He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man planted in his field.
Parallel translations
- WEB He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field;
- KJV Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
- NKJV 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,
- NASB He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a person took and sowed in his field;
- NLT Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus likens the Kingdom of Heaven to a tiny mustard seed a man sows in his field. God's reign begins small and unimpressive but is destined to grow.
Overview
The parable of the mustard seed teaches that the Kingdom's beginnings are humble and easily overlooked. A man deliberately sows this smallest of seeds, expecting growth. The image fits Jesus' own ministry, which began modestly with a handful of disciples yet would spread throughout the world, showing that God accomplishes great ends from small beginnings.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Luke 13:18–19Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it?
- Mark 4:30–32Then He asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we present it?
- Matt 17:20“Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
- Luke 17:6And the Lord answered, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
- Matt 13:24Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
- Luke 20:9Then He proceeded to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to some tenants, and went away for a long time.
- Luke 19:11While the people were listening to this, Jesus proceeded to tell them a parable, because He was near Jerusalem and they thought the kingdom of God would appear imminently.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 13:31 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.