31. Ἄλλην παραβολὴν παρέθηκεν αὐτοῖς, λέγων, “ Ὁμοία ο Ch: aril,
A ~ a A 3 ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν 3 κόκκῳ σινάπεως, ὃν λαβὼν ἄνθρωπος
xvii. 6 (same
ἔσπειρεν ἐν TH ἀγρῷ αὐτοῦ: 32. ὃ µικρότερον µέν ἐστι πάντων τῶν phrase).
~ a a , σπερµάτων: ὅταν δὲ αὐξηθῇ, μεῖζον τῶν 7 λαχάνων ἐστί, καὶ γίνεται 24. 1 Cor.
xv. 37 (the
a - A λ A δένδρον, ὥστε ἐλθεῖν τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ " κατασκηνοῦν 1 ἐν word).
τοῖς κλάδοις αὐτοῦ.
33. Ἄλλην παραβολὴν ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς,2' Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία 2.
y Mk. iv. 32. Lk. xi. 42. Rom. xiv.
z parall.
τῶν οὐρανῶν "ζύμῃ, ἣν "λαβοῦσα γυνὴ ἐνέκρυψεν εἰς ἀλεύρου σάτα Actsii. 26
” πρία, ἕως οὗ “ ἐζυμώθη ὅλον.
(Ps. ciii. (iv.) 12). a Gh. ¥vi..6,
34. Ταῦτα πάντα ἐλάλησεν ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς ἐν παραβολαῖς τοῖς ὄχλοις, 1, 12.
Mk. viii.
καὶ χωρὶς παραβολῆς odk® ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς: 35. ὅπως πληρωθῇ τὸ 15. Lk.
xii. I (fig.).
ῥηθὲν διὰ τοῦ προφήτου, λέγοντος, ΄᾿Ανοίξω ἐν παραβολαῖς τὸ στόµα 1 Cor.v.6.
in Gal. v.9 µου: ἐρεύξομαι κεκρυµµένα ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου." (proverb- ially). b same use of word in ver. 31. c1 Cor. v.6. Gal. v. ο.
1 κατασκηνοιν in BD.
2 D, Syr. Sin. and Cur. omit ελ. αυτοις. W.H. bracket.
* ονδεν in SBCA; ουκ in Mk. iv. 34, hence here in Τ.Ε. *B (and ΔΡ) omits κοσµου. So Tisch., W.H. al. Weiss suggests that the
omission in B is an oversight.
in the synagogue and to the people used more or less the parabolic method. To this extent it may be literally true that “‘without a parable spake He not unto them ”’ (ver. 34).
Ver. 31. σινάπεως: from oivant, late for νάπυ in Attic, which Phryn. re- commends to be used instead (Lobeck,
’ 288).—Ver. 32. 6, neuter, by attraction of σπερµάτων, instead of ὃν in agree- ment with κόκκῳ, masculine. — puxpé- τερον, not less perhaps than all the seeds in the world. An Americancorrespondent sent me a sample of the seeds of the cotton tree, which he thinks Christ would have made the basis of His parable had He spoken it in America.—pet{ov τῶν λαχάνων, greater than (all) the herbs. The comparison implies that it too is an herb. There would be no point in the statement that a plant of the nature of a tree grew to be greater than all garden herbs. This excludes the mus- tard tree, called Salvadora Persica, to which some have thought the parable reiers.—SévSpov, not in nature but in size; an excusable exaggeration in a popular discourse. Koetsveld remarks on the greatly increased growth attained by a plant springing from a single seed with plenty of room all round it (De Gelijk., p. 5Ο).--ὥστε here indicates at once tendency and result, large enough to make that possible, and it actually happened. The birds haunted the plant
like a tree or shrub. Mark refers only to the possibility (iv. 32).---κατασκηνοῦν (cf. κατασκηνώσεις, viii. 20), not xidulari, to make nests (Erasmus), but to “ lodge,” asin A.V. The mustard plant is after all of humble size, and gives a very modest idea of the growth of the king- dom. But it serves admirably to ex. press the thought of a growth beyond ex- pectation. Who would expect so tiny a seed to produce such a large herb, a monster in the garden?—Ver. 33. ὁμοία - .. ζύμῃ, like in respect of pervasive influence. In Rabbinical theology leaven was used as an emblem of evil desire (Weber, p. 221). Jesus had the courage to use it as an emblem of the best thing in the world, the Kingdom of God coming into the heart of the individual and the community.—évékpuwey, hid by the pro- cess of kneading.—éws οὗ ἐζυμώθη : ἕως with the indicative, referring to an actual past occurrence.
Both these parables show how thoroughly Jesus was aware that great things grow from minute beginnings. How different His idea of the coming of the kingdom, from the current one of a glorious, mighty empire coming suddenly, full grown! Instead of that a mustard seed, a little leaven !