One of the salient features of the ministry of Jesus is his method of using parables as a means of communication. A parable is by dictionary definition a fictitious narrative used to typify moral or spiritual revelations. An old and tried definition runs, "A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning." Perhaps such a description leaves much to be desired, but it is certain that the parables of Jesus were related to and grew out of the reality of the kingdom of God as he saw it. They had a heavenly meaning. But they had an "earthly" meaning, too, in that they were related to reality and to history. Fact and process are to be discerned in all of them. The sower goes forth to sow. The net is cast into the sea. Thus is envisaged in these parables the process we know as the universe. Nature, man, and God are seen in them working together toward the "end" guaranteed in the divine nature and purpose.

Parables as used by our Lord indicate the nature of the divine kingdom. They are not told primarily to indicate the times and seasons, although they may do so. The laborers in the vineyard (Matthew 20: 1-15) is a parable that deals primarily with the justice of God, although it has elements which seem to delineate the various dispensations or "hours" of man's spiritual history. But these historical applications are strictly subordinate to the character of the husbandman which the parable throws into bold relief. The nature of the kingdom arises from the character of the king. Wherever the parables indicate historical successiveness, they do so only to show forth the divine nature, not merely to predict the future.

So, then, parables are symbols of the kingdom. They call men to creative thinking. They both reveal and conceal the truths they emphasize, so that which is revealed may entice such study as to lead men to discover what it concealed. The wise man said, "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing." Divine intelligence is concealed in the parables, and those who search for what is hidden grow in intelligence. Intelligence is the glory of God and is the power by which he works. Man may share that power with him. One of the ways to do this is to search the parables in which are concealed some of the mysteries of the kingdom. In this connection the following is pertinent: "but unto him that keepeth my commandments, I will give the mysteries of my kingdom, and the same shall be in him a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life" (Doctrine and Covenants 63: 7b).

It is not possible to "define" the kingdom any more than one can "define" the Godhead. To "define" is to limit, and no human language is adequate to fully describe these realities. So Jesus called men into adventures in thought and insured their growth as they pondered on his parables. "The kingdom of heaven," he said, "is like . . ." And it is amazing to consider what a vast range of human life and experience is interpreted by the kingdom motive. It seems as if the whole range of existence is susceptible of such interpretation, and this, of course, is the main theme of this book.

A complete study and exposition of these parables of our Lord might, with great profit, engage the lifetime of any group of serious students. We need to make such a study. This writing will not begin to exhaust the meaning to be found in the New Testament parables. Only one is presented here to illustrate how they may be used to enrich and deepen our understanding of spiritual things. We have selected the parable of the mustard seed.

And another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.-Matthew 13: 31-32.

This parable is recorded in all the synoptic gospels but is substantially the same in the other two as it is in Matthew.

What a wealth of meaning is crowded in so few words! Here is a clear recognition that reality is manifested in strata or in grades, all of which are involved in a process of growth and unfoldment. These strata are first the earth, the inorganic realm, upon which and in which the second, the seed or vegetable kingdom, is sown and displayed. When the tree is grown, another grade is introduced in the "fowls of the heaven," which come to live in the branches. Above all and presiding over all is the man, who is the owner of the field and who supervises the planting and the growth. It seems that between these various kingdoms there is a gulf fixed, but each reveals its full glory as it is indwelt by the one above it. This is an illustration of the unifying principle resident in all existence. The seed dwells in the soil, and the spirit of the kingdom is planted by God into the soul of man.

Divine Preparation

The central factor which envisages all these aspects of reality is the action of the Creator, who took and sowed the seed in his field. Of course the "man" in the parable represents the Divine Father and Creator. "His field" represents the world, or humanity in its "natural state." The sowing was deliberate and required preparation. Any farmer knows that a field left to itself, at the mercy of the elements, becomes unfit for use and incapable of receiving selected grains. So with humanity which must receive a ministry of preparation before it is capable of enfolding the seed of the tree of life. Such preparation is accomplished by the drama of the divine life exhibited before men. The testimony of Jesus prepares the hearts of men to receive the seed of the kingdom. Before Jesus came in the flesh, his coming was foreshadowed, and the process of preparation is beautifully illustrated in the story of what happened to Adam after the fall.

And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord. And after many days, an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying, Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him, I know not, save the Lord commanded me. And then the angel spake, saying, This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth; Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest, in the name of the Son. And thou shalt repent, and call upon God, in the name of the Son for evermore. And in that day, the Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son, saying, I am the Only Begotten of the Father from the beginning, henceforth and forever; that, as thou hast fallen, thou mayest be redeemed, and all mankind, even as many as will. -Genesis 4: 6-9, I.V.

Here the gospel of preparation was actualized in sacrifices. The commandment was obeyed by man who did not know at first the significance of what he did. He knew instinctively and recognized the divine voice, but understanding came only with obedience. After "many days" an angel interpreted Adam's conduct to him and understanding flooded his mind as the Holy Ghost fell upon him. He was baptized later and received, after his preparation, the seed of the kingdom of God in his soul. Understanding follows obedience, not vice versa, and obedience is a form of preparation, through which men receive the Holy Ghost.

And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water; and thus he was baptized. And the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man. And he heard a voice out of heaven, saying, Thou art baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost; this is the record of the Father and the Son, from henceforth and forever; And thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity. Behold, thou art one in me, a son of God; and thus may all become my sons. Amen. -Genesis 6: 67-71, I.V.

"Thus may all become my sons." Adam stands for humanity, and his personal history is "told forth" down through the ages. The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus has been taught to men, and as they have responded their souls have been prepared and God "has sown" the "mustard seed" in their historical experience.

The same principles hold good today. The Aaronic priesthood has the "keys of . . . the preparatory gospel" (Doctrine and Covenants 83: 4), and the "ministry of angels" is involved in their function to interpret the nature of the outward ordinances as in that early far-off morning of primeval times. Understanding follows obedience, not vice versa. Taste precedes sight. All mankind is in a state which, unless it is relieved by the action of God, renders them incapable of receiving the motive and the promise of the kingdom of God.

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been, from the fall of Adam, and will be, for ever and ever; but if he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man, and becometh a saint, through the atonement of Christ, the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. -Mosiah 1: 119, 120.

 Seed of Faith

The "enticings of the Holy Spirit" are made effective in the exhibition of the Christ life and are the process by which the man "took and sowed" the seed. The gospel of preparation has been and is still going forward through the preaching of the Word and the administration of the ordinances. How significant is the following-the endeavor of God to prepare the souls of men!

And again, the Lord shall utter his voice out of heaven, saying: Hearken, O ye nations of the earth, and hear the words of that God who made you. O, ye nations of the earth, how often would I have gathered you together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye would not? How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a trump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the voice of mercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honor, and the riches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye would not? -Doctrine and Covenants 43: 6a, b, c.

This parable has great interest for religious educators, too. Men must be inspired to do the will of God before enlightenment can come fully to them. Children should be taught to obey; later their conduct, which they possess because they did the divine will, brings the understanding which is the actualization of the kingdom. Lack of understanding demands repentance, and repentance means to cease to do evil by learning to do well (Isaiah 1: 16, 17).

Adjustment or Repentance

That word "repentance" leads inevitably to the next step in the elucidation of this parable. The seed is in a different realm or dimension from the soil. No amount of enrichment of the field by elements from the mineral kingdom will of itself produce a tree. This means that the wisdom of men cannot produce what the power of God plants. Education has its place, of course; it enriches the soil of our souls, and so provides opportunity for fuller and richer growth of the kingdom than would be possible without it. But if our Lord has anything to say to us in this parable it is this: No improvement of man by self-help is adequate of itself to produce the kingdom. Whatever is done by the soil in the process of the tree's growth is done in subordination to the demands of the seed. In the hand of God alone is the seed or promise of his kingdom. Until what he has is sown in our souls, no mater what our cultural achievements, we have no power to accomplish or bring to pass his Zion. "Not by might, nor by power {human achievement or wisdom}, but by my Spirit" (his gift). Of course all cultural achievement which enriches human life is accomplished by what man borrows from God. Even man's capacity to use his wisdom for selfish ends is God's gift. In this sense the "field" is certainly his. All that constitutes history, good and evil, is in the grasp of divine providence. His power and word sustain all. But men can only build up his kingdom if all they have is yielded in obedience to the demands of the divine gift, a gift which they in no way originate, but to which they subordinate their lives.

So, then, revelation always involves a heaven-sent gift-for the kingdom of God is a gift. It comes from above. Every agency determining its growth is resident in the seed of eternal life, and what we do in this matter of Zion building is to "assist." We initiate nothing but to consent to the divine will, and even such "consent," common though it be, is (we learn) given somehow by him who giveth all things. This is the law of repentance-namely, that man adjust to the demands of the kingdom way of life or be judged unfit for the kingdom. And we see the repentance begins in response to a power not our own. This was illustrated at Pentecost. Peter's preaching was like the instruction of the angel to Adam. He interpreted the events in which the Jews, not knowing what they did, took Christ (the sacrificial lamb) and with wicked hands slew him. Through the apostles, the spirit interpreted their conduct and led them to exclaim-"Men and brethren, what shall we do?" The preparation of Christ had opened their hearts; now the seed could be sown-and so came the answer:

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. -Acts 2: 38, I.V.

"The promise " is unto all that are afar off. What is a seed but a tangible promise? So the Holy Ghost is called the "Spirit of Promise"

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue; whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. -II Peter 1: 3, 4.

Wherefore I now send upon you another Comforter, even upon you, my friends, that it may abide in your hearts, even the Holy Spirit of promise, which other Comforter is the same that I promised unto my disciples, as is recorded in the testimony of John. -Doctrine and Covenants 85: 1c.

 It was by this same Holy Spirit the "promises" were sown into the hearts of the "fathers"-Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph (Doctrine and Covenants 26: 2 f). Concerning these promises Joseph Smith was informed by the angel Moroni:

Behold I will reveal unto you the priesthood by the hand of Elijah the Prophet . . .and he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers.

This line of inquiry will be pursued later. Now we point out that repentance means basically response to the preparation of the Father in the exhibition of the life of his Son, and after the visitation of the Holy Spirit of promise, it means continuous adjustment to that Spirit. It is implied clearly in the parable of the mustard seed. Note in the following Scriptures the cost of God's preparation:

For, behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer, if they would repent; but if they would not repent, they must suffer even as I; which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit, and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink; nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. -Doctrine and Covenants 18: 2h, I, j.

This is part of what was involved in the statement "Which a man took and sowed." So the church is called to put Christ on exhibition so that men might be prepared to receive the seed of the kingdom.

Judgment

Another aspect of this analogy might well be emphasized. It is this: The glory of the earth is in the exhibition of the tree. If the field does not have those elements necessary to the tree's growth, it is judged to be unfit. If after the seed is sown the earth refuses to yield to the seed's demand, then the seed dies. All final judgment of the quality of the soil is in the seed, not the soil. How significant! Men are quite unfit to sit in judgment on their own lives. Their value is shown forth in the response they make to the spirit's demands. Jesus Christ was and is the promise of the kingdom.

"Ye are from beneath" (the field)

"I am from above" (the seed)

And he said of himself: "For the Father judgeth no man; but hath committed all judgment unto the Son."

As seed sown into soil unfit for its use dies, so does the promise of the kingdom die in those who fail to adjust continuously to its demands. This is what Paul means when he speaks of the second death:

For he hath made it impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to be renewed again unto repentance; seeing they crucify unto themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. -Hebrews 6: 4-6, I.V.

The growth of the kingdom is dependent upon how we respond to the Holy Spirit of promise. 

Baptism

The planting of the seed is, as we have seen, a deliberate and intelligent process. How is it sown? By baptism. Peter emphasizes that the promise will be given to those who repent and are baptized. Baptism is our way of receiving, and God's way of giving the seed of the kingdom. And there is only one baptism. It is a living soul having a body and a spirit. We are baptized in water, which makes us fit to receive the gift of the spirit; and this water baptism is but the body, so to speak, into which God breathes the breath of life by the laying on of hands. One baptism with two aspects, each necessary to the other; inseparably connected baptism of water and spirit makes possible a fullness of joy. Baptism has been likened to a planting or sowing.

"Buried with him in baptism" (Romans 6: 4)

"Planted together in the likeness of his death" (Romans 6: 5)

So, then, God sows the seed or promise of the kingdom into his field (the world) by this Christian baptism.

Another phase of this parable is reflected in the statement: "which indeed is the least of all the seeds that be in the earth," scarcely noticed. How many contemporary historians noticed the life of our Lord? There is some mention of him by Josephus the Jew, but most scholars believe this passage to be an interpolation by a later hand. Two references are made to our Lord by Roman historians, but they are obscure. Indeed from a secular historical point of view Jesus was the "least" of the notables.

There is another angle from which this may be viewed.

For I say unto you, among those who are born of women, there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. -Luke 7: 28. I.V.

Jesus was, of course, referring to himself. He it was who made himself of no account and appeared in the form of a servant-as evidenced by his washing of the disciples' feel. He who would be greatest, let him be the servant of all! That is the spirit of the kingdom; it is the spirit of love. He emptied himself in order to serve us. The initial act of self-abnegation which Christ made in order to be born as a babe is beyond our comprehension. Paul called him an "unspeakable gift." It is this spirit which will raise out of history the revelation of the kingdom of God. It takes its distinctive appearance, as we have said, from the character of its king. That character is love. Love issues in glory and uses sacrifice to accomplish its ends. Consider the nature of God and Father of our Lord as compared with the nature of other actions of the Supreme Being. What other "God" serves his creatures? Do not false gods exist to be served? But our God lives to serve his creatures that they in time may become like him by serving as he does. That is the function of the kingdom. It is an instrument of loving ministry.

 Resurrection

What happens as the seed begins to grow? The principle of the resurrection is exhibited. How can the elements in the earth get into the vegetable kingdom? Only by the action of the seed. When the soil gives the seed what it demands, then the mineral kingdom is translated or raised into the vegetable kingdom, and the body of the tree is formed from the dust of the earth. Similarly, it is by the action of the seed of the kingdom that the lives of men are raised to new dimensions. The word of God is the seed of the kingdom. We may enjoy those words now, in the hope and assurance that through death of the carnal man we may someday be raised, or lifted up at the last "day."

And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end, they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb. -I Nephi 3: 187, 188.

Even so ye must be born again, into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye may be sanctified from all sin; and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come; even immortal glory. -Genesis 6:62, I.V.

A new phase, so to speak, is entered upon when the tree has grown. A higher order of existence makes its home in the branches. Evidently the kingdom of God on earth is to be made a dwelling place for the kingdom of God which is in heaven. Here we have a symbolic preview of the purpose of history. Under divine guidance in the "dispensation of the fullness of times" he gathers "together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him" (Ephesians 1: 10). For this coming of the kingdom Jesus prayed, and for this we are commanded to pray.

Pray unto the Lord; call upon his holy name; make known his wonderful works among the people, call upon the Lord, that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth; that the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of Man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth; wherefore, may the kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God, may be glorified in heaven, so on earth, that thy enemies may be subdued; for thine is the honor, power, and glory, for ever and ever. Amen. -Doctrine and Covenants 65: 1d, e, and f.

This meeting of the kingdom on earth with the kingdom of heaven was given as a promise anciently to Enoch:

And righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine own elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare; an holy city, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion; a New Jerusalem. And the Lord said unto Enoch, Then shall thou and all thy city meet them there; and we will receive them into our bosom; and they shall see us, and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other; and there shall be mine abode, and it shall be Zion, which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made; and for the space of a thousand years shall the earth rest. -Genesis 7: 70-72, I.V.

It was reaffirmed to Melechisedec and his people:

And now, Melchizedek was a priest of this order; therefore he obtained peace in Salem, and was called the Prince of peace. And his people wrought righteousness, and obtained heaven, and sought for the city of Enoch which God had before taken, separating it from the earth, having reserved it unto the latter days, or the end of the world; And hath said, and sworn with an oath, that the heavens and the earth should come together; and the sons of God should be tried so as by fire. -Genesis 14: 33-35, I.V.

The prophecy was extended to the Jaredites:

Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land; and he spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come; after it should be destroyed, it should be built up again a holy city unto the Lord . . .. And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel. And then also cometh the Jerusalem of old; and the inhabitants thereof, blessed are they, for they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb; And they are they who were scattered and gathered in from the four quarters of the earth, and from the north countries, and are partakers of the fulfilling of the covenant which God made with their father Abraham. -Ether 6: 4, 10-12.

The Seer of the Apocalypse saw this joining together of heaven and earth, and although, like every analogy, the symbol is not complete, yet the truth is the same-namely, that in the end of time, when there shall be "time no longer," when the heavens and the earth will have served their purpose, they shall be united in a timeless manifestation of the eternal power and glory.

Thus our Lord used parables to create symbols of his purpose. All of them point men forward, so that they may live in hope. All of them illustrate the principle of the gospel-as does this one. There is a benediction in religious literature which gives point to this idea that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

"Glory be to the Father and to the Son
And to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
And ever shall be-worlds without end."
Amen.