"Another parable spake unto them, The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole we leavened."
You and I might disagree about this text, which declares: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole be leavened.” Why disagreement? Because there are those who say that because leaven is usually used in a negative light in much of the Bible, it should be viewed negatively here too. I just can’t read the text and come to that conclusion. The point is that a smidgen of leaven, or yeast, is put into the bread and begins to spread through the bread until the loaf rises. (Keep in mind that all bread in the Bible is not unleavened bread.) The application seems to me to be that the kingdom of heaven, the people of God, might seem insignificant, but, like leaven, we are permeating the loaf. What kind of beginning did the early church experience? There were very few Christians. If you see the same statistics that I see, there are still very few Christians. Does this mean that because we are outnumbered, we don’t have a chance to reach the world? What this parable says to me is that the people of God are like leaven and are actually influencing and permeating the world. Why? Because the people of God are working on God’s timetable. The course of the world is not up to kings, shieks, presidents, or parliaments. The course of the world is in God’s hands. That is why we continue our missionary work under seemingly overwhelming odds. We know that as citizens of the kingdom of God, we are like leaven in this world. Our ultimate influence is not political. Our influence and our victory are wrapped up in God. Like leaven, the battle is being won because we represent a power higher than humankind. The world is headed for a rendezvous with Jesus Christ; therefore, like leaven, we need to continue to work away and to serve Him until He comes. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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