Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32, NLT)
The Mustard Seed is NOT the World’s Smallest Seed
Jesus’ description of the mustard seed as “the smallest of all seeds” has often been cited as evidence of biblical error because the world’s smallest seed is not the mustard. The Black Mustard plant found in Israel today has a seed that measures about 1.0 mm in length. Though it is a tiny seed, other plants have smaller seeds. Plants with smaller seeds than the Black Mustard are begonias, petunias, and wormwood. The smallest known seed belongs to a species of jewel orchid (Anoectochilus imitans) and measures a microscopic 0.05mm in length. However, other species of orchid have seeds larger than a mustard seed. These facts from the botanical world seem to present a valid error in our Scripture. How do we resolve the parable of Jesus and the characteristics of the world He created?
No Tiny Matter
While this supposed error focuses on a tiny seed, the problem it creates is no small matter. Some critics argue that He either made a mistake or deliberately simplified the truth to accommodate His audience’s limited knowledge. If either theory is correct, it nullifies the Christian belief that Jesus is God. How? Well, if Jesus made a mistake, He is not omniscient (all-knowing, which God is), and if He purposely simplified the truth, He testified falsely about creation (in other words, He lied to help His hearers understand). If Jesus isn’t omniscient, He isn’t God; if He lied, He isn’t sinless (nor God because God cannot lie). If these are true about Jesus, we are still lost in our sin, for only by being God could Jesus meet the divine requirements for the forgiveness of sin, and only as a sinless person could He die in place of human sinners.
Remember the Text’s Setting
However, Jesus was not making a universal botanical statement about all seeds in existence but was explicitly referring to the seeds of cultivated plants in Palestine. To say it another way, Jesus used the smallest seed His hearers would have been familiar with so that they could understand the truth He was relaying concerning the Kingdom of Heaven. Of all the agricultural plants grown in Palestine (barley, wheat, lentils, and beans), the mustard seed was undoubtedly the smallest, just as Jesus stated.
Some may say that even during Jesus’ time, wildflowers had smaller seeds than the mustard seed with which Jesus was familiar. I agree. However, in the New Testament, the Greek word sperma (seed) is consistently used in reference to agricultural crops—plants intentionally grown for food. Though the seeds of some flowers were smaller, they were not cultivated in the same way. Jesus’ words could be interpreted as, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the mustard seed, the smallest of the agricultural seeds.”
Today, with a simple online search or submitting a question to a chatbot, we can find the answer to any question about the world we desire answered. However, 2,000 years ago, this was not the case. People had a basic knowledge of the small geographical world in which they lived; thus, when it comes to Jesus using parables like this one, its meaning would only make sense if His audience could picture the stories in their minds.
To imagine the parables in their minds, they must know well what He was speaking about. The illustrations that Jesus used to teach about the Kingdom of God were typical of the landscape at the time. Using relevant illustrations that people would often see, which would bring Jesus’ teaching back to mind for pondering, is one proof of Jesus being a master teacher.
Conclusion
By using the smallest agricultural seed known to His hearers, Jesus spoke accurately about the world He created to relay a spiritual truth about the Kingdom of God.
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Leave your thoughts or a question concerning what appears to be an error in the Bible, and I’ll do my best to find an answer. We are growing together!
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