Jesus speaks two parables in today’s passage—The Mustard Seed and The Leaven. The passage is a section about The Messianic Kingdom Revealed in Parables (Matt. 13:1–53). It’s the 3rd of Jesus’s 5 major teachings in Matthew. This passage is not about having faith the size of mustard seed. Instead, Jesus is describing his Messianic Kingdom.
The image of a mustard size—the smallest of all seeds in Palestine—symbolizes Jesus’s humble beginnings as the son of Mary and Joseph and taking the life of a carpenter. God humbled Himself to come down and dwell among us as one of us. Pride may be the gravest or most dangerous sin because it creates and fosters other sins. In contrast, it’s antidote is humility. The mustard seed is a great visual of this. It’s tiny. It’s modest. Yet, it grows to be a tree of 8-12 feet. Further, fully grown it becomes a home, a sanctuary, for birds to nest in. The seed is sown in a garden. In this parable the garden can reasonably be interpreted as the world.
Keep in mind, this analogy probably shocked those listening. Israel was expecting a conquering king. And here, Jesus is comparing his Kingdom to a mustard seed. Nevertheless, this is what the Messianic Kingdom is all about—humility and a home for all who accept God’s invitation.
The second parable is that of the Kingdom of Heaven being compared to leaven. This too is an interesting analogy because leaven is often used as a negative analogy in Scripture for sin. The Kingdom of Heaven has a powerful effect. Three measures would product 50 pounds, enough to feed more than 100 people. Again, this parable is about the Messianic Kingdom.
Matthew 13:31-33
31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
[ WHAT ] is this passage saying and what is a key truth or thought that we learn?
+ How can you sow more humility in your daily walk today? [v31]
+ How can humility help in your sanctification—that is, becoming more Christ-like? [v32]
+ How can you work the Kingdom of Heaven into your life? [v33]
[ HOW ] is the Lord calling me to action/obedience?
+ Is there a sin to confess or a next step to take? How has it gone since last time?
+ How can you sow more humility in your daily walk today? [v31]
+ How can humility help in your sanctification—that is, becoming more Christ-like? [v32]
+ How can you work the Kingdom of Heaven into your life? [v33]
[ WHO ] am I walking with and praying for to discover Jesus?
+ What is my next step?
+ Today, who can you have an impact on by being humble? [v31]
+ Long term, what relationship do you need to leave with the Kingdom of Heaven? [v32]
+ Today, who can you share this passage with? [v33]
STUDY GUIDE [ WWW.ESV.ORG ]
+ Matt. 13:1–53 The Messianic Kingdom Revealed in Parables. This is the third of Jesus’ five major teachings (see Introduction: Key Themes). It is a collection of parables.
+ Theme Matthew tells the story of Jesus of Nazareth, the long-expected Messiah who brought the kingdom of God to earth.
+ Matt. 13:31–32 The mustard seed was the smallest of all agricultural seeds in Palestine. becomes a tree. The mustard “tree” grows to a height of 8 to 12 feet (2.4 to 3.7 m). Israel was not prepared for an insignificant beginning to the kingdom of God, so this image shocked the listeners. (See note on Luke 13:19.)
+ Luke 13:19 To Jesus’ audience, the mustard seed (see notes on Matt. 13:31–32; Mark 4:30–32) was the smallest known seed. became a tree. The mustard “tree” grows to the height of 8 to 12 feet (2.4 to 3.7 m). The birds . . . made nests emphasizes the great size of the final plant. The Jews expected the kingdom to come with power, bringing God’s judgment on all evil. That Jesus’ teaching would arrive in such an “insignificant” way was surprising (see note on Luke 17:20).
+ Matt. 13:33 Leaven usually has a negative meaning in Scripture (compare 16:6; 1 Cor. 5:6–7). Here, however, it symbolizes the positive, hidden growth of the kingdom of heaven through an inner transformation of the heart. Three measures was probably about 50 pounds (39 liters). This would have produced enough bread to feed a hundred people.
+ Matt. 16:6–12 In contrast to 13:33, here leaven is a negative metaphor. It indicates how corruption can ruin what is good.
+ 1 Cor. 5:6–7 leaven. Fermented dough. Leftover dough was often added to a new lump of dough. By analogy, sin that goes undisciplined by the church will spread its destructive consequences throughout the whole fellowship.
+ Purpose Matthew writes his Gospel to demonstrate that Jesus is the Messiah, that he has the right to the throne of David as Israel’s true King, and that he is the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham that his descendants would be a blessing to all the world (1:1; Gen. 12:1–3). Matthew seeks to encourage Jewish Christians (and all future disciples) to stand strong despite opposition. They should feel secure in the knowledge of their citizenship in God’s kingdom. Matthew shows that Gentiles also can find salvation through Jesus the Messiah.
+ The Setting of Matthew The events in the book of Matthew take place almost entirely within the vicinity of Palestine, an area extending roughly from Caesarea Philippi in the north to Beersheba in the south. During this time it was ruled by the Roman Empire. The opening chapters describe events surrounding Jesus’ birth in Judea, where Herod had been appointed king by the Romans. The closing chapters end with Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension during the rule of Pontius Pilate and the tetrarchs Antipas and Philip.