In the fourth chapter of the book of Mark is related the account where Jesus teaches by the Sea of Galilee. There were so many people that Jesus addressed the crowd on the shore from a boat out on the water. As was his custom, he taught by employing the use of parables; stories that are meant to illustrate some spiritual lesson. The parable of the sower was discussed in the previous article. Let us now look at the remaining three parables from the fourth chapter of Mark.

He said to them, "Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear." _{Mark 4:21-23 NIV}

The purpose of bringing a source of light into a room is to illuminate it... to dispel the darkness. These days, when we enter a dark room, we flip on the electrical light so we can see our way without trouble. Followers of Jesus are the light of the world. _{Mathew 5:14} They are His witnesses, bringing knowledge and truth to their sphere of influence, while dispelling fear, ignorance, misdeeds and superstition.

He said, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he does not know how. For the earth bears fruit by itself: first the blade, then the head, then the full seed in the head. But when the grain is ripe, immediately he applies the sickle because the harvest has come." _{Mark 4:26-29 MEV}

There is the farmer whose active part is to sow the seed. If he doesn't do his part, there will be no crop to harvest, no grain to sell nor any grain to buy to make bread to eat. He plants his fields and then nature performs its miracle of growing things. As everyone knows, there is life in the seed, but that life is dormant unless the seed is sown. The farmer knows this even though he may not exactly understand how this works. Days pass between the sowing and the first appearance of the new crop. If all goes well, the plants grow according to their design. As the growing season progresses, the fields turn from green to gold. The grain is ripe and harvest time has come.

We are Jesus' witnesses in the world. By how we live and through our actions in word or deed, we are sowing the seeds of the Kingdom. And, like the farmer who may not comprehend the science in nature, we often do not see the result of our witness. To that end, like the time of harvest, is seen the increase in the Lord's Kingdom on earth.

Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade." _{Mark 4:30-32 NIV}

Jesus was familiar with the scriptures based on his frequent quotations from the Old Testament. In those days people did not have the Bible in their homes. The scrolls were kept in the local synagogue. Consider the following: He [Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. _{Luke 4:16,17}

So how does this knowledge connect to the parable of the mustard seed? In the Old Testament book of Daniel is found the account of king Nebuchadnezzar, in which he sees in a dream an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. _{Daniel 2:31}The king beheld the statue until a small stone appeared which struck the statue and destroyed it. All that remained was the stone which grew until it filled the whole world.