The Parables of the Mustard Seed and of the Leaven

³¹ He^(A) presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven^(B) is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. ³² It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”^(C)

³³ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven^[a] that a woman took and mixed into fifty pounds^[b] of flour until all of it was leavened.”^(D)

Using Parables Fulfills Prophecy

³⁴ Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and he did not tell them anything without a parable,^{(E) 35} so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and of the Leaven

¹⁸ He said, therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like,^(A) and what can I compare it to? ¹⁹ It’s like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the sky nested in its branches.”

²⁰ Again he said, “What can I compare the kingdom of God^(B) to? ²¹ It’s like leaven^[a](C) that a woman took and mixed into fifty pounds^[b] of flour until all of it was leavened.”