Small Things

Jesus likened the kingdom of Heaven to a mustard seed and leaven (Matthew 13:31-33). The mustard seed is incredibly small, smaller than many other seeds, yet it grows into one of the largest plants in the garden. When making bread, very little leaven is needed. Reaching back to the Book of Daniel and thinking of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the statue was destroyed by a stone, but that stone grew into a great mountain and filled the earth. Looking through the New Testament we can see this came to pass. John the Baptist and Jesus came preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is near.” Peter was given the keys to the kingdom, the church (Matthew 16:18-19), which he used to open the door to Jews (Acts 2) and Gentiles (Acts 10). By the time of the writing of Colossians, the kingdom, whose coming arrival was preached in Judea, had come and had been preached in the rest of the world (Colossians 1:3-6). So, remember that when we evangelize, it is rare to convince people immediately. Rather, we plant a small seed inside their minds, and, if watered and tended, it has the potential grow and to transform lives.