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 Pearl Parable of the Pearl The Parable of the Pearl (also called the Pearl of Great Price) is one of the parables of Jesus. It appears in and illustrates the great value of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is the penultimate parable in Matthew 13, just before the Parable of the Dragnet. It immediately follows the Parable of the Hidden Treasure, which has a similar theme. It does not appear in the other synoptic gospels but a version of this parable does appear in the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas, Saying 76. The parable has been depicted by artists such as Domenico