THE PARABLES OF THE SEED & THE YEAST - Linda Bailey
If you’ve ever had a change of leadership at work, at school, or in a team, you’ll know it can change the whole atmosphere. A new leader brings new values, a new tone, and often a whole new way of doing things.
In this sermon from One Church, Linda Bailey explores what Jesus teaches about leadership of a different kind: the Kingdom of Heaven. In Matthew 13, Jesus tells two short parables—the mustard seed and the yeast—to show us how God’s Kingdom grows… often in ways we wouldn’t expect.
In this post, we’ll unpack what these parables mean, how they connect to the bigger story of Jesus, and what they can look like in everyday life. We’ll also include some reflection and small group questions to help you process it with others.
Audio and video of the sermon are available below.
The Kingdom of Heaven is… not what we expect
When Jesus talks about “the Kingdom of Heaven”, He’s not only talking about where we go one day. He’s also describing what happens when God’s reign—God’s ways, God’s character, God’s leadership—starts to break into ordinary life here and now.
Heaven is a place where there’s no injustice, no suffering, no greed, no hate—because God is King and His values shape everything. Earth, on the other hand, is a place where we feel the weight of brokenness every day.
So Jesus arrives and does something remarkable: He gives people a glimpse of what God’s Kingdom looks like on earth.
But here’s the catch: when many people in the first century were waiting for the Messiah, they expected a powerful leader—someone who would gather an army, take over, and overthrow the oppressors.
Instead, God comes… as a baby. To a humble family. In a stable.
God doesn’t just do powerful things. He often does them in unexpected ways.
“God often and almost always does the unexpected. We expect one thing and God moves in a completely different way.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31–32)
Jesus says the Kingdom is like a mustard seed—tiny when it’s planted, but it grows into something that provides shelter, where birds can nest.
At first glance, it sounds simple: small beginnings, big results.
But Linda highlights something many of us miss: a mustard plant isn’t a mighty cedar tree. In the ancient world, mustard could be seen as a bit… messy. It could spread quickly. It could take over. It wasn’t always viewed as neat or impressive.
The Kingdom of Heaven doesn’t always look “grand” at first. Sometimes it looks ordinary. Sometimes it looks unimpressive. Sometimes it looks like a quiet act of faithfulness.
And yet—it grows.
The Parable of the Yeast (Matthew 13:33)
Then Jesus says the Kingdom is like yeast mixed through flour until the whole dough rises.
Yeast is another surprising image because, in the Bible, “leaven” is often used negatively—something that spreads corruption (Jesus even warns about “the yeast of the Pharisees”).
So why would Jesus use it here?
Because He’s showing us something important: God can take what is ordinary—even what is sometimes used negatively—and bring transformation through it.
The Kingdom spreads quietly, deeply, and thoroughly.
And the amount of flour Jesus mentions? It’s not small. It’s enough to feed a lot of people.
The point is not that God’s Kingdom is loud and forceful.
The point is that God’s Kingdom is powerful from the inside out.
A Kingdom that arrived quietly
Linda shares insight from theologian Michael Green, pointing out that Jesus didn’t arrive overthrowing nations or setting up a political empire. He arrived as a humble, “politically inconspicuous” servant.
And for many people, that made Him hard to read.
Even some of the people closest to the story wrestled with it. Even John the Baptist—who baptised Jesus—eventually asked, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
Jesus was just that unexpected.
And yet, this is how God’s Kingdom works: it arrives quietly… and then it changes everything.
When you feel small, this is your reminder
One of the most encouraging threads in Linda’s message is this: so many of us look at what we have and assume it isn’t enough.
Not enough time.
Not enough money.
Not enough skill.
Not enough influence.
Not enough faith.
Not enough strength.
And honestly… sometimes we’re right.
We don’t have enough to heal the world’s pain or fix every broken system.
But we don’t worship a God with limited resources.
We worship a God who does the unexpected.
This is where the mustard seed and yeast become personal. God often starts with what seems insignificant and grows it into something that impacts far beyond us.
God works through the ordinary
Linda quotes Michael Green again, reflecting on how God has worked through “common, uneducated” people—fishermen, farmers, carpenters, women, tax collectors… even people society might call disreputable.
And across history, the Kingdom has continued to spread through ordinary believers:
care for the sick
education
social work
the defence of the vulnerable
liberation and dignity for people overlooked by society
Not because the people were extraordinary… but because God is.
Your role isn’t to force the growth
There’s another detail in these parables that is quietly freeing.
When the man plants the seed, he doesn’t stand there yanking it upward.
When the woman kneads yeast into dough, she doesn’t keep opening it up and fiddling with it.
You mix it in… and then you step back. You allow it to do what it was created to do.
That’s such a word for anyone who feels anxious about outcomes.
Faithfulness often looks like:
offering what you have
doing the next small thing in obedience
praying over it
trusting God to bring growth in His time
Because transformation is God’s work.
Our part is obedience and trust.
“We look at what we have in our hands and we think it’s not enough… but we worship a God who does the unexpected with the small things that we have to offer.”
A gentle invitation for those exploring faith
If you’re exploring Christianity, these parables are an invitation to consider who Jesus really is.
Not just a teacher with nice ideas.
Not just a historical figure.
But the One who brings a different Kingdom—one that’s marked by love, grace, forgiveness, and a whole new way to live.
Linda shared a line from Timothy Keller that captures the journey many people take as they explore Jesus: at first you wonder if faith will be worth it… then you’re surprised to discover God’s patience and mercy is the bigger mystery.
If you’re asking questions about Jesus, you’re not alone. People were doing that in the first century too.
And Jesus welcomes honest seekers.
Jesus tells us the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed and yeast because God’s Kingdom often comes:
quietly rather than loudly
through the ordinary rather than the impressive
from the inside out rather than by force
in small beginnings that grow into something that blesses many
If you feel small or uncertain about what you have to offer, this message is hope-filled: God doesn’t despise the little. He delights to use it.
One Way to Live it Out this Week
Choose one small, faithful action this week and do it prayerfully.
For example:
encourage one person intentionally (a text, a note, a coffee)
give generously in a quiet way
volunteer for something small but meaningful
pray daily for one person who doesn’t know Jesus yet
take 10 minutes to ask: “God, what’s in my hands—and how do You want to use it?”
Don’t overthink it. Just plant the seed. Mix in the yeast. Trust God with the growth.
A Short Prayer for your Week
God, thank You that You are the King of Kings, and that Your Kingdom is good.
When we feel small, remind us that You love to work through humble beginnings.
Help us to offer You what we have—our time, our energy, our resources, our words—and trust You to do the unexpected with it.
Holy Spirit, grow Your Kingdom in us and through us, so others might catch a glimpse of heaven here on earth.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Reflection Questions
Where in your life do you feel like what you have to offer is “too small” or “not enough”?
What’s one area where you might need to trust God more with the outcome, not just the effort?
How do the mustard seed and yeast parables reshape what you expect the Kingdom of Heaven to look like?
Small Group Discussion Questions
When you hear the phrase “the Kingdom of Heaven”, what comes to mind first?
What stood out to you most from the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast in Matthew 13?
Why do you think Jesus chose unexpected images like mustard and yeast to describe His Kingdom?
Linda talked about how leadership changes the “feel” of a room. What do you think changes when Jesus is truly King in a person’s life?
Where do you see “small beginnings” in your own story—or in someone else’s—that God has used for something bigger?
What are some “quiet” ways the Kingdom of God can grow in a home, workplace, school, or friendship group?
For those who feel discouraged or insignificant, what hope does this sermon offer?
What’s one “mustard seed” step your group can pray for each person to take this week—and how can you pray for one another right now?