Luke 13:20, 21
And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?
It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
Matthew 13:33
Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
Leaven = Bad.
Corruption of the kingdom.
Hidden within meal.
Fine meal = Goodness.
Among true Believers.
Corruption of the kingdom.
Hidden within meal.
Fine meal = Goodness.
Among true Believers.
Did you know
leaven can only grow in
leaven can only grow in
lukewarm temperatures?
In either hot or cold,
In either hot or cold,
it will do nothing.
Revelation 3:15, 16
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
3 Kinds of Leaven:
Leaven of Pharisees
Leaven of Sadducees
Leaven of Herod
Leaven of Pharisees
Leaven of Sadducees
Leaven of Herod
Jesus says LEAVEN is a characteristic of the Pharisees and Sadducees and warns the disciples are to beware of it.
What is the leaven of the Pharisees?
Hypocrisy.
Luke 12:1
"...Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."
The Pharisees were guilty of hypocrisy--saying one thing but doing another. Hypocrisy does not come suddenly. It is a slow and subtle process. The Pharisees likely did not intend to be hypocrites as they were exemplary in their sincere pursuit of doctrinal truth. Nevertheless, after a while they slowly became self-righteous.
They thoroughly knew the letter of the Law but they missed the spirit of the Law. They moved away from the focus of the Scriptures. Paul speaks of being "moved away from the hope of the gospel" (Colossians 1:23). No matter what causes that move away from the gospel, a result is hypocrisy.
Some Believers start out genuinely. But they slowly cool down. They move away so that eventually only the outward appearance of spirituality is left while the inside is vacant. They honor God verbally but their heart is far from God. They preach one thing but do not practice it. They have departed from their first love and have become neither cold nor hot.
Since leaven only works in a lukewarm environment, if you put the dough in a cold place, the leaven will not do anything. If you put it in a hot place, nothing will happen there either. A lukewarm condition is needed for dough to rise.
They thoroughly knew the letter of the Law but they missed the spirit of the Law. They moved away from the focus of the Scriptures. Paul speaks of being "moved away from the hope of the gospel" (Colossians 1:23). No matter what causes that move away from the gospel, a result is hypocrisy.
Some Believers start out genuinely. But they slowly cool down. They move away so that eventually only the outward appearance of spirituality is left while the inside is vacant. They honor God verbally but their heart is far from God. They preach one thing but do not practice it. They have departed from their first love and have become neither cold nor hot.
Since leaven only works in a lukewarm environment, if you put the dough in a cold place, the leaven will not do anything. If you put it in a hot place, nothing will happen there either. A lukewarm condition is needed for dough to rise.
What is the leaven of the Sadducees?
Disbelief (Unbelief).
Luke 20:27
"Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection..."
The Sadducees only accepted the Pentateuch. They did not believe in the resurrection, in miracles, or in life after death. Some Christians may struggle with doubts about their faith or may have many questions for which they don’t find answers but they, by faith, hold on and continue to trust God's direction and timing. Others, however, are easily shaken with every wind of doctrine and slowly their faith is eroded by unbelief.
What is the leaven of Herod?
Political management by subtle diplomacy.
Mark 8:15
And he charged them, saying,
Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.
'That fox', is what Jesus called Herod in Luke 13:32. This has reference to the subtle diplomacy and cunning political management of a difficult Roman region. It enabled Herod to keep his position and royal power for many years. Herod was opportunistically willing to be nice to most everyone as long as he was left to be king of his little empire. One can be spiritually opportunistic by having one foot in the kingdom of God and the other foot in the world. As long as they can continue to do their own will, they don’t mind getting baptized, for example. Eventually they become worldly Christians.
By use of the word "leaven" in these three instances, Jesus is warning His disciples of the danger of allowing their thinking to be assimilated to that of the world around them (the world of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Herodians). "Leaven" in the rest of the Scriptures is described as an unseen and pervasive evil influence. The parable of the leaven is a picture of the spreading of evil within the body of Christ.
By use of the word "leaven" in these three instances, Jesus is warning His disciples of the danger of allowing their thinking to be assimilated to that of the world around them (the world of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Herodians). "Leaven" in the rest of the Scriptures is described as an unseen and pervasive evil influence. The parable of the leaven is a picture of the spreading of evil within the body of Christ.
As with wheat and tares, the good and bad grow together until a set time of full growth.