Parable of the Mustard Seed size." The Parable of the Leaven (which in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke immediately follows) shares this theme of large growth from small beginnings. As with the Parable of the Sower, which in "Matthew" and "Mark" occurs earlier in the same chapter, the man sowing the seed represents Jesus, and the plant is the Kingdom of God. The nesting birds may refer to Old Testament texts which emphasize the universal reach of God's empire, such as Daniel 4:12. However, a real mustard plant is unlikely to attract nesting birds, so that "Jesus seems deliberately to emphasize the notion of
Parable of the barren fig tree Parable of the barren fig tree The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree (not to be confused with the parable of the budding fig tree) is a parable of Jesus which appears in . It is about a fig tree which does not produce fruit. The parable is as follows: In this parable, the owner is generally regarded as representing God, who had a fig tree planted in his vineyard and came seeking fruit. The gardener (vinedresser) is Jesus. Fig trees were common trees and would rarely be planted in vineyards because the deep roots and large branches take much