Was Jesus wrong about the size of mustard seeds?

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Rob2 said:
Now that does challenge me .
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Because you believe that your faith depends upon you and the world.

The mustard seed’s faith depends upon what has been sourced into it: its essence.

Our essence is God; when we go it alone or resort to the world to give us our values and parameters… then our faith is as salt without its flavor:
13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt lose its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing any more but to be cast out, and to be trodden on by men. (St. Matthew 5)
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Maran atha!

Angel
 
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Dlee said:
Our priest mentioned this a reminded us that this is a parable, an illustration that people of the time could understand which reflects a heavenly meaning. It is not a cop out. Perhaps it was the smallest seed they were familiar with sowing in that particular region.
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This is exactly right. Our priest also went onto explain how the parable of the kingdom was also being compared with how the mustard plant was used at the time for many purposes such as medicinal and for food which made it an important plant for the people at the time.

Also take a look at this which I believe speaks to how the kingdom of God can grow quickly:

“But there are few plants which grow so large in one season as a mustard, and few plants would be characterized by such rapid germination of the seed. Mustard planted one day could begin growing the next.”
 
Perhaps metaphorical… akin, maybe, to Jonah living in a whale. Or Abrham’s age…
 
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Aside from orchids not being in the Mideast, as far as we know, orchid seeds may not actually be ‘proper plant seeds’ under how the ancient Jews classified things. It’s a guess of mine but we definitely know taxonomy back then was different. Even today, IIRC, it’s not clear cut.
 
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hmikell7 said:
I know of at least two examples where the seeds were once much larger, but have since been shrunken down as a side-by-side of selective breeding.
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Bananas are the most illustrious example. Wild bananas are full of large seeds.
 
That’s what it was! I had it pictured so clearly in my mind, but couldn’t remember the fruit, only that the seeds were big and black
 
brian_custer said:
i think that maybe Jesus fumbled with HIS choice of foliage for a parable; sh*t happens
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Jesus did NOT fumble anything. How can you even say this?? He said exactly what He meant to. As others have eloquently explained, He taught a beautiful parable that the Jews immediately understood. They were thoroughly familiar with mustard. They knew how tiny the seeds were, how quickly it grew, and how it became a large herbal tree that became home for nesting birds and other critters. He never said the mustard was the biggest of all plants in the world. He used what was immediately in front of the people to teach them.

As Jesus told the parable, it’s likely they were sitting with mustard plants growing all around them. Just like the parable of the vine and the branches…I imagine Jesus and the disciples were walking through a vineyard as He talked.

Picking the parable apart and trying to prove Jesus wrong is making you miss the point of it entirely. He didn’t make mistakes…He obviously had a point to make when He chose the mustard plant as an example of how our faith should grow.
 
I’m a King James Version guy -
it says " the least - of all seeds " -

" what you did for the least - you did for me "
 
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