Parable of the Leaven, Part 2 - Evangelical Caucus/Devotional

Gracetoyou.org ^ | 2008 | John MacArthur, Grace Community Church

[metmom]

“He spoke another parable to them, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened’” (Matthew 13:33).

In order for it to have the positive influence we referred to yesterday, the leaven of God’s kingdom must be hid. And that does not mean hiding to be invisible but hiding to penetrate deeply, completely permeating the world as leaven thoroughly permeates bread dough. Believers are not to be of the world, but they must be in the world to reach and change it with the gospel (cf. Mark 16:15; John 17:14–16, 18).

When we faithfully serve as the moral and spiritual leaven of the kingdom, our influence in the world will be both positive and pervasive. And for this to happen, we don’t have to be powerful national leaders, wealthy entrepreneurs, or popular sports figures—just obedient servants of Jesus Christ.

Evangelism and other aspects of kingdom ministry often seem to have little immediate effect. As the church grows bigger, the world’s population grows at a much faster rate, and the church remains a remnant by comparison. But the Lord continues to add to His kingdom by reaching millions through radio, television, publications, and the Internet—means that were largely unavailable or untapped just a century ago.

The leavening work of the kingdom may seem invisible or ineffective to you—“a day of small things”—but that does not mean the Lord is not at work. Jesus’ purpose in this parable and the previous one on the mustard seed was to assure the apostles as well as believers of every era that the kingdom would not fail but ultimately prosper and triumph (cf. Matt. 16:18).

Ask Yourself

Is God calling you or your church to infiltrate a certain segment of culture or an area of your community with the transforming agent of gospel influence?

As He leads, begin dreaming about how you might do that—and what He might do as a result.

[metmom]

Studying God’s Word ping

[dadfly]

good one metmom. here is a positive parable of leaven in the Word—where most of the time the reference connotes a negative one (like the ‘leaven of the Pharisees.’). i can think of just other where the leaven was allowed to be baked into a meal offering in the OT. i’m blessed by this. thank you.

[left that other site]

Amen.

Some Bible scholars ONLY see leaven as a negative.

They equate Leavening with Fermentation,
Fermentation with Corruption,
and Corruption with Sin.

It’s a valid point, but in my humble opinion, not the point that Jesus was making in this particular Parable.

Was jesus saying that Corruption would enter His Kingdom, permeate the whole thing, and spoil the whole loaf?

Or was He saying that, as one Christian speaks the Word, shares the Gospel, and permeates the World, that the Kingdom would “Rise”, like Bread Dough does when you add the yeast and knead it through?

Or maybe, a little bit of both?

I’m not a huge JMacA fan, but beieve that his interpretation of this Passage is right on.