost men spread throughout the world. He even used a mustard seed again in Mathew 17:20 to emphasize and set an example about faith. He says, "For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there.' and it will move, and nothing will He tells us that nothing is impossible with Him and we must believe him.
MEMORY VERSE:
"Another parable put He forth unto them saying " The Kingdom of heaven is likened to a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field." Matthew 13:31.
HYMN: MHB 811(6.6.6.6.) Thy Kingdom come, O God
1. THY kingdom come, O God,
Thy rule, O Christ, begin;
Break with Thine iron rod
The tyrannies of sin.
2. Where Is Thy reign of peace,
And purity, and love?
When shall all hatred cease,
As In the realms above?
3. When comes the promised time
That war shall be no more
Oppression, lust, and crime
Shall flee Thy face before?
4. We pray Thee, Lord, arise,
And come In Thy great might;
Revive our longing eyes,
Which languish for Thy sight.
5. Men scorn Thy sacred name,
And wolves devour Thy fold;
By many deeds of shame We
learn that love grows cold.
6. O'er heathen lands afar
Thick darkness broodeth yet:
Arise, O morning Star,
Arise, and never set
Amen.
PRAYER:
May we have faith like a grain of mustard seed, to do exploits for the Thee, Lord, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
READ:
DAY: Jeremiah 50
NIGHT: Jeremiah 51