Lodged in the Branches

“Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.” Luke 13:18-19

This parable was a mystery to me for many years. We have a mustard seed that grows into a tree. Once it is grown, the birds come and lodge in the branches. That is it. At first, it doesn’t seem that there is enough of a story to make spiritual applications, but Jesus said that this picture is like the kingdom of God. So where can we draw comparisons? First we have a large plant that comes from a small seed. A mustard seed is a tiny round seed that can grow into a tree anywhere from six to twenty feet tall. Jesus said that a grain of wheat must fall into the ground and die before it can produce new life. Jesus loved the church and gave His life for it. He promised to build the church upon Himself. He said that He is the vine and we are the branches. So it seems that this mustard seed being planted represents Christ’s sacrifice for the church. The great tree represents the church, and the branches represent believers. The fowls are not part of the tree, but they take up residence in it. They look like they are part of it. These represent false professors of faith and false teachers. We who are saved need to focus on abiding in Christ, and we should be aware that there will be some in the tree who are not really part of the tree.