Yesterday in my Youth Ministry class the professor started the class with a reading from Scripture. He read from Mark 4:30-32 the parable of the Mustard Seed. Many Christians know that many non-believers see the mustard seed is seen as a problem. Why? Well because in Matthew 13:32, Jesus said the mustard seed “is smaller than all other seeds.” Non-believers point to the fact that we know of many seeds that are even smaller than the mustard seed. This presents a dilemma to Christians – if Jesus was wrong about the mustard seed, He could not have been God! Obviously, Christianity still exists, so not many Christians consider this to be an “actual” problem. The best solution to the problem I have seen is that Jesus was not comparing the seed to all the seeds in the world, but only to the seeds the Jews would know about. This is a sensible solution, if Jesus said the XXX seed was the smallest seed and the Jews had never heard of the XXX seed, then the parable would be all-the-more confusing to them.
However, I think there is a better solution. I am not sure why I have never seen this before, or why I have never heard anyone say it before but the solution is in the context of the passage(s). Here are the three passages that quote Jesus talking about the mustard seed:
Matthew 13:31-32 “He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES.”
Mark 4:31-32 “It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR can NEST UNDER ITS SHADE.”
Luke 13:19 “It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden; and it grew and became a tree, and THE BIRDS OF THE AIR NESTED IN ITS BRANCHES.”
Each of these three passages are recalling what Jesus said, at least the main thought Jesus was making. In Matthew we have the problem of Jesus saying that the mustard seed is smaller than all other seeds, however, in Mark we have a great solution! Mark clearly explains that Jesus said the mustard seed is the smallest seed that the “farmer” put upon the soil. The context seems to suggest that Jesus is talking about a specific farm, planting specific seeds, the smallest of which is the mustard seed.
So you see, the mustard seed does not need to be the smallest seed in the world – just the smallest seed that the imaginary farmer is planting! What a simple solution!
I hope you all enjoyed!
Lew
I’m not sure that the Mark passage says that “the mustard seed is the smallest seed that the ‘farmer’ put upon the soil.” It says that the mustard seed “is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil.” In other words, when the farmer sows the seed, it is smaller than all of the seeds that happen to be there when he sows them. The only seed in the verse that is described as “sown” is the mustard seed. In order for Mark to be making your point, the text would have to say that the mustard seed “is smaller than all the seeds that are [sown] upon the soil.” Besides, the way the English translation reads, it sounds like the mustard is smaller than all of the seeds that are on the soil at the time of the sowing. I’m not a farmer, but it seems strange that he would be sowing mustard seeds in the same place as other stuff. What kind of banged up garden would that be? Maybe he ate a caffeine injected fly that day.
Gary,
I have to disagree. You may notice that the mustard seed that is sown “grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants.” Jesus is obviously comparing the mustard seeds that the farmer planted in the soil (probably one part of the soil) and the other “garden plants” the farmer planted in the soil (probably other parts of the soil).
Even if your interpretation is correct, it does not go against my main point. Jesus does not have to be talking about the smallest seed in the world – just the smallest seed that the imaginary farmer is planting (or dealing with).
Thanks for you comment,
Lew