Morning Cup of J(esus)
Fueling the Day!
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
The Parable of the Mustard Seed is contained in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In this parable, Jesus tells of the incredible, upcoming growth of the kingdom of heaven. This type of agricultural parable would make sense to Christ’s audience. They understood the very small size of the mustard seed and how it grows into a rather large bush or tree. From something seemingly so small, a great spiritual kingdom would come. The growth and expansion of the kingdom of Christ on earth would be very noticeable to everyone. The birds perched on the branches represents those who would seek to corrupt the kingdom. The parable reminds us of the spiritual nature of the Kingdom, the immense growth, and those who would seek to weaken or corrupt it.
Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
Mark 4:30-32
Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”
Luke 13:18-19
Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”
Photo credits: Dreamstime, Unsplash-Nathan Dumlao