He proposed another parable to them. "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'" He spoke to them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened." All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation (of the world)." (Mt 13:31-35)
Parables are not direct answers to the questions of life. No direct answers can be given to life situations. Parables are stories in different ways, speaking about God’s sovereign rule over the world and how the kingdom works in the world. Parables are the stories through which Jesus spoke about the basic truths about the kingdom.
One of the truths about the kingdom is that it works in simple and small ways. Kingdom does not work in spectacular ways. It is like a mustard seed which is the smallest of all seeds. Kingdom also is the smallest of all God’s revelations. Like the mustard plant, the kingdom becomes the dwelling place for many.
Another truth about the kingdom is that it works its way through without being noticed. Like the yeast which leavens the flour over a period of time and leavens the whole quantity of flour, so also the kingdom will develop and extend to the whole society without being noticed and it will complete its activites.
