Jesus continues on in Matthew 13; trying to describe the Kingdom of Heaven further.
Matthew 13:31-32
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 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.”
Talking to people who understood agricultural language, Jesus talked, once again, about planting a seed as an image of what the Kingdom was. But, here, He compares the Kingdom of Heaven to the smallest of seeds possible: THE MUSTARD SEED.
Obviously, Jesus was insinuating that the Kingdom would start off small. He said that standing in front of twelve men who, all but one, would be carrying the Gospel on to the world. I'm sure, at times, they looked around and wondered where it all was going. They definitely didn't have any idea that Jesus' message would light the world on fire.
But it was much more than that. Jesus may have elaborated later on in Matthew.
Matthew 17:20
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Jesus came off the mount of transfiguration with Peter, James and John where he had been seen with Elijah and Moses. They come to find the other disciples failing at driving a spirit from a young boy. Jesus did what they could not and reprimanded them for their unbelief. Here, Jesus compares the faith need much like a seed. It didn't matter how big the seed was; the seed would bear fruit given good ground.
Just like the parable. The Kingdom may start out small, but that didn't matter. It also didn't dictate how big the Kingdom WOULD get. In fact, Jesus predicts that the Kingdom would blow past all expectations and become bigger than ever expected by any man. (Of course, Jesus knew how big it would get) Although a small seed, it would grow into a tree; big enough for birds to sit in.
(pictured below)
Matthew 13:31-32
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 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.”
Talking to people who understood agricultural language, Jesus talked, once again, about planting a seed as an image of what the Kingdom was. But, here, He compares the Kingdom of Heaven to the smallest of seeds possible: THE MUSTARD SEED.
Obviously, Jesus was insinuating that the Kingdom would start off small. He said that standing in front of twelve men who, all but one, would be carrying the Gospel on to the world. I'm sure, at times, they looked around and wondered where it all was going. They definitely didn't have any idea that Jesus' message would light the world on fire.
But it was much more than that. Jesus may have elaborated later on in Matthew.
Matthew 17:20
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Jesus came off the mount of transfiguration with Peter, James and John where he had been seen with Elijah and Moses. They come to find the other disciples failing at driving a spirit from a young boy. Jesus did what they could not and reprimanded them for their unbelief. Here, Jesus compares the faith need much like a seed. It didn't matter how big the seed was; the seed would bear fruit given good ground.
Just like the parable. The Kingdom may start out small, but that didn't matter. It also didn't dictate how big the Kingdom WOULD get. In fact, Jesus predicts that the Kingdom would blow past all expectations and become bigger than ever expected by any man. (Of course, Jesus knew how big it would get) Although a small seed, it would grow into a tree; big enough for birds to sit in.
(pictured below)