Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches. Mustard is closer to being a weed than wheat. Since it is set among the accounts emphasizing abundant harvests, Matthew may have this idea in mind as it pertains to the ultimate triumph of God's dominion, but such a reading also overlooks the parabolic difficulties it poses. The little mustard seed is used in both Matthew and Luke to provide a picture of faith. 31 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. This is similar to the mustard seed being planted in the ground. Telling them it’s a mustard seed gives me an opportunity to relate a short parable of Jesus Christ where He used a mustard seed to explain the Kingdom of God. Let's try to see what the point or points of comparison are. In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, it is immediately followed by the Parable of the Leaven, which shares this parable's theme of the Kingdom of Heaven growing from small beginnings. The Parable of the Mustard Seed is one of the shorter parables of Jesus. PROVERBIAL USES OF THE MUSTARD SEED... 1. The mustard-seed is not the least of all seeds in the world, but of all which the husbandman was accustomed to sow, and the “tree,” when full grown, was larger than the other herbs in his garden. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” A few of Jesus' parables have allegorical elements, such as the Parable of the Tenants (20:9-19). And to what shall I compare it? Here's what it means. He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. But somehow, its real message is lost on many of us. The mustard seed is something small that does its part to expand in preparation for the Kingdom of God. In the fall of the year, its branches have become rigid, and the plant often serves as a shelter for birds of many kinds (William Hendriksen, Commentary on Matthew) B. To do this, he uses the example of the mustard tree, refers to the small size of its seed and the contrasting height of the grown plant. The parable of the mustard seed is a well-known story to many Christians. less than all the seeds] “Small as a grain of mustard seed” was a proverbial expression among the Jews for something exceedingly minute. A few of Jesus' parables have allegorical elements, such as the Parable of the Tenants (20:9-19). New International Version 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a … Since it is set among the accounts emphasizing abundant harvests, Matthew may have this idea in mind as it pertains to the ultimate triumph of God's dominion, but such a reading also overlooks the parabolic difficulties it poses. The mustard seed was the smallest seed known at the time. The field represents all the people of the earth who will receive Him. The mustard seed represents the Gospel, starting very small but growing to reach millions throughout the world who will inherit the kingdom. Mustard is mentioned five times in Scripture - twice in Matthew, once in Mark, and twice in Luke - always in reference to having faith like a grain of mustard seed. Like a Mustard Seed (13:19a) "It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. But the parables we are studying today are NOT allegories but simple comparisons.