The Mustard Seed

Faith Like A Mustard Seed

Summary of Parable:  This is another illustration that Jesus used:  "The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field.  It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches."  Matthew 13:31-32

Tell the kids to open their Bibles to Matthew 13:31-32 and show the kids the passage.  Give the kids a few minutes to find it. 

Tell the kids that this parable that Jesus told is about a mustard seed, one of the smallest of seeds.  Bring out your container of mustard seeds and pour a few into your hand.  Have kids pass the seeds around the circle so everyone can hold them and see how small they are.

Say:  these mustard seeds are tiny, aren't they?  Let's see what this parable says about them.  And guess what:  This parable is really small - just two verses!  But it can help our faith grow bigger and bigger!

Read the two verses aloud, or have a couple of the students read them.  Ask: What do you think the mustard seed represents?  Say:  When we believe in Jesus, we are a part of the kingdom of heaven.  And our faith, even if it's the size of a mustard seed, can help the kingdom grow - just like the mustard seed can grow into a tree. 

God makes the smallest faith grow wildly.  Even if we think we don't have a lot of faith to share, God can use us for his Kingdom.  But before we can share our faith with others, we need to figure out what we know.  Let's think about the things we know about God - the things we can tell others.

Have the kids write a word or short phrase on the leaf cut outs.  Let them do as many as they can think of.  Things like "God loves us", "Jesus forgives", etc. 

Once they get done, have the kids look at their leaves and what each of them wrote.  Tell them that even the little bit of faith they have grows into larger amounts of faith and together faith continues to grow. 

The kids can tap or glue the mustard seeds onto their leaves. 

Pray with the kids and thank God for helping us grow our faith.