Mustard
From Reconciling understandings of Scripture and Science
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We read in Matthew 13:31-32 and Mark 4:30-32 that Jesus spoke of mustard seed as the smallest of all sown seeds[1], which grows into a big tree. But many seeds are smaller than mustard, including seeds commonly grown for food.
There is no need to be alarmed by this conversational untruth: if we can understand what the Lord meant by it, we are reading the Bible literately, not literally.
On the other hand if his exaggeration makes us uneasy because it is untrue, we are likely to misread Scripture and turn it into a bad joke. See this shameful example ("The smallest of seeds") from Kentucky.
- ↑ Greek λάχανον refers to cultivated plants
