When Jesus taught in parables, his metaphors powerfully engaged listeners because they were so often unexpected – even shocking. Many still are. The image of a mustard seed to teach about faith retains its capacity to compel through surprise.

Jesus gave a parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches’” (Matthew 13:31-32).  Link to continue reading this article published September 2018.    https://goodnewsmag.org/2018/09/orphans-and-mustard-seeds/