It is argued that Jesus was wrong here because there are smaller seeds in existence, like the orchid. But the Greek word here is mikros, and it does not merely have size in view. For example, it is also used in Luke 9:48:

> And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.

Obviously, Jesus did not mean here that he who was smallest in size would be greatest. So we suggest that the mustard seed description is not an evaluation of size at all (or exclusively), but an evaluation of worth - which is a matter of personal judgment that is quite acceptable and cannot be charged as erroneous.

Two other objections may crop out of this one. First, some versions refer to the mustard as a "shrub" but the word here is lachanon, meaning a vegetable or an herb. (Rom. 14:2 "For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.")

A second objection is that mustard becomes a tree. Of course, the scientific classification schemes of modern botany were not yet invented -- classification was by appearance and function, not by biology. In that regard, the mustard plant of Palestine (Sinapis nigra) could grow to a height of several (2-6) feet and be considered a tree -- if not by the scheme of modern science (Is a bonsai a "tree"?), then assuredly by the descriptive classification scheme of the ancients.

Critics often struggle with the suggested translation, asking in what sense mustard is the "least" of seeds compared to weed seeds, and how the seed is useless if it grows into something great. Such objections fail to understand the contextualizing frame of honor and shame. When the movement started by Jesus began, it had no honor in its social setting. It was not ascribed any honor, nor did it have any characteristics that others would regard as honorable. It was a movement founded by someone (Jesus) who would have been regarded as deviant. It is in that sense that the evaluation is one of worth rather than size. In contrast, an analogy of size makes no sense at all. The kingdom of heaven is not a physical object that you can apply a measuring device to. The analogy refers rather to the accrual of honor which would be obtained through the validating event of Jesus' resurrection and the movement's gradual rise to prominence.

Some critics consult a Strong's concordance to insist that lachanon can absolutely mean "shrub." The primary flaw in this logic is the confusion of categories: the category "shrub" is relatively modern and it is anachronistic to think that the Greeks had a specific word that equalled the modern category, "perennial woody plant." In contrast, the Greeks certainly would have had words for basic food types like "herb" and "vegetable". Note furthermore that the same word is used in Luke 11:42 to say that the Pharisees tithed mint and rue and "all manner of herbs". Finally, standard lexicons define the word as meaning a garden herb or vegetable.

Furthermore, the objection against defining a "tree" by ancient rather than modern standards presumes that Jesus would use a modern classification scheme to express what a "tree" was to 1st-century peasants, which fails to account for the necessity of communicating within the cultural and linguistic framework of the original audience.

In Matthew 13:31-32, the apostle recorded a brief parable that Jesus taught regarding His heavenly kingdom. “The kingdom of heaven,” Jesus said, “is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” The central truth of Jesus’ lesson was that the kingdom of heaven (i.e., the church; Matthew 16:18-19; Colossians 1:13), would be very small in the beginning (Acts 2), but in time would become very large. Rather than be a movement that died with its leader (cf. Acts 5:33-39), history shows that Jesus was exactly right in His prophecy: since His death and resurrection 2,000 years ago, multiplied millions of people have become citizens of this heavenly kingdom of which Jesus foretold.

Rather than acknowledge Jesus’ impressively fulfilled prophecy, His critics allege that He blundered in His reference to the mustard seed being “the least of all the seeds” (or as Mark words it, “smaller than all the seeds on earth”—4:31). Since other plant seeds technically are smaller than mustard seeds (e.g., epiphytic orchid seeds found in tropical rainforests), critics claim that Jesus made a scientific mistake (Wells, 2011; McKinsey, 2000, p. 263).

Although the Bible has shown itself to be historically and scientifically accurate time and again over the last 2,000 years (see Butt, 2007), the reader must bear in mind that, just as we often do in modern times, Jesus and the Bible writers frequently used figures of speech. They sometimes used numbers as names instead of literal numbers (e.g., calling the apostles “the twelve” after Judas had died—1 Corinthians 15:5; see Lyons, 2002). They oftentimes referred to things as they appeared instead of as they actually were (e.g., Christians who had died were said to have “fallen asleep”—1 Corinthians 15:6). They used Hebrew idioms, even when writing in the Greek language (e.g., “three days and three nights”—Matthew 12:40; see Lyons, 2004). And, just as we communicate truths in the 21st century through easily interpreted exaggeration (e.g., “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse”), Jesus and the Bible writers also made use of hyperbolic expressions. For example, when Paul noted in his letter to the church in Colosse that the Gospel “was preached to every creature under heaven” (1:23), readers understand that Paul is not technically saying that every living thing on Earth heard the Gospel. He’s not even saying that every person, including every infant, invalid, and mentally-ill person, heard the Gospel. Paul was obviously using a figure of speech to communicate an astounding truth: the then-known world (of both Jews and Gentiles) had been exposed to the Good News of Jesus Christ.
So what about Jesus’ comment regarding the mustard seed being “the least of all the seeds” (Matthew 13:32)? Was Jesus scientifically inaccurate? Only in the same sense that people are today when they refer to it “raining cats and dogs” during heavy precipitation, or “burning up” during a heat wave. The fact is, Jesus was speaking proverbially in this parable. In Palestine, mustard seeds were used comparatively when talking of very small things. For example, when Jesus taught about how the smallest amount of faith could bring about great results, He referred to this “faith as a mustard seed” (Matthew 17:20). Since the Jews were very familiar with the mustard seed, Jesus referred to what they could understand and appreciate. In their world, where they lived, planted, and harvested, they understood that the mustard seed was the smallest of the seeds they normally planted. And still, it could germinate, take root, and flourish, eventually becoming an 8- to 10-foot tall shrub (Lane, 1974, p. 171).
Similar to how we might say to someone, “everyone knows that two plus two is four,” Jesus told His Palestinian peers that the mustard seed is “the least of all the seeds.” Do most people on Earth likely know that two plus two is four? Yes. But millions of infants are ignorant of this mathematical fact, as are many mentally-ill individuals. Thus, the term “everyone” would be used in a limited sense. Likewise, when Jesus spoke of the mustard seed, He was speaking hyperbolically in a limited sense. The mustard seed “was the smallest usually sown in Jewish fields” (McGarvey, 1875, p. 121, emp. added).

Problem 1: Jesus said that the mustard seed was “the least of all the seeds.” However, today we know that the mustard seed is not the smallest seed of all. Some think Jesus was speaking of the black mustard seed. But, even this is not the smallest of all seeds.

Solution 1: Jesus was not referring to all the seeds in the world, but only those that a Palestinian farmer sowed in his field. This is made clear by the qualifying phrase “which a man took and sowed in his field” (v. 31). And it is a fact that the mustard seed was the smallest of all seeds which the 1st century Jewish farmer sowed in his field. So there is no contradiction here between science and Scripture. What Jesus said was literally true in the context in which He said it.

Problem 2: Some claim that the mustard seed cannot grow big enough to house birds, let alone grow to tree size.

Solution 2: But this is not so, because there is evidence that some mustard seeds grow into trees about ten feet tall. This would certainly provide enough branch space for a bird to build a nest (Matt. 13:32).

# The Mustard Seed: The "Least of All Seeds"?

Was Jesus wrong in Matthew 13:31–32 when He said that the mustard seed was the “least of all the seeds”?

Objection: Skeptics claim that Jesus was wrong in saying that the mustard seed was the "least of all the seeds" (Matthew 13:31–32), pointing out that other seeds, like the orchid seed, are smaller.

Response:

Christ's statement in Matthew 13:32 about the size of the mustard seed is entirely consistent when understood within its cultural and agricultural context, rather than being forced into an anachronistic scientific framework. This approach aligns with historic Christian exegesis, which recognizes the incarnation of the Word into specific human contexts.

1. Context of Cultivation: The class of seeds with which the mustard seed is associated in this passage is the garden herb group (lachana). When Jesus refers to "all the seeds," the context limits "all" to the specific group of seeds planted by farmers for food in first-century Palestine. Since the mustard seed was cultivated in ancient Palestine for its oil, Jesus was comparing it to the seeds typically sown by local farmers. In this limited context of garden herbs, Jesus accurately spoke of the mustard seed as extremely small. If Jesus had said, "The mustard seed is smaller than the orchid seed," He would have spoken erroneously, but He was speaking to a specific audience about their local agriculture.

2. Proverbial Expression: Furthermore, comparing smallness to a mustard seed was a common Jewish idiom. Recognizing this demonstrates that scientific precision was neither intended nor necessary. It was a general, popular expression of smallness that His listeners would instantly grasp. The proverb was used precisely because it was an accurate representation of their daily experience: the mustard seed was remarkably small, yet grew into a moderately large plant.

Through this parable, Christ effectively communicated the profound truth about the kingdom of heaven: from humble, seemingly insignificant beginnings, it grows into a vast and welcoming reality.