This parable likens the mustard seed and plant to God's word and the church that grows from it.

By using parables, Jesus was able to teach large crowds but keep the true meaning of His lessons only for those who believed in Him.

This lesson begins the final series of parables on the kingdom - the five parables that use agriculture as a base for their stories.

Parables are lessons that use physical things and situations in the material world to explain or mirror principles and situations that exist in the spiritual or unseen world. These three parables are excellent examples of this teaching method.

The parable of the Bridesmaids or Foolish Virgins and the one that follows it, the parable of the Talents are both looking forward to the time when the kingdom on earth will be examined and purged.

In this parable, Jesus tells the story itself and then the true meaning of the story as it relates to the kingdom.

Once people heard Jesus' teachings many turned away from Him because He was not describing the "kingdom" that they had hoped would come.

In this first lesson, Mike will briefly review the history of thought concerning the King and the Kingdom, from the Old Testament prophets to New Testament times.