The Parable of the Mustard Seed
Mathew 20: 1-16
posted:Fri Aug 25, 2000
The parable for this week is found in three gospels: 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 your seeds, yet when it grows it is the largestof garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air can come and perch in its branches."
Mark 4:30-32:
-(30) Again he said, "What shall we say the Kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? (31)It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the
ground.(32) Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in it's shade."
Luke 13:18-19:
-(18)Then Jesus asked, "What is the Kingdom of God like? What shall I compare to? (19) It is
like a mustard seed, whic a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches."
Each of the three gospels sound very much the same. However, each book was written for a
different "crowd". Look in Luke 13:18 and in Mark 4:30. You will notice both Mark and Luke
used "the Kingdom of God". Now look in Matthew 13:31. You will probably notice that
Matthew uses "the kingdom of Heaven". The reason for this difference is because of who
Matthew, Luke and Mark were writing too. The book of Luke was writing to the Greeks, The
book of Mark was written to the Romans, and The book of Matthew was written to the Jews.
Matthew used "the kingdom of heaven" instead of "the kingdom of God" because "the kingdom
of God" would have offended the Jews.
