Holy Hormones Bible Study: Teaching — not Entertainment
THE MYSTERIOUS PARABLES EXPLAINED TO THE PERPLEXED #6 The Mustard Seed
Are the birds crapping on your head?
Will all the parables be discussed in this series?
No. Only some of the popular ones about the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew.
Is there a difference between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God?
That will be discussed later in the series.
Before we start
First there is a Theological Concept that requires explanation if it is new to you, Expositional Consistency. When the Holy Spirit establishes an idiom, it remains constant throughout the Bible. The key is provided by Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:4 || “and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” Now, if you have been doing more than just skimming, every time you encounter written, “Rock,” you will read, “Christ.”
The Parable of the mustard seed
It is written in Matthew 13:31–32 || 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, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
A common interpretation
Has anyone not heard something preached in this flavour?
The mustard plant can grow very large, so that even birds might nest in it and find refuge. The seed however, is as small as those of the other brassicas. It is rather amusing that such a small seed can produce such a big plant.
With this simple fact (that from a small seed a large plant can grow) Jesus illustrates the spreading of the gospel throughout the world. The kingdom of God (the large plant) grows from the planting of the gospel in hearts of men. The word of Christ from small beginnings can cause enormous growth and have influence attracting people to Christ from far afield. This is represented by the birds coming to nest in the branches.
Let’s examine that interpretation standing on the shoulders of what has been disclosed in the previous posts.
Applying what has been learned
• The kingdom of heaven = Church (Wheat & Tares).
• a man = Son of Man; Christ.
• field = the World: kosmos (Strongs G2889), the political structure on the Earth governed by the Demonic Realm; all those who oppose the Things of God. They are made up of the actively anti-God and passive inhabitants of the Earth. It is emphasised here that it is Christ’s kosmos. This is the World that God loves (John 3:16)
THE BASIC PATTERN IS SATISFIED. What information is added?
• mustard seed,
This is used five times, only in the NT.
Twice it relates to Faith, Matthew 17:20 & Luke 17:6, in a rhetorical device where the characteristic of a tangible object is used to convey an attribute of an abstract concept. And Faith is the Crux of the Christian Way.
Ephesians 2:8–9 || For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Hebrews 11:6 || But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Three other times, in all the renditions of this parable, where that characteristic of concern is described. Matthew 13:31 and Mark 4:31 give an indication of some sort of size or value but Luke 13:19 has no indication of anything. However, all verses include intentional sowing or planting by the Son of Man.
But, I’m told by people who have spent time in the Israeli regions outside the cities that mustard bushes grow wild in the countryside. Mustard is a spice that can be foraged for free. Like Salvation it is free.
This is the link between the mustard seed and Faith.
But Jesus ups the revs in this parable.
If the mustard can be virtually picked from the side of any road, why is He deliberately using cultivation practices? The answer is in the Parable of the Wheat and Tares.
If the Son of Man did not sow Faith He could not harvest the good seeds. It is something like soil conditioning.
• which indeed is the least of all the seeds
This has the naysayers salivating because they say there are smaller seeds than the mustard — which can’t be denied.
The difficulty of translation; the meaning of the word translated as ‘least.’
The root word, G3398 — mikros (from where we get micron, one millionth of a metre), has five definitions in the Blue Letter Bible (BLB) and 14 unique forms (inflections) in the textus receptus.
But the inflection here is used only once so it doesn’t shed much light on the matter. However, the Septuagint contains one use of the equivalent inflection; an adjective describing a male rather than a seed. It is when Benjamin was described as the youngest (young, small, insignificant, unimportant) brother in Genesis 42:32. (Read the story of Joseph if you are not familiar.)
So, on the best solid information available, the word does not denote size of the seed but importance of the crop. [If anyone can furnish better information, please let me know.]
“I’ve got you there!” Says the naysayer.
The Mark 4:31 account of the parable reads, “smaller than all the seeds on earth.” But that just shows that the homework hasn’t been done. That Greek word in question is G1093 — gē, which is translated across a wide spectrum of physical area.
• Matthew 5:35 — Nor by the earth; (G1093) for it is his footstool (i.e. metaphorically the Globe): neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
• Matthew 9:31 — But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country. (G1093) (self-explanatory)
• Matthew 10:15 — Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land (G1093) of Sodom and Gomorrha (i.e. region around the Dead Sea) in the day of judgement, than for that city.
• Matthew 25:18 — But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, (G1093) and hid his lord’s money. (i.e. how big is a hole that a man can dig?)
• Luke 8:15 — But that on the good ground (G1093) are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. (i.e. how broad must a stretch of ground be to have a seed land on it?)
• Luke 12:51 — Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? (G1093)(i.e. wherever on the Globe that humans may inhabit.) I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
This is an agricultural society, they would know the local vegetation much better than today’s generation. (For instance, Australia’s flag includes the Southern Cross star constellation. At the time it was designed (about 1900), possibly in excess of 95% of the population would easily recognise it in the sky. Today it is possibly less than 0.5%.) Give Jesus some credit for intelligence. His audience would pick up on, “sowed in his field.” He is speaking a language they would understand.
• The seed becomes a tree.
There are three other trees mentioned in the OT.
• Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil: at the time still being guarded by the Cherubim.
• Tree of Life: at the time still being guarded by the Cherubim.
• Nebuchadnezzar’s dream: the interpretation given by Danial pinpoints this tree to be metaphorically Nebuchadnezzar, himself.
Deduction — This is a tree the likes of which has not yet been seen.
• The birds of the air come and nest in its branches.
This figure shows normal mustard bushes. Obviously, birds could not nest in them.
But sometimes the seeds can grow into monstrosities, as shown in the figure at the beginning of this post. (Google, ‘mustard trees Israel’)
A number of different birds are mentioned in Deuteronomy 14; clean and unclean animals for eating and offerings; but only a few can be identified today (eagle G105, dove G4058). So the only reference available are those mentioned in the Parable of the Soils or Sower (Matthew 13, Mark 4, Luke 8). If you are not familiar you should read the accounts in all three Gospels.
The Greek word translated ‘birds’ is G4071 — peteinon which just means: flying or winged animals, birds.
But Yehovah puts His own special twist on the definition in the Septuagint as is written in Jeremiah 5:20–31 || “Declare this in the house of Jacob And proclaim it in Judah, saying,‘Hear this now, O foolish people, Without understanding, Who have eyes and see not, And who have ears and hear not: Do you not fear Me?’ says the Lord. ‘Will you not tremble at My presence, Who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea, By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it? And though its waves toss to and fro, Yet they cannot prevail; Though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it. But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart; They have revolted and departed. They do not say in their heart, “Let us now fear the Lord our God, Who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season. He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.” Your iniquities have turned these things away, And your sins have withheld good from you. ‘For among My people are found wicked men; They lie in wait as one who sets snares; They set a trap; They catch men. As a cage is full of BIRDS,(G4071 — peteinon) So their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become great and grown rich. They have grown fat, they are sleek; Yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked; They do not plead the cause, The cause of the fatherless; Yet they prosper, And the right of the needy they do not defend. Shall I not punish them for these things?’ says the Lord. ‘Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?’ “An astonishing and horrible thing Has been committed in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule by their own power; And My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?
Need any more be said?
BIRDS ARE BAD DUDES IN PARABLES.
But only some were given the revelation at the time.
My logic tells me that this Parable is a warning to the disciples about where the Tares would attack the Church. Elsewhere, He gives them warnings about the dangers from outside the Church but the Kingdom Parables focus on the Good Seed. If you haven’t read about the Wheat and Tares, it gives a fuller background. But that’s only my logic. (I don’t have Theological qualifications. Only a DhP in Reverse Psychology.)
What are the major take-homes from this parable?
There is a heart-wrenching post on Medium by a young lady who is suffering from Peacetime Battle Fatigue (euphemistically called PTSD to hide the grotesqueness thereof) caused by attending a (obviously small ‘c’) church. If that isn’t an abomination, I don’t know what is. It is a demonstration that the Pharisee spirit is alive and well and living in a church near you. The Tares are in the church and being promoted through the ranks. And they are teaching junk food backed up by PhDs in Sociology falsely labelled as Theology .
The Great Commission is to make disciples, not converts. Where are the Teaching Priests? At least one Bible College in my part of town devotes more teaching hours to ‘church growth’ than Bible.
I was harvested late in life, about a month before Diana died. In that time I’ve seen two Movements of the Spirit ignite in my part of town then fizzle out when the original visionary was no longer there. The problem in both cases — real estate. Who gets it?
There are Righteous (big ‘C’) Churches out there because God always keeps His Remnant. They are the ones which welcome the Holy Spirit both corporately and individually. They are the ones which preach in a fashion that makes your bum itch, then teach in a fashion that shows that the Lord is much more eager to save than we give him credit for.
The forgoing evidence has not been presented to convince any reader but to allow a personal decision to be made. There is much more to know about this subject. Perhaps you’ll pay another visit, sometime.
All Glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
(We all have a plank in our eye. It’s bigger than we think.)
