The Parable of Leaven

By Joshila Philip, India National Ministry Team
Secunderabad, Telangana, India

Recently when we visited our daughter in the U.S., she introduced us to sourdough bread. (Yes! You read that right; I didn’t know about it before.) She said it was a healthier option than the typical white bread. Later I learned from “Google university” about the sourdough method. Sourdough is a traditional method of making bread that uses a live fermented culture of flour and water as the leavening agent. It’s known as the sourdough “starter.” I also learned that there are some bakeries across the world making sourdough with starters that have been passed down over centuries, going back generations!

Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.” Matthew 13:33 NKJV

The parable of leaven is one of the shortest parables told by Jesus. It’s followed by another short one, the parable of mustard seed. In both the parables, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to small things, a mustard seed and a leavening agent. A very small portion of leavening agent can leaven a large quantity of flour. While the mustard seed’s growth is visible in the plant, leaven’s action is more hidden, helping the dough increase invisibly. Leaven begins as a small portion, but the entire dough is transformed into the very nature of leaven.

Likewise, the kingdom of heaven and the characteristics of the kingdom culture — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — permeate our surroundings. Kingdom culture spreads to our family, workplace, congregation, and neighbourhood. The kingdom of heaven grows till all humanity has seen it, felt it, or experienced it. The kingdom of heaven and its culture is like yeast — at times seemingly invisible, yet it permeates the whole world. Evil, in all its ugliness, cannot stop it.

Meditating on this parable has encouraged me personally, because the persecution that is happening around us in my country is very worrisome. I have often wondered what the future will be for my children. How are they going to stand up for Christ or live their lives as Christians? Will Christianity withstand the fury and hatred that is often projected onto us as Christians in India? The answer is the parable of leaven. The kingdom of heaven will prevail — because Jesus said it will. Like leaven, it will increase, it will spread, and it will take over, permeate, and influence. And the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

The kingdom is immense, but it’s unfinished. It came to us 2000 years ago in the person of Jesus. With a leaven of 12 faithful disciples living the Great Commission, it spread from an upper room tucked in a little corner of Jerusalem to the whole world. It will continue to spread until Jesus Christ returns in glory. Until that day, let us labour in reaching the unreached, touching the lives that are hurting, and demonstrating the kingdom culture. The parable of leaven illustrates the transformative power of the kingdom of heaven, which starts small but has the potential for significant growth. The parable of leaven signifies the power of small things, small numbers, and small acts. It is a powerful reminder that the kingdom of heaven may start small, but it will achieve its completion.

Dear fellow workers in Christ, like the leaven of the sourdough starter, the kingdom has been passed on to us over generations. The purpose of leaven is to transform from within and transmit its nature; likewise, the purpose of every follower of Christ is to be transformed from within and transmit the kingdom culture to others. Until the Lord returns, let this be our earnest prayer: Dear Lord, the kingdom of heaven has conquered my heart and it’s taking over everything inside me. Let your work be finished in me and in the world. Let your kingdom come. Amen.