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The Mustard Seed and Kingdom Faith
In the Gospels there are two different references to the grain of
mustard seed, the first relating to the Kingdom, the second to
faith.
I believe that the two references to the
mustard seed are related, and generally misunderstood.
The kingdom of Heaven as a grain of mustard
seed
Mat 13:31 He put out another parable to
them, saying, The kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard
seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32
which indeed is the least of all seeds, but when it is grown it
is the greatest among herbs and becomes a tree, so that the
birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.
Faith as a grain of mustard seed
Mat 17:20
... For truly I say to you, If you have faith like a grain of
mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Move from here to
there. And it shall move. And nothing shall be impossible to
you.
The grain of Mustard Seed
If the two mustard seed references are related, then the common interpretation
that you only need a little faith to move a mountain is not
correct. The issue becomes not a little faith, but Kingdom of
God faith.
The Gospel of Thomas adds an important emphasis.
"It is like a mustard seed. It is the smallest of all
seeds. But when it falls on tilled soil, it produces a
great plant and becomes a shelter for birds of the sky."
The grain of mustard seed falls into 'prepared' or 'cultivated'
soil.
The seed is perceived.
Ezekiel 47
Another informative passage of scripture is Ezekiel 47 which
speaks of the stream of water coming out from the temple (a kingdom of God allegory).
The stream is wideer and deeper the further it is from the entrance to the Kingdom - extrapolating, at the entrance it would be 'mustard seed' size.
Quantum Physics
The mustard seed is 'the smallest of all seeds' - quanta?
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