Spreading The Leaven
“He put another parable before them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’ He told them another parable. ‘The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened,’” (Matthew 13:31-33).
Leaven is used quite a bit in the Bible. However, we generally know the ingredient better as yeast. Leaven is a type of yeast commonly used in baking that causes fermentation and the expansion of dough. After learning the meaning and application of leaven, it becomes rather clear why this term is used and in what manner it was intended. That is unless you are one of the disciples who was with Jesus in Matthew 16.
“And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Him they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, ‘When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” And they began discussing among themselves, saying, ‘We brought no bread,” (Matthew 16:1-7).
Matthew 16 begins very oddly. This is the case as you consider the opening sentence that reads, “And the Pharisees and Sadducees came.” The Pharisees and Sadducees were opposite groups of people, they did not dwell together. Except, for this time. The Pharisees and the Sadducees both had religious power and viewed Jesus as a threat to that power. In an attempt to remove such a threat, they came together to question Jesus. After this encounter, Jesus leaves with His disciples and as a learning experience tells them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees,” (Matthew 16:6).
At first the disciples interpret this as Jesus talking about actual bread. However, Jesus was not telling His disciples to not eat of the bread of the Pharisees and Sadducees but rather, beware of the teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees because they can easily spread.
Similarly, in 1 Corinthians 5, Paul is rebuking a church that is hiding sin and he tells them, “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” (1 Corinthians 5:6).
Scripture makes it unmistakingly clear that when entertained, false teachings and sin have the ability to spread causing large amounts of damage to our lives.
However, there is one passage that speaks of leaven in a positive manner.
“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened,” (Matthew 13:33).
While groups such as the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and many other false teachers serve as bad examples that we should avoid, they can also be seen as a good example. As Christians, we need to be unashamed to speak the truth, spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Though many will reject us, we need to always remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 13. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
Spread the Leaven this Week!
