Luke 13:19
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.
Cross-references
In Luke 17:6, the mustard seed symbolizes faith's power — here it symbolizes the kingdom's growth. Same seed, different lessons.
Ezekiel 17:22-24 describes God planting a tender sprig that grows into a great tree for birds — an exact parallel to the mustard seed.
Matthew 13:31 records the identical mustard seed parable, with a man sowing it in a field instead of a garden — same teaching.
In Matthew 13:32, the mustard seed becomes a tree with birds nesting — it parallels the same growth detail as in Luke 13:19.
Mark 4:31 says the mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds — it directly parallels the seed imagery in this parable.
In Mark 4:32, the planted seed becomes the largest garden plant with big branches for birds — it matches Luke's description.
In Ezekiel 31:6, birds nesting in a cedar symbolize Assyria's pride — the same image used positively here for the kingdom's reach.
Daniel 4:12 uses the tree-and-birds image for Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom — prefiguring the kingdom's growth but with a warning of pride.
In Matthew 17:20, Jesus uses the mustard seed to teach about faith's power, not kingdom growth — same metaphor of small beginnings.