The Mustard Seed
Read the parable
- Matthew 13:31-32 Primary account
- Mark 4:30-32 Parallel account
- Luke 13:18-19 Parallel account
Context
The black mustard plant of Palestine grows from a proverbially tiny seed — a grain of mustard seed was a proverbial Jewish figure for the least of things — into a shrub that can reach three meters, large enough for birds to shelter in its branches. Jesus spoke to crowds whose picture of God's kingdom was national and dramatic; a garden herb was a deliberately unimpressive image.
Meaning
The kingdom of heaven begins in apparent insignificance — an itinerant rabbi and a handful of followers — yet grows into something far beyond its beginnings. The birds lodging in the branches echo Old Testament pictures of a great kingdom sheltering many peoples (as in Ezekiel 17:23 and Daniel 4:12), suggesting the kingdom's eventual worldwide reach. The parable encourages those tempted to despise small beginnings: the growth is certain because God gives it.
Go deeper
Two free lessons walk through the parables as a whole: The Parables of Jesus and Interpreting the Parables.