Mark 4:30-34

 Jesus did not leave us alone…He gives us Holy Spirit to guide us into understanding the hidden meanings of His teachings. 

His disciples did not fully comprehend the deity of Jesus until Pentecost. He sent Holy Spirit to open their eyes.

People need to soften their hearts, humble themselves before God, and honestly seek the truth in order to find it. Jesus’ stories are like wrapped gifts. NKJ

Serving God from a heart of contentment and humility is the way of Jesus, the way of the cross, the way the world will never understand. First5 

Mark 4:30-34

30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.” 33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples. The New King James Version

Mustard seeds are around 1/10th of an inch in diameter.  Mature mustard plants can grow to 10 feet in height. But even with Jesus explaining the kingdom of God to His disciples, they sometimes fail to comprehend the full implications of Jesus’ identity. Faithlife Study Bible

Parables: More than Stories Although Jesus lived among a story-telling people, His approach to instruction was still unusual. His stories were memorable, but they were not transparent. People heard them but did not necessarily understand them. They are clearer to us because of the apostle Paul’s writings, but few of the first hearers of the parables understood them. Even though “with many such parables He spoke the word”, at one point the disciples asked in frustration, “Why do You speak to [the people] in parables?”. The disciples did not grasp the stories any better than the rest of the crowd. Jesus’ answer to the disciples reveals much about the purpose of His teachings. The NKJV Study Bible

This parable of the good seed, shows the manner in which the kingdom of God makes progress in the world. Let but the word of Christ have the place it ought to have in a soul, and it will show itself in a good conversation. It grows gradually: first the blade; then the ear; after that the full corn in the ear. When it is sprung up, it will go forward. The work of grace in the soul is, at first, but the day of small things; yet it has mighty products even now, while it is in its growth; but what will there be when it is perfected in heaven!  Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Matthew 13:31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,

Matthew 13:32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

Matthew 13:34 All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them,

Matthew 13:35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:“I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”