Luke 13:19 Meaning and Explanation
“It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The kingdom is like a mustard seed sown in a garden: it grew into a great tree, and the birds of the air lodged in its branches.
What Does Luke 13:19 Mean?
The first picture is of smallness becoming shelter. A grain of mustard was a byword for the tiniest of seeds, yet sown in a garden it grows until birds nest in its branches — language that recalls the great tree of prophecy in whose boughs the nations find shade (Ezekiel 17:23; Daniel 4:12).
The kingdom of God begins beneath notice: a teacher on a dusty road, a bent woman healed, a word received in one heart. But its life is the life of God, and its destiny is room for the world — fowls of the air, guests from east and west (verse 29). Despise no small beginning of grace; heaven hides forests in seeds.
Frequently Asked Questions About Luke 13:19
What does Luke 13:19 mean?
The kingdom is like a mustard seed sown in a garden: it grew into a great tree, and the birds of the air lodged in its branches.