Matthew 13:31 - Exposition

Another parable put he forth unto them ( Matthew 13:24 , note), saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto ( Matthew 13:24 , note; also Matthew 11:16 , note) a grain of mustard seed. "The Common Mustard of Palestine is Sinapis nigra, of the order Cruciferae, the Black Mustard, which is found abundantly in a wild state, and is also cultivated in the gardens for its seed. It is the same as our own Mustard, but grows especially in the richer soils of the Jordan valley to a much greater size than in this country. We noticed its great height on the banks of the Jordan, as have several other travellers; and Dr. Thomson remarks that in the Plain of Acre he has seen it as tall as a horse and its rider". Which a man took. The insertion of λαβών is probably to exclude the idea of a chance sowing. True that the seed might, under certain circumstances, then grow as well, but the reality which is being described was the result of long and deliberate purpose ( Titus 1:3 ; 1 Peter 1:20 ). And sowed in his field. "His garden" (Luke) suggests a piece of ground that was at once smaller and more cared for.