The Mustard Seed Parables In Four Gospels

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Throughout the New Testament, parables are facilitated by Jesus in order to get a certain message across to the people. Although the parables often times have the same core ideas, the different words and tones used in each of the different gospels completely change the way the parables are read. In the mustard seed parable, Matthew, Mark, Luke and Thomas all have the same essence, but the different expressions make them very distinctive. Through comparing the similarities in differences between these four Gospels, it can be deducted that similar sources and references were used in constructing the parable.

The first comparison can be made between arguably the most similar writings of the mustard seed parable, Matthew and Mark. In Matthew
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Thomas begins the parable with the disciples asking Jesus to describe what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. He continues on by saying it is like the mustard seed and it turns into a plant if it is on strong soil. No other gospel mentions the soil that the seed is on or that the it turns into a plant and becomes a shelter. The word shelter is very apt for describing the Kingdom of God and creates a very important image for the comparison. This word choice is staunchly different and creates a very different imagery than in Matthew, Mark, or Luke. No other gospel mentions the disciples or Jesus. Although it is the shortest of the four other parables, it packs the most imagery.

Matthew and Luke are the most similar of the four gospels not only in length, but also in tone. They both use hypothetical language to emphasis that the seed has not actually been sown, but if it was to be sown, then it would be compared to the Kingdom of God. Yet, both Luke and Matthew are the most similar in word choice so that suggests that they used the same source, Q, for reference. They are so similar in length and language, but have small differences in sentence structure. Therefore, it can be deducted that there are different translations which is why the words are slightly

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