Luke 13:18-19

Luke 13:18-19

[18] Unto what  the kingdom  of God  like?  and  whereunto  shall I resemble  it?  [19] like  a grain  of mustard seed,  which  a man  took,  and cast  into  his  garden;  and  it grew,  and  waxed  tree;  and  the fowls  of the air  lodged  in  the branches  of it. 

What does Luke 13:18-19 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The kingdom of God is the messianic kingdom that the Old Testament predicted. It would be an earthly kingdom over which Messiah would rule for1 ,000 years ( Revelation 20:4-6). It is similar to a mustard seed in that it had a small beginning in the preaching of Jesus, but it will grow to be a very large entity. It will eventually encompass the whole earth and the entire human race ( Psalm 2; et al.). Luke did not mention its small beginning, only its large final form.
The reference to the birds nesting in its branches may simply be an insignificant detail. However it is probably an allusion to the tree in Nebuchadnezzar"s dream in which the birds evidently represent the Gentile nations that profit from the tree (kingdom, Daniel 4:7-23). Several Old Testament passages use a tree with birds flocking to its branches to illustrate a kingdom that people perceive as great ( Judges 9:15; Psalm 104:12-13; Ezekiel 17:22-24; Ezekiel 31:3-14).
The point of the parable is the final large form of the kingdom. In this context Luke probably wanted his readers to connect the great power of Jesus manifested in the woman"s healing ( Luke 13:10-17) and the power that results in the tree"s unusual growth into a worldwide kingdom.