The Mustard Seed

In Matthew 13:31-32, “He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 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.'”

Mustard is a very resilient plant that is widely distributed from North Africa and the Middle East to Persia and northern India. It has a pungent taste. Since ancient times, humans have learned to press mustard seeds for oil to use as seasoning. The Bible mentions mustard twice, both times in parables told by Jesus. In one, He compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed, and in the other, He compares faith to a mustard seed. So what messages did Jesus convey to us through the mustard seed in these two parables?

In Palestine, the mustard tree (Salvadora persica) has seeds with a diameter of only about 1 millimeter, but when it grows, it can become a large tree up to 5 meters tall, so calling it a “tree” is fitting. Such a small seed can grow into a large tree. Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like a seed, perhaps a very small one, as small as the smallest of all seeds. When it is sown in the ground, it is buried in the soil, it disappears, and it dies. What is resurrected is a new life!

Similarly, Jesus died and was buried, but He was resurrected and given new life. Jesus used the imagery of the seed to summarize the entire teaching of the kingdom of heaven: the kingdom begins small and hidden, but ends in ultimate victory. Jesus pointed out to the people that from the moment the seed of the kingdom is sown, the entire growth process has already begun. No matter how small the beginning or what setbacks it encounters during its growth, the kingdom will ultimately be accomplished according to God’s plan.