He
said, “What is God’s Kingdom like? To what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put in his own garden. It grew, and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky live in its branches.” Again he said, “To what shall I compare God’s Kingdom? It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
Luke 13:18-21
Luke 13 [17.] As he said these things, all his adversaries were disappointed, and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
Luke 13 [18.] He said, “What is God’s Kingdom like? To what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put in his own garden. It grew, and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky live in its branches.”
Luke 13 [20.] Again he said, “To what shall I compare God’s Kingdom? It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
Luke 13 [22.] He went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and traveling on to Jerusalem. One said to him, “Lord, are they few who are saved?”
He said to them, “Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in, and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen up, and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside, and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ then he will answer and tell you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ He will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets, in God’s Kingdom, and yourselves being thrown outside. They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in God’s Kingdom. Behold, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last.”
Meaning:
Jesus has just healed a woman bent over for eighteen years, and while his opponents were put to shame, “all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him” (Luke 13:17). That healing was a small sign of God’s Kingdom breaking in. Jesus now tells two short parables, a pair about a man and a woman, to show how that Kingdom grows from tiny beginnings to something great.
- “What is God’s Kingdom like? To what shall I compare it?”
Jesus often taught with comparisons drawn from everyday life. The Kingdom of God is God’s rule, his saving reign through Jesus. Many expected it to arrive suddenly in power and glory, with the overthrow of Rome. Jesus’ questions invite listeners to think again about what the Kingdom looks like now.
- “It is like a grain of mustard seed”
The mustard seed was proverbial for its smallness. Mark records Jesus saying that it is “less than all the seeds that are on the earth” (Mark 4:31). Yet the plant grew in a single season to the height of a small tree, three metres or more, large enough for birds to perch in its branches.
The birds nesting in the branches recall Old Testament pictures of great kingdoms. God promised to plant a tender twig on the mountain of Israel that would become “a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all birds of every wing; in the shade of its branches shall they dwell” (Ezekiel 17:23). Many see in the birds a hint of the nations coming to find shelter in God’s Kingdom.
The Kingdom began with Jesus and a small band of disciples in an obscure province. After his resurrection, Jesus sent his followers to be witnesses “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8). On the day of Pentecost alone, “There were added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41).
- “It is like yeast, which a woman took”
The second parable comes from a woman’s daily work. Three measures of flour is a very large amount, about 39 litres according to the PIB footnote, enough to make bread for a hundred people or more. Sarah used the same quantity when Abraham hurried to welcome his three visitors: “Quickly prepare three seahs of fine meal” (Genesis 18:6).
A small amount of yeast, hidden in the dough, works silently and steadily until the whole mass rises. In Scripture yeast often stands for the spreading influence of sin, as when Paul warns, “Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole lump?” (1 Corinthians 5:6). Here Jesus uses the same quality in a positive way. God’s Kingdom works from within, changing hearts, families and communities, until its influence reaches everywhere.
- Two parables, one message
The mustard seed shows outward growth, from tiny to great. The yeast shows inward transformation, hidden but thorough. Both teach that small and unimpressive beginnings do not limit what God will accomplish. Matthew and Mark record these parables too (Matthew 13:31-33; Mark 4:30-32).
The Significance of Luke 13:18-21
- Encouragement in small beginnings
A small church, a single act of kindness or a quiet witness may seem insignificant. God’s Kingdom often grows from such beginnings.
- Patience with God’s timing
Growth takes time. Believers can trust God’s work even when it is slow and unseen.
- Transforming influence
Like yeast in dough, followers of Jesus are meant to influence the world around them from within, through faith, love and truth.
Cross-References:
Mark 4:30-32: "It’s like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth," The parallel in Mark.
Matthew 13:33: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, until it was all leavened." Matthew’s account.
Ezekiel 17:23: "under it shall dwell all birds of every wing;" The great tree of God’s planting.
Colossians 1:6: "even as it is in all the world and is bearing fruit and growing," The gospel spreading worldwide.
Conclusion: Jesus compared God’s Kingdom to a tiny mustard seed that grows into a tree where birds nest, and to a little yeast that leavens a great quantity of flour. The Kingdom begins small and hidden, but it grows outward to welcome many and works inward to transform completely. No beginning is too small for God’s purposes.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible