Did Jesus not know there were seeds smaller than mustard seeds?

Question

He says in Mark 4:31: "It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth."

But right in his area were dozens of orchards and duckweeds, and people were cultivating poppies; they all have smaller seeds.

If it was meant to be just for the purposes of story telling, why didn't he just leave out the part about it being "less than all the seeds that be in the earth?" It would have gotten the point across.

Did Jesus not have the knowledge of the things he (or God) had created?

King James Version

And if people were cultivating poppies at that time, they would have known about them.

Thomas, you know very well that I can not hate a God that I don't believe in (Do you hate Mithris?).

I think you hit the nail on the head there SonoranDesertGirl

Why don't people like endurokart read the details?

Thomas: what I have told you is what I think of a fictional character, though I do not like the morals of some fictional characters, I do not "hate" fictional characters.

Old-bald-one: No, he was speaking of size. Look at the answer from turntable.

Also, mustard seeds are extremely important (that is where they got many of their oils from which provided substantial calories).

I think of all the believers responding here, diddjan has given the most rational response.

Also, Thomas, just because you want to believe that atheist secretly believe in God does not make it so.

Sorry djddan, I always get your name wrong.

Answer 1

The Bible is written in a way the average person can understand. The Bible was written by God but through a human vessel or human hand, and humans are fallible. The Word of God must have appeared in their minds as images that they as humans needed to write down in their own way of relaying what God is conveying to them. I don't think God physically possessed the authors of The Bible and forcibly controlled their hands to write it word for word the way God wants it written. It is also sometimes mistranslated as well, again, human errors.

Answer 2

Of course Jesus knew ... There were smaller seeds in Palestine even. If we put ourselves back into those times we learn that there was a common proverb which used the mustard seed as a symbol of smallness or insignificance. "Small as a mustard seed," they would say. We do the same today. We say something is "as small as a flea." There are smaller things than fleas that we might use but that is a proverb which expresses smallness. Jesus employs the mustard seed in this way. Proverbially, it is the smallest of all seeds.

Answer 3

In the illustration Jesus was making, the mustard seed although not the smallest of all seeds, was the smallest that were sowed in Israel. The difference between the sizes of the seed and mature stages of the plants growth was quite a contrast and worked well for illustrative purposes.

Answer 4

You have proved the scriptures to be correct Skeptic. You already have been answered on this point, but you ask the question any way. Jesus was not giving an agriculture lesson my friend, nor was he prepping his disciples for the next botany exam. He was talking about faith, and making a simple illustration. You are very much like the Pharisees in Jesus' time. You ask and point out what you think are the faults of the God you hate, and when you are answered you just get more obstinate. I know that you and every other skeptic/atheist/whatever are going to think this is stupid, but that mustard seed objection will avail you nothing on judgment day. It's coming so you might want to stop worshiping your own intellect,as idolatry is a serious sin. That probably seems like a terrible thing to say, but I would be guilty of a far worse crime were I not to warn you.

Edit: You have told me in no uncertain terms what you think of the God of the Bible. Of course, from my perspective, professed unbelief means nothing, as God is there whether you think so or not. (as an aside, I actually believe everybody knows it but most just deny it or make up there own) And yes, I do hate Mithra, as it is a demonic lie that undoubtedly contributed to the spiritual demise of many.

Edit: It isn't as if I think you have this belief in God that is a dirty little secret that you are trying to hide from everyone else. I think you know in your heart of hearts, but you have successfully buried that knowledge under layer upon layer of self righteous self deception. I don't want to be offensive, but I am afraid that's just what the gospel message is, offensive. "The preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing".

Answer 5

While some may argue that a mustard grain is not “the tiniest” of all seeds, orchid seeds being smaller, and that it does not actually become “a tree,” it must be borne in mind that Jesus was speaking in terms familiar to his audience. As far as Jesus’ listeners were concerned, the mustard grain was indeed among the tiniest seeds planted, and it is noteworthy that the Arabs designate as “trees” plants smaller than the mustard.

Answer 6

Christ was speaking of planted seeds as in grain seeds. In that context the mustard seed is not vary important as in "less" or least in importance. Who would want to sit down to a big bowl of mustard for super. Understand? Not size but importance is what he meant.

Answer 7

What translation are you using? Mine is a new living translation and Mark 4:31-32 reads "It is like a tiny mustard seed. Though this is one of the smallest of seeds, it grows to become one of the largest of plants, with long branches where birds can come and find shelter." Maybe you just misread. He says it is one of the smallest, not the smallest.

Answer 8

THE PROBLEM OF THE
MUSTARD SEED
JOHN A. SPROULE
In this article the author seeks to demonstrate exegetically and botanically that our Lord Jesus Christ was not merely using the language of accommodation or even proverbial language, necessarily, when he referred to the mustard seed as the "least" of all seeds. The author appeals to the language of the text, the context, and to expert testimony in the field of botany to show that the mustard seed was indeed the smallest garden-variety seed known to man in Bible times.
THE PROBLEM
Matt 13:32 (and its parallel in Mark 4:30-32) seems to be a
favorite target for opponents of the inerrancy of the autographs of Scripture. In the context of this passage, Jesus, in a parable, describes the phenomenal growth of the Kingdom of Heaven. He compares that growth with the growth of a grain of mustard (sina Dr. Fuller alleges that botanically we know that there are smaller seeds
than the mustard seed. And that is true. Then he argues that Jesus accommodates Himself to the ignorance of the people to whom He was 1. D. P. Fuller. Evangelism and Biblical Inerrancy (unpublished monograph, Dallas
Theological Seminary, n.d.) 18. This work first came to this writer's attention in 1968.

http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/Ted_Hildebrandt/NTeSources/NTArticles/GTJ-NT/Sproule-MatMustard-GTJ-80.pdf

i guess the only question is are you really looking for the answer or want something that agrees with what you beleive...

Answer 9

Interesting that in this case so many people seem willing to say "oh, it was something that was misinterpreted when translated" or "he was just using it as a point of reference for the average person" - yet I have a feeling these are the same people that insist that other parts of the bible be taken incredibly literally as "it is directly from god & is the work of god & therefore must be accurate".

Seems a little inconsistent to me. Either it is all true & you believe it or none of it is true. Picking & choosing just makes no sense to me.

Answer 10

He did indeed know the size of everything He created! The mustard seed was a point of reference for the people of his day and and easy historical lesson for all of us two thousand years later. He used an object that could represent the kind of faith necessary in a visible object.