MUSTARD SEEDS

Mustard seeds from the Israeli mustard; Sept. 2003.

Not the smallest seeds in the world, they may have been amongst the smallest garden seeds known to the Israelis of Jesus' time. 

MATTHEW 17:20 -- ASV

"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Cicero quoted the stoics about faith, "Good faith makes good on its promises."

Jesus was quoted as saying this after coming down from the mountain of transfiguration, that was likely Mt. Hermon as it was near Caesarea Philippi.  From the summit of Mt. Hermon one was able to see the Mediterranean Sea.  It would be difficult to move such a mountain into the sea.  A small part of the mountain might be moved, but a greater faith overcomes great physical limitations.

Dried mustard branch -- near Tel Gezer, Sept. 2003

I taste tested seeds from the short- pod brown-black mustard species shown on these pages.  It was hot and spicy mustard.  In July 2006 I found some dry mustard pods near Huleh in Upper Galilee that contained two seeds in one pod.  The taste of the seeds was hot but not as tangy as other wild seeds I had tasted.  There were some flavor differences between different plants of this species.  The species was observed in northern Israel, the Golan, and coastal plain observed between Tel Gezer and Acco.  The range of the mustard was probably further south than Gezer and north of Tel Dan near the Lebanese border and in areas I did not survey.  The mustard seed is the third leading source of edible oil in the world.  Soybean and palm oil ranked first and second.  The mustard oil may also be used as biodiesel.  During Jesus' ministry in Capernaum people may have used the mustard seeds to prepare a sauce to season meats as mustard sauce was mentioned in the Talmud.

MORE MUSTARD SEEDS

Parable of the Mustard Seed
     A Mustard Field Along Highway 87-North Shore of Galilee
     Mustard Seeds in the Palm of a Hand
     A Branching Mustard Plant Near the Jordan River/Bethsaida
     Mustard Field March 1999
     Mustard Flowers
     Chukar Partridges
     Ten Foot Mustard Plant
Upper Most Seats of the Synagogue
The Fig Tree
     Mt of Olives Fig Tree April 12-13, 2005
     Fig and Pomegranate trees below Siloam in Jerusalem
     Israel Photos II fig tree page
     Sycomore Fig Tree
The Good Shepherd
The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats
     Goat Herder
Camels
Eye of the Needle
Ritual Cleansing
Shechem
     The Olive Harvest of Samaria
     Mt. Ebal
     Olive Tree
Pearl of Great Price
A First Century Synagogue at Gamala
     View from the Vulture Overlook
     Overview of Gamala
     Roman Artillery Replica
A First Century Boat on Display at Kibbutz Ginosaur
     Modern Galilee Fishing Boats
Kursi
     Caves and/or Tombs
     Steep Slope near the Lake
Hippos
Feeding the 5,000
     On the Mountain
     Walking on Water
      Ramot-Zelon area
      Alternate location
Mt. Hermon
The Pool(s) of Bethesda in Jerusalem
     Healing Pools
     Southern Pool
     Crusader Chapel and St. Anne Church
The Pool of Siloam in Jerusalem
     Gihon Spring
     Hezekiah's Tunnel
     Overlook of  Siloam
Tower of Siloam
A Watch Tower in a Vineyard/Olive Grove
     Grape Vines at Beth Horan
     Towers
Mt. Precipice
     South Face
     Summit
     Over the edge
     Measuring Line
     View of Nazareth from near Megiddo
Nazareth
     The Basilica of the Annunciation
Capernaum
Healing a Paralytic in Capernaum
Bethsaida      
First Century Artifacts from Qumran and Masada
     Qumran -- 1st century pottery
     Masada -- 1st century glassware
     Masada -- 1st century pottery
     Masada -- 1st century stoneware
Waterskins and Wineskins
The Fish and the Coin
A Denarius
Casting out a demon
The Road to Jericho
     Old Roman Road
     Wilderness Above Jericho
     Old Jericho
Western Wall
Gethsemane and the Cave of  Gethsemane
Church of the Holy Sepulcher
Rolling Stone Tombs - Jerusalem
     Other Rolling Stone Tombs
Tiberias
Solar Power in Israel
Salt of the earth
Chorazin

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