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Parable of the Mustard Seed
Matt. 13:31,32
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.

Mark 4:30-33
And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what comparison shall we compare it?
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.

Luke 13:18,19
Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? And whereunto shall I resemble it?
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.


Notes on Customs

      The mustard seed is a vary powerful, pungent herb, and the mustard plant is very beneficial to birds. It is large enough for them to nest in it (the word lodge is literally to make tents), it provides shade, and a favorite seed to feed on. No mention is made to the type of birds or their numbers. The physical size of the birds would likely to have been small, such as seed-eating sparrows.

      It would not have been common for the Jews to plant mustard in their gardens. But the gentiles would have. In the three renditions of the parable the seed is sown in a field, in the earth and in a garden. Luke, who writes with the gentiles primarily in mind, uses the garden reference. Matthew and Mark address the Jews and the field or earth would be the most true to life for them since by tradition they are prohibited from planting mustard in a garden. Also note the designation of the kingdom as being of God in Mark and Luke and Heaven in Matthew. Gentiles understood the concept of God but not heaven.

      In Luke the word waxed is “to become”, or “come into being.”


Points of the Parable

      The mustard seed is only mentioned in this parable and one other place. In Luke 17:6, Jesus told the apostles that if their faith was even as the size of a grain of mustard seed they could remove a large sycamore tree. The smallness of the seed is emphasized in both usages. When the minute was being contrasted with the great, Rabbis often used the figure of the mustard seed proverbially to indicate the smallest amount. It is said that the seed is hardly visible. But, when the herb is full grown it becomes the largest of any of the herbs. Of course the mustard plant never becomes a tree, however it does not appear as a shrub or as any other garden plant. Commentaries claim that the mustard plant can grow anywhere from 8 to 20 feet high in the Palestine climate. So it would appear tree like with its size and branches. Hebrew writers spoke of the mustard plant as being one that they could climb on.

      All three versions are parallel to each other and need to be taken as a whole with the differences noted.

      The sower, a man, is not mentioned in Mark.
      The ground is different: his field, the earth, and his garden. (See above)
      The seed is sown, purposely planted.
      The birds are not a part of the plant nor do they contribute to it.
      The growing, maturing, and becoming are mentioned in all three. This is significant of time.

      The absence of the man in Mark would indicate that he is not a vital part of the parable. The differences in the ground would also indicate that it is not required for the interpretation. No identification is given for the mustard seed/tree or the birds. The likeness or comparison of the kingdom of God being taught is not in the parts of the story but the whole of the story.


Given Interpretations

      This is one of the most difficult parables to grasp. What exactly is its meaning and teaching may never be correctly understood unless the Holy Spirit reveals it. Of course that can be said of any portion of the word of God. But a ready answer does not immediately or easily suggests itself. Various authors have made the following interpretations. Some are quite alike and others are quite opposite in their opinions.

1) The parable indicates evil within the kingdom. It is the description of the kingdom, beginning very small growing abnormally and too phenomenally into a tree. The fowls represent the evil of the preceding parable (the Sower). The seed is Christendom sown by the Lord during His personal ministry. And that within Christendom today there are roosting places for those who deny the virgin birth of Christ, inspiration of the Scriptures, and the death, burial and resurrection of Christ; it has a place for the evolutionists the communists, etc. All these have attached themselves to the movement bearing the name of Christ with the idea of spoiling it, making it a great tree but with the birds of prey and filth on the branches.

2) The kingdom of heaven here means a piety in a renewed heart or the church (universal). In either case the commencement is small. Within the heart it is feeble, easily injured, and much exposed. In the church there were few at first, ignorant, unknown and without honor: yet soon was to spread through the world. The growth illustrates of the progress of the church and of the nature of faith.

3) The main element of the story is the seed and depicts two contrasting stages. Only one central point seems to be intended: The kingdom will eventually attain to significant proportions despite its entirely inauspicious outset. The conclusion has an illusion to Ezekiel 17:23 and related Old Testament passages (esp. Ezek. 31:6, Dan: 14:12, Ps. 104:12) in which the birds of the air come to nest in the branches of the mighty cedar of Lebanon. In that context the birds stand for all the peoples of the earth, that is, predominantly the Gentiles. But it is hard to know if such a meaning is intended in Jesus’ parable as well. There is no reason to consider this closing purpose clause (of the birds) as a secondary point. Nor does it introduce allegory into a nonallegorical passage. The one central governing the metaphor, with its initial and final stage reflect the onset and culmination of God’s kingdom.

4) This parable exhibits the extensiveness of the power of the kingdom of God. This is the first and main point of the parable. The other, concerning the birds, which are attracted to its branches for its benefits, is subsidiary. Thus the parable would point to this, so full of mystery to the Jews, so explanatory to the mystery: that the kingdom of Heaven, planted in the field of the world as the smallest seed, in the most humble and unpromising manner, would grow till it far outstripped all other similar plants (kingdoms), and give shelter to all nations under heaven.

5) The parable pictures the rapid growth of the church from a small and insignificant beginning. The church was the least of all kingdoms ever founded. The benefits that the mustard tree afforded soon began to attract the birds (evil men) because of the food value of the seeds and also the shade that it afforded them. By the truth, some are trying to find comfort and sustenance without being a part of the kingdom of God. The birds are outside the tree, not part of the tree, nor do they have any particular interest in the welfare of the tree. Since birds in the parable of the Sower have been established to represent Satan and his followers, it seems safe to assume that the birds represent wicked religious men, children (followers) of the devil or evil forces using men to work that which is injurious to the church while attempting have for themselves something beneficial from the tree. This author presents the destructive, defiling and damaging results of birds in trees to show how ungodly men will destroy the church. Therefore, the saint should seek identification with Christ by being attached to the tree by salvation and sanctification, and not among the branches as the fowls, separated and apart from Christ, the tree. The mystery of the mustard seed is like unto the fast growing false faiths in the world who are seeking shade and comfort, but not identity with the tree in abiding in Him and suffering for Him. (This author identifies the tree as being the church and later as being Christ. Also he identifies the growth to be that of the church and then of the fast growing false faiths.)

6) One view has it that this mustard seed as being the church, which was sown on the day of Pentecost in a field of 120 people. This opinion regards the church as local and not universal.

      All the other interpretations of my resources pretty much give the same meanings and points. While we may agree with the observations made by these expositors, they often don’t address the meaning of the parable. Here is how they contrast with each other:

* The kingdom is the church - it is Christ - it is Christendom.
* The branches are false faiths, false churches in the world - they are extension of the tree (the Kingdom of God/Heaven).
* The birds are young converts to Christianity, - they are evil men, evil forces, - they are the nations.
* The ground is the world, - it is the hearts of converted men and women, - it is the church.
* It shows the ultimate success of the kingdom - it does not teach the ultimate success of the kingdom but rather the pollution of the kingdom by the unclean.


The Interpretation

      There are some very fine points made by these commentators and there are truths in what they say. But the interpretations are mostly made in retrospect with the benefit of history and the further revelation of the Word of God. To understand and interpret the parable the best course is to keep to the understanding and knowledge of the original audience of the parable. Questions need to be asked. Did they know of the forth coming Church? No, not at that time. If Christ were speaking of Himself or of Christianity would they have grasped that concept? Perhaps, but very few recognized Him as the coming Messiah and seemingly none had any notion of a coming new religion (covenant) being established by God.

      The picture of the parable is that the Kingdom of Heaven/God is in some way liken to the whole of the points of the parable: it resembles this seed, its growth, and its providing benefits to others; the birds who are not a part of the tree but profit from the tree for food, nesting, and shelter; the remarkable contrast from the smallest to great; it grows, shoots out great branches; and it is a thing that begins small, and takes time to mature in order for it all to happen.

      As I commented earlier, no interpretation readily suggests itself. Here is an opinion though. The Kingdom of God is all that God reigns over. In this parable it is not the sovereign reign of God over all creation, but rather His reign over those here on earth that have received Him as King. The Kingdom is where the sovereignty of God exists in His people in every age. This would indeed make the Kingdom of God to be a very small thing relative to the entire world. The phenomenal conclusion of the Kingdom of God does not occur until the return of Christ and His millennium reign on earth. Then the presence of the King and the Kingdom of God will be with and among all the nations of the earth. This explanation would have made sense to those ancient Jews. This is what they had come to expect. They looked for the restoration of the greatness of the kingdom of Israel. They expected that all the nations would be blessed by Israel at that time. And they expected that the “branches” of that kingdom would extend throughout the world (Zechariah 8 & Hebrews 9:8-11). Those who heard the parable would have certainly understood this application.


The Application

      How can we apply this parable to our lives? The lesson is not so much of a personal application as it is a revelation of fact concerning the Kingdom of God. Is there a response it should have provoked in those Jews and in us of today? Is there a lesson to be applied? The subtle answer is to be a part of the seed and tree. Be a part of that Kingdom and not of the detached outside beneficiaries of the Kingdom. And be assured that what is so unaccepted today will be venerated by the world at that time, when the crowning glory of Christ is here on earth.

Next: Parable of Leaven




This page last updated September 14, 2004 at 11:18am





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