TL;DR:
Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed (Matthew 13:32) illustrates the expansive, welcoming growth of the Kingdom of God. The birds in the mustard tree aren’t just decorative. They symbolize people from all nations and cultures, emphasizing that the Kingdom of God is open to all. The birds illustrate the universality of God’s mission and the Church’s call to share the Good News with all people everywhere.
“Though [a mustard seed] is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest
of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
The growth of a tiny mustard seed into a large plant
in one of Jesus’ parables draws attention to the continually expanding nature of the Kingdom of God.
The mention of birds in that mustard seed parable may be more than
"window dressing." Those birds flocking to that large plant may be a sign that the Kingdom of God is open to all.
Leo Hartshorn says Jesus’ mustard seed parable depicts "a handful of disciples becoming a
worldwide church." The image of the birds helps make that point clear.
Missions: The Heart of God
Matthew 13 contains several of Jesus’ parables about the Kingdom of God. He begins
with the parable of the sower and then speaks of weeds, a mustard seed, yeast, hidden treasure,
a precious pearl, and a fishing net.
To explain the mustard seed parable, Leo Hartshorn uses only eight words: "A handful
of disciples become a worldwide church." That the Kingdom of God is going to be large is
without question a central point of the mustard seed analogy. There is, however, one detail in it
that gets little attention: the birds.
The transformation of a mustard seed into a large plant emphasizes the Kingdom’s organic,
continually expanding nature. The birds may symbolize the Kingdom’s openness to all peoples.
Unfortunately, people sometimes see the birds only as "window dressing" or simply an indication of how big the bush is.
Sadly, if that’s all we think about when Jesus mentions the birds, we may miss an important dimension of the
birds. Here, as in a similar scenario in Ezekiel 17, birds represent various people groups. Jesus
mentioned birds to say that the Kingdom is not just for "my kind" of people (those who think,
act, and speak just like me). The Kingdom is for all kinds of birds!
Bird-watchers describe the land of Israel as a paradise for observing birds. Indeed, it is. In that fairly
small area—70 miles wide and 270 miles long—more than 400 species of birds have been
sighted. That is because the area where Jesus lived and ministered lies along a major migration route connecting Europe and Asia with Africa.
In light of that, the "birds of the air" (wording of the King James and English Standard versions) may suggest more than a few sparrows or starlings. Palestine had 70 indigenous bird species. With those different kinds of birds around, plus all the migratory fowl passing through, isn’t there a chance Jesus was trying to get us to think about how welcoming the Kingdom of God is?
The birds may therefore illustrate that the Kingdom welcomes all peoples. Where the King James Version says that the birds "lodge" in the branches, translations such as the New Living Translation and New American Standard Bible speak of "nesting." The Kingdom is thus to become a "home." "Nesting" means that the Kingdom of God we proclaim is a safe and inviting place.
The open arms portrayed in the mustard seed parable bring to mind words from the historically familiar children’s song "Jesus Loves the Little Children": "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white . . ."
Isn’t it wonderful that we get to point each one of those different "birds" (peoples of the world) toward that extraordinary tree called the Kingdom of God?
Reflection Questions About the Birds in the Mustard Seed Parable
What important things might Jesus’ mustard seed parable say to us about the Kingdom of God? What could the image of multiple birds in a tree that grew from a tiny seed help us grasp?
In what ways could the parable's birds help us see the global nature of the Kingdom of God? What could this mean for how we view people of other cultures and national origins?
How could the idea of "nesting" in the Kingdom of God emphasize the sense of "belongingness" for all people? How might embracing this concept enrich our lives and communities?
How can churches use the mustard seed parable and its imagery applied to the Kingdom of God as motivation for involvement in and support of world missions efforts?
This blog post about a Bible passage related to world missions is one of more than three dozen in the "Heart of God" series published in Engage magazine. That series looks at what the Bible says about world missions.
Afterword: What do the birds in Jesus’ mustard seed parable represent?
Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a mustard seed, which is very small. However, it can grow into a large tree that shelters flocks of birds. What do those birds represent? Here are five ways to look at this parable:
Some people suggest that the birds represent Gentiles, all people not of Jewish descent. Just as the mustard seed grows into a large tree, the Kingdom of Heaven expands beyond the Jews to include all people, regardless of ancestry.
Another interpretation is that the birds represent believers finding refuge and shelter within the Kingdom of Heaven. Just as the branches of the mustard tree provide shelter for birds, so the Kingdom of Heaven offers protection and refuge for believers.
Others offer the more speculative interpretation that the birds may represent missionaries and evangelists who find support and shelter within the Church as they seek to carry out the Church’s mission to spread the gospel worldwide.
Some take the birds mentioned in the parable literally. They say that Jesus mentioned them just to illustrate the idea that the mustard plant grows into a large tree that provides shelter and sustenance for various creatures, including birds.
Another speculative interpretation is that the birds represent God’s providential care. Just as God provides for the birds of the air (as mentioned elsewhere in the Bible), the birds finding shelter in the mustard tree may signify that God cares for and provides for all creatures.
Noteworthy Quotes About Matthew 13:32 and World Evangelism
"World evangelism is the mustard seed that, though tiny in our hands, grows by God's power into a shelter for the nations." — John Stott, The Contemporary Christian, p. 348.
"From the smallest act of witness grows a kingdom that spreads across the world; evangelism is sowing mustard seeds with confidence in the coming harvest." — Michael Green, Evangelism in the Early Church, p. 46.
"Jesus taught that the kingdom’s expansion, starting invisibly like a mustard seed, would grow to global proportions; so must our vision for evangelism be equally bold." — David Platt, Radical, p. 91.
"Evangelism is not about immediate grandeur but patient sowing, trusting that God will grow from our mustard seeds a worldwide refuge for the weary." — J. I. Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, p. 27.
"The mustard seed reminds us that no witness is too small; every faithful act of evangelism carries the power to change the world." — Billy Graham, The Holy Spirit: Activating God's Power in Your Life, p. 151.
"God's kingdom begins in hidden ways, like a mustard seed; world evangelism must imitate this quiet, persistent sowing that ends in overwhelming growth." — Timothy Keller, Center Church, p. 32.
"Evangelism is mustard-seed ministry: unremarkable beginnings, unnoticed work, until one day the nations find shelter under its branches." — Oswald Chambers, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, p. 184.
"Our role in world evangelism is to plant tiny seeds of truth, believing that the Spirit will make them grow into something far beyond our imagination." — Elisabeth Elliot, Discipline: The Glad Surrender, p. 88.
Acrostic: Mustard Seed
M – Minuscule at first, a humble start. U – Unseen by many, but placed with heart. S – Sown in the soil, so simple, so small. T – Takes root in silence, unnoticed by all. A – As it grows, it stretches high. R – Rising upward to reach the sky. D – Deep are its roots, firm in the ground.
S – Shelter it offers to all who are found. E – Even the birds come to nest in its shade. E – Embraced by branches extending their shade.
D – Divine is the lesson: God’s Kingdom can grow from beginnings that seem tiny in human eyes.
