Kneading bread

Yeast? Or No Yeast?

TWENTY-SIXTH IN MY TEACHING SERIES ON THE PARABLES OF JESUS

The Parable Of The Leaven

He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.

Matthew 13:33-34

I’s important to define “kingdom of heaven.” Jesus is referring to His eternal domain as the Messiah. In the days we live in, the kingdom of heaven is spiritual, existing within the hearts of believers (Luke 17:21). Later, the kingdom will be manifested physically, when the Lord Jesus establishes His throne on this earth (Revelation 11:15).

Jesus used this parable to illustrate the kingdom of heaven, and how we as Christ-followers have a permeating effect on it, similar to the effect leaven has on dough. By yeast (leaven) being introduced into dough the dough, every part of the dough eventually became leavened.

Through this parable, we learn several things about the nature of God’s kingdom that Jesus is referring to in this story. Each of these lessons can be learned through an understanding of the nature of yeast.

  • The kingdom of God may start out very, very small, but it will increase exponentially. Yeast is microscopic in size, and only a little is kneaded into the dough. Given time, the yeast will spread through all the dough. In the same way, Jesus’ kingdom started with twelve men in an obscure corner of civilization, but has spread throughout the world through the course of human history.
  • The kingdom of God exerts its influence from within, not externally. Yeast makes dough rise from within. God first changes the heart of a person, and that internal change has external manifestations in our words, decisions, and action. The gospel influence in our culture works the same way: Christians within act as agents of change, slowly transforming that culture from the inside out.
  • The effect of the kingdom of God is, and will be, comprehensive. Just as yeast works until the dough has completely risen, the ultimate benefit of the kingdom of God will be experienced universally. “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).
  • Although the kingdom of God works invisibly, its effect is evident to all. Yeast does its job slowly, secretly, and silently, but no one can deny its effect on bread. The same is true of the work of grace in our hearts and in the world in which we exist.

The nature of yeast is to grow and to change whatever it comes in contact with. When we surrender our life to Jesus through faith, His grace grows in our hearts and changes us from the inside out. As His spirit in us transforms us, it exerts an influence in the world around us.

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