In Matthew 13, Jesus tells the parable of the mustard seed which begins as one of the smallest of seeds, and within a year grows to be over twelve feet tall. He says to his disciples, "The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.".

             This story serves as a lesson about the humility and the potency of the Kingdom. There are many central lessons about the Kingdom of Heaven which Jesus taught to seek to his disciples -- he spoke to them of the difficulty of walking the straight road to heaven, the great value of the kingdom, and the way in which its message was easily confused and misplanted. In this parable, he speaks not so threateningly of loss, nor so longingly of value, but with quiet assurance of the eventual triumph of faith over darkness. .

             In the earlier verses of this chapter, Jesus describes seeds that fall to the ground and are lost because the soil is too hard, or the birds peck it away. Here he describes the fate of the seeds which fall into fertile soil -- they will not only bear fruit a thousandfold, but they will become strong and tall and a light to the world. The Kingdom of God is often described in the gospels as a small and valuable thing -- a lamp, a coin, a pearl of great price, or a moment between bride and groom. Here too is is seen as small and potent (mustard is one of the strongest tasting seeds), yet one sees how the Kingdom which begins small and priceless expands within the ready soul to become large enough to offer shelters to others. The emphasis of this parable is generally thought to be "the contrast between beginning and end. Jesus' point is that Kingdom of God is a historical process, beginning inconspicuously but leading to conspicuous results.