Luke 13:18-19 "He said therefore, 'what is the kingdom of God like? ...'"

“He said therefore, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches’” (Luke 13:18-19 RSV).

Question:

What did Jesus’ audience understand the “mustard seed” to be? Was/Is there such a seed that could grow into the size of a tree that would hold nests?

Comment:

Indeed there was—and is—such a seed. What would have surprised Jesus’ listeners is the fact that the mustard plant was considered a noxious weed. Like kudzu today, it was a major pest—so prolific that it grew easily and everywhere. It was nothing special. Jesus is saying that the kingdom—the full realization of the God consciousness that lives in each of us—is achieved in small and simple ways. Even the slightest faith in that God consciousness will reap major rewards—just as the tiny mustard seed grows large enough to serve as shelter to “birds of the air”—a metaphysical symbol of divine ideas.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed