He proposed another parable to them. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”
33 He spoke to them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”
34 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, 35 to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation [of the world].”
In this short yet profound section of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus continues to unveil the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven using parables—this time, through the images of a mustard seed and a measure of leaven. He reveals a deep truth: the Kingdom does not arrive with fanfare but through hidden beginnings and quiet growth.
The mustard seed, “the smallest of all the seeds,” grows into a tree so that “the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches” (Mt 13:31–32). This image is more than a natural metaphor—it echoes prophetic imagery from the Old Testament, where trees sheltering birds represent kingdoms open to many peoples. In Ezekiel 17:22–24, God promises to plant a tender shoot that will grow into a majestic cedar, under which “every kind of bird will dwell.” Similarly, Daniel 4:19–21 uses the image of a great tree to symbolize a vast dominion. Jesus is telling us that God’s reign, though it begins in obscurity, will one day be a universal refuge—a place where the nations find rest.
The second parable, about a woman mixing yeast into three measures of flour (Mt 13:33), may seem domestic and ordinary, but it, too, holds rich spiritual meaning. Three measures would produce an abundance of bread—far more than a single household could consume. The leaven, once hidden in the dough, permeates it entirely. The Kingdom also works in this way: not by overthrowing empires but by transforming hearts, cultures, and histories from within.
Both parables underscore the quiet but unstoppable expansion of God’s reign—a process that mirrors the Incarnation itself. Christ did not come in thunder and fire but as a child, born in a manger, hidden in Nazareth. Yet from that hidden life comes salvation for the world. As Isaiah prophesied, “A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse” (Is 11:1)—a small beginning with a world-changing end.
Matthew adds that Jesus spoke to the crowds only in parables “to fulfill what had been said through the prophet” (Mt 13:35). This reference, drawn from Psalm 78:2, underscores the continuity between Jesus’ ministry and God’s long-established plan of salvation. Just as the psalmist declares, “I will open my mouth in a parable; I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation [of the world],” Jesus unveils truths that were embedded in creation and in Israel’s history, now fully disclosed through Him.
The Church Fathers (2nd to 8th centuries) and later commentators recognized in these images a model for how grace works: slowly, quietly, persistently. St. John Chrysostom (ca. 349–407 AD) observed that the seed represents “the preaching of the Gospel” which, though small at first, spreads to every corner of the earth. The Navarre Bible notes that the parables also describe the transformation that takes place within the soul—a mustard seed of faith, which must be nourished through prayer, obedience, and cooperation with grace, to become mature virtue or ‘leaven’, that can transform a whole person into the likeness of Christ.
This same truth is echoed in the New Testament epistles. St. Paul often emphasizes how faith works invisibly but powerfully within the believer: “Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?” he asks the Corinthians (1 Cor 5:6). Though he uses it there as a warning about sin, the principle also applies to grace—its silent presence can permeate a life and make it new.
Thus, these parables remind us that God is never idle. Even when the world seems chaotic, when spiritual progress feels slow, or when our efforts appear small, the Kingdom is growing. The soil of history, fertilized by the blood of martyrs (Tertullian, ca. 160–225 AD), is being transformed by the hidden action of grace—within the Church, within our families, and within our own hearts.
Lord Jesus, You planted the Kingdom in our midst through Your Word and Your Cross. May the seed of faith You have sown in us take root and grow. Transform us, like leaven in the dough, that we may become witnesses of Your hidden power and bear fruit that brings others into Your sheltering love. Amen!
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011), Mt 13:31–35; Ps 78:2; Is 11:1; Ez 17:22–24; Dn 4:19–21; 1 Cor 5:6.
- A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, ed. Orchard et al. (1953).
- The Navarre Bible: St. Matthew, Faculty of the University of Navarre (2008).
- The Paulist Biblical Commentary, ed. Chiu et al. (2018).
- The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, ed. Brown et al. (1990).
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, §§543–546.
- Tertullian, Apologeticus, ch. 50.
- St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew.
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