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(31) 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,
(31) It is like a mustard seed which, when
it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth;
(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." New
King James Version Change Bible versions
In this parable, the small seed is the church, which appeared as the
firstfruits of the Word. Just as in the Parable of the Sower, the one who sows
the mustard seed is the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, and the field is the
world. Jesus Himself had an insignificant entrance into the world by human
standards, and the church He founded is likewise a "little flock" (Luke 12:31-32), small and designed by God
not to become a physically powerful organization that would make a spectacle of
itself.
In Matthew 7:13-14, Christ says the way that leads to eternal
life is difficult and narrow, and few find it. He reiterates in Matthew 20:16 that few are chosen. In Luke 10:2, when sending the seventy out, He says the
laborers are few. Paul argues in I Corinthians 1:26-29 that God calls the weak and the base
of the world to put to shame the mighty and the noble. Jesus is referring to
those few who, upon their calling by God, voluntarily submit to God's dominion,
the Kingdom of God.
— Martin G. Collins
To learn more, see:
Parables of Matthew 13 (Part Four): The Parable of the Mustard
Seed
Related Topics:
Church, Size of
Parable of the Mustard Seed
Parable of the Sower and the Seed
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