The Parable Of The Leaven Series

06. The Parable Of The Leaven

SERIES; The Parables Of Jesus

INTRODUCTION

Jesus presented some of His most memorable lessons as parables. One reason He used parables is for the helpful way they connected abstract spiritual truths with regular everyday activities. These stories empowered simple, uneducated people to grasp divine revelations. Acts 4:13. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

Jesus used parables in so many different ways too. For instance:

1. Jesus used parables as part of a conversation in casual environments. He often used parables as “teachable moments” in such situations. For instance, Jesus told the Parable of The Two Debtors when he was a guest in a Pharisee’s home. He also offered a teachable moment in The Parable of The Fig Tree, a parable from nature.

2. Jesus used parables to answer questions. For instance, Jesus used a parable to answer a lawyer’s question in The Parable Of the Good Samaritan. Jesus also used The Parable Of The Rich Fool to answer questions about a family situation.

3. Jesus used parables to respond to situations observed around Him. He used parables as an opportunity to teach practical lessons for life, living, and pleasing God. For instance, Jesus used The Parable of The Ambitious Guest to illustrate important lessons on humility and how to be a guest.

4. Jesus very often used parables to instruct, teach, and edify his disciples and followers

5. Jesus used parables to respond to those who confronted him on different issues. For instance, Jesus used The Parable of The Two Sons and The Parable of The Wedding Feast to respond to those who challenged him.

SUMMARY

In summary, Jesus Christ used parables to teach, encourage, motivate, open spiritual eyes and help his follower to explore a wide variety of practical applications of Christianity – for instance what it actually means to serve God wholeheartedly, humility and what it means to be humble, what it means to show love, mercy and compassion, how to treat others with kindness and respect, how to avoid embarrassments, the importance of prayer, how to approach God, practical wisdom for daily living, growing in God, the importance of putting what we learn into practice, The Kingdom of God, moral lessons, and so many more.

1. Some of the parables that Jesus used were very brief, they only consist of a verse of two.

• The Parable of the Leaven is a perfect example.

• Both Luke and Matthew's Gospels share this short but profound parable. (Matt. 13:33; Luke 13:20-21).

• Some believe that this parable is part of a pair, the other parable being “The Parable of the Mustard Seed.” That we studied in our previous teaching in Mt 13:31-32

• In that parable, we discovered that The kingdom is depicted as having remarkable growth, despite humble beginnings

• Perhaps the parable was told by Jesus to reassure His disciples... That their involvement in the kingdom would not be for naught Especially after hearing two parables in which we see not all would receive the Word properly, and Satan’s efforts to hinder growth of the kingdom would be noticeable

2. Let’s read Luke’s account of this parable: the parable of the leaven (Luke 13:20-21).

"Again He asked, 'What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough'" (Luke 13:20–21, New International Version).

3. we can see similarities to “The Parable Of The Mustard Seed”

• Both are quite brief, with no explanations by Jesus recorded

• Both appear to be describing the remarkable spread of the kingdom of heaven

• But some differences can also be noted, so this parable is certainly worthy of careful consideration

[Let’s begin, then, by noticing some...]

I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON “LEAVEN”

A. WHAT WAS “LEAVEN”?

• Scientifically, it is a living organism, a unicellular fungi.

• Practically speaking, it is fermented dough.

• It is a small portion of fermented dough used to ferment other dough (Holman Bible Dictionary)

• Today, we more likely use the term “yeast” instead of “leaven”

B. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LEAVEN?

• It causes bread to rise.

• It makes bread spongy and soft.

• It gives bread a sweeter taste.

C. HOW DOES LEAVEN WORK?

• Leaven “converts fermentable sugars present in the dough into gas carbon dioxide.

• This causes the dough to expand or rise as gas forms pockets or bubbles.

• When the dough is baked, the yeast dies and the air pockets ‘set,’ giving the bread a soft and spongy texture.”

• Once inserted into a batch, it continues its process of fermentation until the whole batch has risen