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Mustard:
Big issues with a small seed |
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Mustard plants growing wild (3 to 5 feet tall) in the fields around the Sea of Galilee
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A question that has come to us in both written and verbal forms is in regards to the mustard seed. A seemingly insignificant subject, it is frequently granted paramount stature by those who seek to discredit Scriptures. It then becomes a symptom of the world and its desire to find excuses to ignore the plain teachings of Scriptures concerning the salvation found only in Jesus Christ. For reference, forms of these mustard questions (or statements) include:
Since each of these questions or statements does not specify what passage of Scriptures they are referring to, the five references which pertain, all from the gospels, are as follows:
The first passage (Matthew 13:31-32) was specifically quoted in King James English, by one writer of the Atheist Alliance, as he attacked God...
In dropping part of the quotation, Steven Morris knowingly dropped part of the context. Apart from context, virtually any statement can be misconstrued or misused in a fashion unintended by the writer. For example, if you had a transcript of your own words on pretty much any given day, drawing a single arbitrary paragraph out of the pages could be used to have you assenting to, or disagreeing with, something you had no intention of doing. I'm quite sure that Dr. Steven Morris has at some time referred to the setting or rising of the sun. Using his standard, this would discredit him from ever speaking on scientific subjects... every scientist knows that the sun doesn't move relative to the earth! In fact, with proper observation and context, we readily recognize these statements as figures of speech and would never use them as indictments on his scientific abilities. (If he did stand up in a scientific forum and claim that the sun orbits the earth, the context would have us justly proclaim him as a scientific loon). Hosts of additional passages could be cited as examples of the figures of speech incorporated throughout Scriptures, including Psalms 18:2 & Psalms 141:3. These and similar passages do not teach that God is literally a rock, a fortress, a shield, or a horn, or that we have a literal door over our mouths - each employs imagery which would engage the mind of the hearer rather than stand up to some unintended "scientific" standard. Since context becomes exceedingly important, let's examine Matthew 13:31-32 again, still in King James English (KJV), re-supplying (and noting) the statements ommitted by Morris.
A quick listing of facts established within the full context and passage include...
Because this teaching was a parable, it is important to understand what a Scriptural parable is.
Extra-biblical sources, close to the period, also confirm that "small as a mustard seed" was a common saying of the era, again showing that the statement was intended to be understood by the immediate hearers, in context, not to be used as a world-wide all encompassing and absolute statement. It certainly was the the smallest garden seed, or seed that yielded a crop, in that region. For example, Jewish Rabbinical writings use the phrase to mean the least amount in regards to the smallest drop of blood, the smallest remnant of sunshine in the evening sky, and in terms of the slightest defilement. Demonstrating their spiritual blindness, the many skeptics of Scriptures continue to cite this and other equally dubious "mistakes of Scriptures." Even when one such individual grudgingly acknowledged the context and contemporary usage of the passage, he still claims it as proof of the irrelevancy of Scriptures.
For the record, the Bible is accurate on every subject to which it speaks. When statements are made concerning history, science, faith or God, they are factual and correct. Using figures of speech or illustrative word imagery in some passages, does not discredit the statements intended to be taken as direct or supporting statements of truth. Context and intent is still the key. Hold the entirety of today's scientist's to the skeptic's impossible standard of having never used any figurative language and there would be no one left. (I could talk till I'm "blue in the face," or until the "cows come home," or just keep on being "a pain," but "my money's on them" not finding someone who hasn't "dropped" a few phrases or "salted" their speech with a "pinch" of non-literal expressions. Go figure!)
Wild mustard in February at Galilee Returning to the text of the parable, other skeptics (including one unbelieving guide in Israel) claim a mistake in Scriptures regarding the mustard seed growing into a tree. Again, remembering that the purpose of a parable is to paint a memorable word picture, drawing on the images and knowledge of the listeners, the wording was to specifically contrast mustard with other garden herbs or plants. In no way was Jesus trying to compare it with an oak or cedar tree, the context specifies what the contrast was to be. In fact, the grown mustard seed plant has much of the appearance of a tree, especially in comparison to most other garden herbs or plants. This brings us to the birds...
Typically citing the King James translation, the skeptics are quick to point out that the full grown mustard plant is too small for birds to nest in. This, they assume, is the only meaning for the word translated as "lodge." While the Greek word ("kataskenoo") could be used to imply a longer duration (i.e. nest), it does not have to mean this. It likewise can mean "to rest" or "to seek shelter," something which is readily observed, with birds stopping on the branches of the plant to eat the seeds growing there. The New International translation better reflects this understanding and usage of the term. Comparing the kingdom of heaven to this seed and plant would have great pictorial value as the listeners would readily understand it to be something miniscule that would grow to be larger than all other planted kingdoms (i.e. the other garden plants), providing shelter (and sustenance) to all who would rest on its mighty branches.
Wild Sinapsis arvensis mustard towering over other plants in a field For the more scientifically inclined, it must be noted that there are three species of the mustard plant common to the region of Israel. Two of these readily grow wild, namely Sinapsis arvensis and Sinapsis alba. (The USDA actually characterizes arvensis, or wild charlock mustard, as "a prohibited noxious weed"). The black mustard, Sinapsis nigra, is specifically singled out and cultivated as a condiment. Each of these species produces an extremely small seed, and all of them in favorable soil conditions and climate grow to an impressive size. While four feet tall is an average maximum height, noted examples of the Sinapis nigra have been in the range of ten to fifteen feet in height. Certainly this would qualify as a tree in comparison to other garden herbs and plants! Travelers to the Middle East (Charles Leonard Irby and James Mangles), about two centuries ago (1817-1818), noted that black mustard they observed was as high as the horses' heads. Another writer (Dr. Thompson, published 1902) from later that century took note that he saw wild mustard growing as tall as a horse and rider in one rich plain area. Unquestionably, the language used by Jesus was appropriate.
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Another field of wild mustard near the Tell of Beth Shean |
