The Parable of the Mustard Seed
[Jesus] put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed is also in Mark 4:30-32 and Luke 13:18-19. The Parable of the Yeast (Matthew 13:33, Luke 13:20-21) and the Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29) are similar.
There are different opinions about the meaning of this parable. Most commonly, the seed is seen as representing the kingdom of God initiated in the world by Jesus. Just as the tiny seed grows into a large tree, the kingdom of God will grow into a powerful spiritual kingdom. Similarly in Matthew 13:33, just as a small amount of yeast grows to leaven an entire loaf of bread, the kingdom of God will grow large and powerful until it eventually controls the entire world. In both cases, great results come from tiny beginnings.
Yeast is used as an evil symbol other places in the Bible (Mark 8:15, 1 Corinthians 5:6). That has led to an alternate interpretation that the seed represents evil introduced into the Church by Satan (Boice pp. 24-27). The evil will grow to corrupt and undermine the Church. However, this interpretation does not fit well with Jesus' other teachings, and the yeast could just as well be a symbol of anything, good or bad, that permeates whatever it touches (Lockyer, Leaven).
Related verses: Matthew 3:2, 10:7, 17:20, Mark 1:15, 4:30-32, 9:1, Luke 10:9, 13:18-21, 17:20-21
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The Parable of the Sower
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text http://www.christianbiblereference.org/jparable.htm
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The bible was written by man. I am aware of the popular consensus that it was inspired by God. There is no tangible proof of this. I understand that as humans we tend to think we need to believe in something higher than ourselves. The bible has lessons that can be applied to anything today, from eating to worship and how we are to conduct ourselves. However, how can we be sure this is where our faith should be. It was written by man. So it is subject to interpretation. Can we really live our life accordingly with what's found in the bible and take this as God's word or are we just following man in this respect? Take religion for example, in the bible it states false religion is a part of Babylon. However, this is not examined as we are still herded into one religion to another religion, believing that whatever religion that we are affiliated with is the TRUE religion. Is the bible stating that religion in and of itself is wrong as it is a part of Babylon? These are some questions I've had about the bible since I was a little girl.
Hi brandi, I've had the same questions since I was small too.
I am not an authority on the subject, as much as I would like to give you my opinion on it. I am a member of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Orthodox were the ones who compiled and decided which books would comprise the New Testament. If you have questions about historical accuracy of the Bible, I highly recommend contacting your local Orthodox parish and asking the priest your questions.
I personally understood the tiny mustard seed to mean our willingness to ask: "Lord, help my unbelief." That request is an act of surrender in and of itself. The Lord is strong to save if only we keep constant remembrance of our weakness without Him, as Paul commands, to "pray without ceasing."
I love these teachings...In Mark 4 Jesus is teaching the parable of the sower. In this example the seed is Gods supernatural word that must be planted in our hearts. At the end Jesus tells them, if you can't understand this teaching you'll never have a full revelation of the remainder of the Bibles teachings. You must keep your heart soft and keep planting God's word in soil that will produce a 30 60 100 fold return. Give us this day, our daily bread...Jesus is talking about filling up on Gods word, not physical bread.
I am happy with your answer! This is wonderful!
Thank you for sharing some seeds! It was an awesome reminder to me of Gods love for us...