For most of us, mustard is a millennial color. Or a condiment that goes great on hot dogs. But mustard seeds have a deeper significance in certain circles. Specifically, it’s an important symbol to Christians, especially Protestants. Let’s learn the mustard seed spiritual meaning.
Mustard Seed Spiritual Meanings
1. Growth and Development of Faith
Mustard – the condiment – is made by crushing turmeric with yellow mustard seeds. You can also find intensely flavored mustard made from black and brown seeds since yellow mustard is the mildest. A mustard seed is tiny – just 2 or 3mm. It’s used primarily as a spice but the leaves can be cooked as greens. Note that mustard gas does not come from mustard.
Mustard plants are annual, and the seed grows into a 1.2m shrub (3 to 4 feet). It germinates and grows for about 12 months, producing yellow flowers and seeds before it eventually dies. 1.2m isn’t very tall, but it’s huge compared to the 3mm seed that started things. In this sense, mustard seeds show the potential of a tiny grain of faith developing into a much bigger plant.
2. The Power of a Little Faith
The mustard seed is an important symbol in Christian spaces. In the New Testament of the Bible, it appears in three of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). In these bible books, it’s the parable of the mustard seed, which we described in above in #1. But Jesus mentions the mustard seed in one other context. The tale pops up in Matthew 17:20 during an exorcism.
The disciples are trying to get a demon out of a boy and they can’t, so Jesus does it for them. When they ask why they couldn’t, he tells them they didn’t have enough faith. They ask how much faith it takes to cast out demons. He tells them faith the size of a mustard seed (only 2 to 3mm) can move a mountain. So this tiny seed describes how powerful Christian faith is.
3. The Transformative Nature of Christianity
The mustard seed itself is a small thing. It looks like an insignificant dot that can’t achieve much so it’s easy to dismiss it and flick it off your fingers. It’s also easy to lose it if you don’t know its value. But that minuscule speck of plant matter transforms in ways you can’t even imagine. This change happens so slowly that you don’t even notice until the growth is done.
But as you know, time is relative. In the context of plants, this annual mustard shrub is fast since it goes from a 2mm seed to its full size in 3 to 4 months … which would be an awfully expensive time-lapse video. Once it’s grown, you can’t process how that seed turned into that bush. Similarly, Christianity makes you so much bigger and better than anyone can envision.
4. The Importance of Christian Community
Mustard seeds are barely visible and easily overlooked. But within 3 or 4 months, they grow into a shrub that’s roughly 4 feet tall. This bush then supports an ecosystem of birds, bugs, and other creatures that draw their livelihood from it. It also sprouts thousands of new seeds that will multiply into more mustard bushes. This speaks to the communal nature of faith.
It’s not just about sitting in your house and having quiet time. In the same way that one seed nurtures an entire group of birds and animals, Christians are meant to provide for the people around them. It’s not in the form of preaching and bible stories. They should help others in practical ways like food, shelter, alms, education, friendship, and warmth. It’s their calling.
5. An Example of How to Reach People
This highly symbolic seed gives Christians a template and a formula for how to spread their faith. If you want people to understand what Jesus means to you, speak in terms that they can understand. The people who lived in Jesus Christ’s lifetime were farmers, fishermen, traders, etc. So his parables drew parallels and explanations from their lifestyle and daily activities.
In Matthew 13:10 to 11, Jesus explains that the parables aren’t meant to be understood by everyone. The secrets of the faith are for the chosen few, and it’s up to the wise ones to share it with others. This continues to date. A mustard seed might not make sense to the modern person, but you could describe your faith using a strawberry seed or some relevant concept.
6. You Have to Start Somewhere
All seeds – including mustard seeds – are both a beginning and an ending. Plants start life as seeds. These germinate, develop roots, stems, and leaves. Eventually, they produce flowers which are pollinated to make seeds that are then dispersed to launch a new life cycle. But it all begins with an unremarkable seed. This idea can apply to faith in everyday life and work.
It’s easy to be overwhelmed when you have massive tasks ahead of you. It can feel impossible so you may be too scared to try. But just as the mustard seed becomes ridiculously useful in time, a small step can spurt into massive results. You just have to do one thing at a time and place one foot in front of the other. These movements will cumulate to achieve your target.
7. Exponential Potential of Your Actions
You may have heard the joke of CDE Christians (Christmas Day and Easter). These faithfuls only go to church twice a year during these celebrations, but they’re not bothered with the weekly sermon or tithe or anything like that. But Christianity isn’t just about going to church and reading the bible. Christians are called to share the love and message of Jesus every day.
Their words, actions, and interactions should all show the gospel in a good light so they can attract others to their way of living. The mustard seed reinforces this idea because a single Christian being mean or cruel could turn thousands away from the faith. A mustard bush lives for one year and produces over 10,000 seeds in those 12 months. That’s your impact!
8. The Need to Work Together
We all agree that mustard seeds don’t seem grand or powerful at first glance. But they grow to do magnificent things and support entire neighborhoods (of birds, insects, animals, and humans). But the mustard tree doesn’t operate in a vacuum. It needs soil, water, and sun to germinate sprout, develop, and make seeds of its own. Christianity operates in the same way.
This is partly why the Holy Spirit gives us nine fruits (e.g. kindness, gentleness, faith, etc.) and seven gifts (teaching, ministry, wisdom, etc). Every Christian has their own combo of these fruits and gifts, with only Jesus possessing them all. This forces and encourages us to collaborate and merge our various abilities. This mustard seed signifies interdependence.
9. The Divine Self in Us All
These days, lots of people say Namaste without understanding what it means. It has become a clichéd greeting and a dog whistle for eat-pray-love and love-laugh-live types. Its original meaning is ‘the divinity in me salutes the divinity in you’, acknowledging the deity and spirit in all of us. It’s one soul addressing another soul, and this concept is signified by mustard.
Many Hindi rituals involve this teensy seed. Plus in everyday life, mustard as a spice and a condiment elevates the taste and experience of many foods. But the mustard seed spiritual meaning in the Hindi culture is about connecting to the soul and communicating with the end goal of reincarnation. Eventually, we want to reunite with the universal spirit of Brahma.
10. Good Luck and Manifestation
Just like a rabbit’s foot, mustard seeds are thought to invite good luck, blessings, and positive vibrations so you could carry a few in your pocket, purse, or wallet. You could also give a bag or pouch of mustard seeds as a gift. It’s a helpful grounding tool that they can rub or squeeze when they feel anxious, overwhelmed, or encroached by negative forces. It’s a little protector.
You can also use mustard seeds in your meditation practice. When you’re manifesting, focus on the mustard seed and visualize it growing into a healthy, hearty bush. The power of that growth infuses energy and astral rays into whatever you’re manifesting. As the mental shrub sprouts thousands of seeds, your manifesting wavelengths and portals will expand and grow.
11. Expelling Unwanted Beings
In the same way that a mustard seed pouch can protect you from hostile energy while it magnifies positive ones, it can guard your home. You can practice Feng Shui with the colors, lights, and accessories that decorate your house. You can also angle it to face certain compass directions to invite and repel specific wavelengths. Mustard seeds can be part of this process.
In Vastu Shastra architecture from India, it can be useful to place mustard seeds at all the corners of your house. These keep out demons and malevolent spirits. You could even plant a mustard bush on the outer corners of your building or yard for the same reason. They can be full-sized outdoor trees or smaller indoor potted plants. Just give them lots of sunshine.
