12/14/00
The Mustard Seed
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 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."
Matthew places this parable between the telling and the explanation of the parable of the Tares and Wheat. Because of the similarity between Matthew and Luke, scholars suggest the possibility of the influence of Q, which may also have contained this parable. In Matthew, the mustard seed parable is also placed in the midst of a discourse on the Kingdom of God. Although the parable of the weeds was explained, the parable of the mustard seed was not, leaving hearers and readers to interpret it on their own. Scholars generally link the parable of the mustard seed with the parable of the leaven because both seem to refer to the growth of the kingdom, using images normally having negative associations.
Scholars agree that this parable is an allegory. “Since the idea of a farmer taking the trouble to sow a mustard seed seems farfetched, we are probably to regard this as an allegorical reference to God’s action in the world” (Hare 157). If this is true, what do the different parts represent? What does the Kingdom of God represent? What does the mustard seed represent? What do the birds of the air represent? These are issues that need to be explored in order to gain a full appreciation of the text.
In order to understand this parable, one must understand the characteristics of the mustard seed. As the parable states, the mustard seed was an annual herb producing some of the smallest seeds in ancient times. Generally it refers to anything minute in its beginning. Although very small to begin with, the mustard plant’s height can vary from four feet to fifteen feet. “In the fall of the year, when its branches have become rigid, birds of many kinds find here a shelter from the storm, rest from weariness, and shade from the heat of the sun” (Hendricksen 565). Although both Matthew and Luke state that the mustard seed becomes a tree, the birds came to eat the seeds, not to build nests (Harrison 449).
Another aspect of this parable that needs to be explored is the definition of Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven does not have just one meaning in the parables. It could refer a place, a group of people, just one person, or an abstract concept. In this parable the Kingdom of Heaven could refer to God’s rule, the church, or Jesus. If the Kingdom of Heaven refers to God’s rule, the parable takes on the meaning that God’s rule came in a tiny package, but over time it grew to be very powerful. But God’s rule was powerful to begin with and did not need to grow. So this explanation is probably not the right one. If the Kingdom of Heaven is the church or Jesus, the parable could be interpreted to mean that the beginning of a new era in religion started out small, with one man, Jesus, and then grew encompass the 12 Disciples, then other apostles such as Paul, and then sprouted to be what the Church is today. This is probably the most logical conclusion.
If the Kingdom of Heaven is Jesus or the Church, what does the mustard seed represent? The mustard seed could represent Jesus and God’s beginning work through Him. Because the sowing of the seed was a “deliberate act with purpose (Augsburger 173), this analogy makes sense. God sent his son Jesus to start something new. Jesus’ work started out small, but then grew to be something big.
The third part of the analogy is the birds of the air. Because the birds of the air were attracted to the plant, most scholars conclude that the birds are Gentiles. “It seems probable, therefore, that either Matthew or his source regarded this parable as an allegory of the expansion of Jesus’ movement into the Gentile world” (Hare 157). Since the Jews at the time were expecting a political Messiah instead of a religious Messiah, they rejected Jesus’ message. Jesus came as a little tiny mustard seed and got crucified. The Gentiles of the time accepted Jesus message because they had no preconceptions about what Jesus should look like or act like. The Gentiles were attracted to Jesus’ message because of what it provided for them, just as the birds of the air are attracted to the mustard plant.
Message
The message of the parable is clear. Just as the mustard seed started out small, then grew to an unexpected size, so did the Kingdom of Heaven. Although the Kingdom of Heaven, as represented by either the church or Jesus, started out insignificant, it grew to be a dominant force in society. Its presence cannot be easily overlooked. The kingdom has come but not the fashion in which it was expected. The Jews rejected Jesus because they did not see Him as the Messiah but just another prophet. They were proven wrong by the miraculous resurrection of Jesus. “The parable functions as an encouraging image contrasting the present lowliness of the kingdom with its final greatness” (Boring 309).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Aland, Kurt. Synopsis of the Four Gospels. United Bible Societies, 1982.
Augsburger, Myron. Matthew. The Communicator’s Commentary. Waco: Word Books Publisher, 1982.
Boring,
Eugene M. Volume 8 of The New Interpreter’s Bible.
Leander Keck editor. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995.
Hagner, Donald. Matthew 14-28. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word Books, Publisher, 1995.
Harrison,
Ronald K. “Mustard”. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 1986.
Hendricksen,
William. Matthew. New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Baker Book
House, 1973.
Mounce, Robert. Matthew. New International Biblical Commentary. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1985.