It should be the goal of every student of the Bible to ascertain what the original recipients of a divine message were expected to understand. It is equally indefensible to teach truth from a passage that does not teach that truth as it is to teach error. Truth should be taught from verses that respectively teach it and error should not be taught at all. One writer concisely noted the purpose of this kingdom parable. The application of the parable is that the kingdom would commence with a small beginning, but would grow into a great institution.
Modern man attributes success to big things.
In this parable, though, Jesus emphasizes something small and therefore perceived to be insignificant. The Lord s kingdom, especially in its beginning, like a small seed, is also imagined by worldly souls to be equally insignificant. However, like the mature mustard plant, the growth of the kingdom of God far exceeds its modest beginning and cannot be ignored. Efforts by some commentators to elevate parable details to the same level of the primary thrust of the parable are unwarranted and dangerous. For instance, the birds and the branches do not have special significance in this parable.