---Since the Jews were very familiar with the mustard seed, Jesus referred to what they could understand and appreciate. In their world, where they lived, planted, and harvested, they understood that the mustard seed was the smallest of the seeds they normally planted. And still, it could germinate, take root, and flourish, eventually becoming an eight- to 10-foot tall shrub (Lane, 1974, p. 171).
Similar to how we might say to someone, “everyone knows that two plus two is four,” Jesus told His Palestinian peers that the mustard seed is “the least of all the seeds.” Do most people on Earth likely know that two plus two is four? Yes. But millions of infants are ignorant of this mathematical fact, as are many mentally-ill individuals. Thus, the term “everyone” would be used in a limited sense. Likewise, when Jesus spoke of the mustard seed, He was speaking hyperbolically in a limited sense. The mustard seed “was the smallest usually sown in Jewish fields” (McGarvey, 1875, p. 121, emp. added).
Mustard Seed Mistake or Misunderstanding?
by Eric Lyons, M.Min.
I would add this one as well:
---Please note that Jesus was not comparing the mustard seed to all other seeds in the world, but to seeds that a local, Palestinian farmer might have “sowed in his field,” i.e., a key qualifying phrase in verse 31. And it’s absolutely true that the black mustard seed (Brassica nigra = Sinapis nigra) was the smallest seed ever sown by a first-century farmer in that part of the world.It’s also true, as many modern-day encyclopedias will tell you, that the black mustard seed in Israel will typically grow to heights of 3.7 meters, or 12 (twelve) feet—plenty large enough to hold a bird nest.
[snip]The context of Matthew 13 makes it quite clear that Jesus was addressing a local lay audience, not an international conference of botanists. It seems that no reasonable person would therefore insist for very long that this text provides a viable basis for questioning either Jesus or the Bible, when it comes to getting the facts straight—scientifically, historically, or technically.
Is the mustard seed the smallest of seeds?
Cordially,
Also — the comparative term used means “smaller” not “smallest.” It suffices for correctness that the mustard seed is known for being tiny in comparison with most seeds. The “dynamic range” of the seed as compared to the resulting plant is surely the point.
the point isn’t whether the mustard seed exists- obviously it does and did- the point is Christ said something that wasn’t true to illustrate a point- I’ve been accused of arrogance and of having a twisted mind for suggesting Christ owed have said something that wasn’t true to illustrate a point- (Because people want to believe Abraham’s Bosom must have been a real place or else Jesus would not have used it in an illustration, and that Had He done so, he ‘certainly would have correcte4d the error)- We can see with the analogy of the mustard Seed that NEITHER of those two statements are true- Christ DID say something untrue, and He did Not correct Himself
[[-—Please note that Jesus was not comparing the mustard seed to all other seeds in the world, but to seeds that a local, Palestinian farmer might have “sowed in his field,”]]
Not sure how we come up with that explanation- Jesus stated that the mustard seed was the smallest of all seeds- He didn’t give the qualifier ‘smallest of Farmer’s seeds’-
IF we want to make the case that He didn’t clarify ‘because the people would have understood that He didn’t literally mean ‘of all seeds’ then we should allow that Jesus didn’t clarify or correct the myth belief that people reside in Abraham’s bosom because His people would have known that it was a myth and that he was just using it to illustrate a point