The Parable of the Leaven

Matthew 13:33
Another parable spake he unto them; “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.”

While leaven is most often a type of corruption (see Matthew 16:6, 11-12; Mark 8:15; Luke 12:1; 1 Corinthians 5:6-8; Galatians 5:9), it is not so here! If leaven, as used in this parable, is to be understood as corruption then Jesus is prophesying the total and complete failure of His Kingdom. Parish the thought!

Notice that Jesus uses “leaven” as the symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven: He said, “the Kingdom of heaven IS LIKE leaven.” More exactly, the “leaven” of this Kingdom parable is the Gospel of the Kingdom: as is the “seed” in the parable of the sower (verse 19), and the “net” in the parable of the dragnet (found in verses 47-50). 

This is not the first use of leaven as a positive: see for example Leviticus 23:17 where the “wave loafs” were to be baked with leaven. Here the type is of the day of Pentecost recorded in the Acts of the Apostles 2:1-39; when the Holy Spirit was poured into believing Israel. Thus the leaven of Leviticus presaged Holy Spirit infilling. One should also look to Amos 4:5 where leaven is commanded to be offered in the thanksgiving offering; as it is also commanded to be offered with a peace offering: see Leviticus 7:13.

Lev 23:17, Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals; they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord.
Amos 4:5, And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God.
Lev. 7:13,  Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings.

The “woman” in this parable is a type of the Church and the “meal” represents the world. Thus, we see the three measures of meal as the three elements of society: namely, the elements represented in the areas of politics, commerce, and education/religion. Into these three sections of society the Gospel of the Kingdom is to be “hidden” (worked into) until the whole of society becomes leaven (the Kingdom of God). The imagery of this parable is very clear: as yeast works its way through the dough, so will the Gospel work its way through society until the whole of society (the world) becomes the kingdom of the Messiah. Thus, we see the gradual working of the Gospel of the Kingdom upon society (in all three spheres) until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of Christ (see verse 43 and compare to Revelation 11:15 ).

An important note should be made at this point. The alternative to the interpretation that I have just presented should receive a hard look. 

Those of the dispensational theological persuasion will attempt to cast this parable in an entirely different light. For them the “leaven” in Jesus’ parable is a type of sin, or some wickedness; the “woman” represents an false religious system that most identify as the Roman Catholic Church; the “meal” is seen as the kingdom of God; the “three measures” represent the biblical godhead of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In this view, the Roman Catholic Church is successful in corrupting the biblical teaching of the Godhead with the false leaven of the Trinity.

There are several things hermeneutically wrong with the interpretation offered by the futurist, some of which I will address here. First, if leaven is, at this particular place, a type of corruption, then Jesus is teaching the anti-effectiveness of His Kingship and the total failure of His Kingdom—as I have pointed out above.  This would be the case because Jesus clearly stated the “kingdom of heaven” to be likened unto “leaven.” We must ask ourselves, Is Jesus saying that the “kingdom of heaven” is wicked, or evil? Certainly not! Therefore, such an understanding of “leaven,” as the word is used in this text, must be rejected—out of hand. Second, the woman of Jesus’ parable is said to represent an evil religious system (RCC) because, we are told that “anytime the metaphor of a women is used in biblical prophecy it is always a type of false religion.” That this is a false premise is demonstrated clearly enough by Revelation chapter twelve where both Israel and the Church are represented by “a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: … .” Also, we should consider the Church pictured in biblical prophecy “as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2; see 21:9). Plus, there is the woman Jesus referenced in His parable of lost things (Luke 15:8-10) that is representative of the Church. Thus, there is no hermeneutical reason to assign the “woman” in Jesus’ parable a sinister or evil identity. The woman’s identity is to be determined by the context of the parable itself. Since the “kingdom of heaven” is the “leaven” and since the “leaven” is worked into the meal by the “woman,” the proper identity of the woman would be the Church (or the Holy Spirit in the Church) that is the agent of propagating the Gospel of the Kingdom into the earth—the earth being represented in the parable by the meal. That the meal is in three measures is in keeping with society divided into three parts: Educational, Commercial, and Governmental. This paradigm is presented in holy Scripture by the sign nailed to the cross over the head of Christ (John 19:20-22); it was in three languages: Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Latin—language of the government; Greek—language of commerce; Hebrew—language of the intelligentsia (temple apparatus). The kingship of Christ was rejected by all three branches of society—but in the end all three branches will confess Him as King.

Apostolically Speaking
☩ Jerry L Hayes