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Series on the Parables of Our Lord Jesus
The Parables of the Mustard Seed
And the Leaven:
The Expansion of the Kingdom
by Gustavo Barros
Text: Matthew 13:31-33 31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is
like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but
when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air
come and make nests in its branches.” 33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like
leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
Introduction:
It was on September 6, 1620 when the Mayflower ship departed from Plymouth,
England, sailing to America. There were 102 passengers on board the ship that headed
for Virginia, where the colonists--half religious dissenters and half entrepreneurs--had
been authorized to settle by the British crown. However, stormy weather and
navigational errors forced the Mayflower off course, and on November 21 the "Pilgrims"
reached Massachusetts, where they founded the first permanent European settlement
in New England in late December. The expedition returned to Provincetown, and on
December 21 the Mayflower came to anchor in Plymouth harbor. Just after Christmas,
the pilgrims began work on dwellings that would shelter them through their difficult first
winter in America. In the first year of settlement, half the colonists died of disease. In
1621, the health and economic condition of the colonists improved, and that autumn
Governor William Bradford invited neighboring Indians to Plymouth to celebrate the
bounty of that year's harvest season. Plymouth soon secured treaties with most local
Indian tribes, the economy steadily grew, and more colonists were attracted to the
settlement. By the mid-1640s, Plymouth's population numbered 3,000 people. Those
102 people could never imagine that they would cause such a tremendous and gigantic
impact in the world. That small ship and the little group in it were the tiny seed that
ultimately became the United States of America. Those few dozen people set the strong
foundation for the incredible growth of this country. The Lord used (and is still using)
this country to send forth missionaries all over the world to expand His Kingdom
through the teaching of the Gospel. There have been much larger ships that have sailed
carrying several thousand people, but none of them have changed the world like the
Mayflower. The Mayflower is only one illustration of the profound truth that God
delights Himself in using a small number of insignificant people for a great cause. All
throughout history we can see this same principle applied over and over again, so “do
not despise the days of small beginnings!”
Outline of the Sermon:
I – The Parable of the Mustard Seed – External Growth (13:31-32)
II – The Parable of the Leaven – Internal Growth (13:33)
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Context:
Jesus started His ministry preaching that the Kingdom of Heaven was present among
them (4:17). Jesus demonstrated that His Kingdom was present through healings and
mighty demonstrations of power and authority. But on the other hand this King was not
hostile towards the Gentiles, instead He spoke to them with grace and forgave their
sins. This King was too humble and too gentle. He didn’t have an army to cause a
political revolution. Besides that He was dividing the nation with His teachings. The
Jewish leaders hated Him and He called His disciples to “hate” even family members.
Jesus’ followers were simple men, women, and tax-collectors. With all this in mind the
question raised by many people, including the disciples, was, “What King and Kingdom
are these?”
Matthew 13 is also known as the “Kingdom Parables” for in this chapter the Lord Jesus’
main focus is to teach about the Kingdom of God (see vv. 11, 18, 19, 24, 31, 33, 38,
41, 43, 44, 45, 47, and 52). In the midst of the disciples’ confusion and uncertainties
about the Kingdom of God, which was declared by Jesus to have already arrived, the
Lord sets this time apart to teach them about the true character, extension, and value
of the kingdom. The disciples, like most Israelites in those days, had a wrong
understanding about the Kingdom of God. They were expecting a victorious and
triumphant earthly kingdom that would bring about their freedom from the Roman force
and shine the glory of earthly Israel to all the nations. So, Jesus in this section
expounds the truths about the Kingdom of Heaven that were not known by His
followers – He reveals the mysteries that were hidden from others1. So far in Matthew
13 Jesus has taught that:
1 – Many will reject the Message of the Kingdom --- The parable of the soils reveal that
the seed (“the word of the Kingdom” v.18) will be rejected by most people (3 out of the
4 soils don’t produce fruit). This is the teaching about the character of the Kingdom –
it will be rejected by many, there will be false and temporary fruits, but there will also
be those producing everlasting fruits.
2 – Though many people will reject the word of the Kingdom, they will not all be
exterminated and destroyed yet --- The parable of the wheat and the tares shows us
that Jesus will allow evil people and evil forces to dwell with the righteous and faithful
people for a period of time. This is the temporal nature of the Kingdom – it will
continue being mixed for a period of time.
Now, with the parable of the mustard seed, the Lord Jesus will teach about the extent
of the Kingdom. In view of such harsh and confronting realities the disciples want to
know if this Kingdom will prosper and grow. They had invested everything in it. They
had dropped their nets and dropped their professions, dropped their jobs, walked away
from their families to follow Jesus. By then, they could see and feel the increasing
persecution and hate towards Jesus, so the question before them was, “Is it worth
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Matt. 13:10-11Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he
answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not
been given.”
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following this King and proclaiming this Kingdom? Will it grow and expand or will it dye
out soon?”
With these words, Matthew 13:31-33, the Lord Jesus reveals the mystery of the
expansion of the Kingdom. With a parable about a grain of mustard seed Jesus not only
answers the disciples’ doubts about the extension of the Kingdom, but our Lord also
speaks about the entire world history. Here we find the entire panorama of church
history.
These are shocking parables, because the Jewish people didn’t expect a mysterious and
hidden growth of the Kingdom of God. Instead, they were expecting an eruption of
external power and glory. They expected a Jewish world-wide dominating kingdom in
which the Romans and all other pagan powers would serve them and eat the dust of
their feet2. But Jesus reveals another reality, He says the expansion will be little by
little, and not with external power but with internal transformation of each member.
It Is Very Practical For Us Today:
How important and precious these parables are for all of us today. The church needs to
hear this truth and be persuaded of this teaching. All of us here need to be reminded,
encouraged, and exhorted about the truth of this teaching, because similar questions
are raised today. In the face of militant Islamism, in the face of such great attacks from
the thousands of cults, humanism, post-modernism, liberalism and many other “isms”
that so fiercely oppose the Kingdom of Heaven, in view of the increasing hate and
rejection of true Christianity in this country3 – the questions are: “Will the Gospel
advance? Will the Gospel of Jesus Christ overcome these false teachings? Are we on the
winning team? Or, will Christianity disappear? Will the spreading of the Gospel be a
failure? Will missions succeed? Will Islamism overcome the Gospel of Jesus?” The
answer given by our Lord Jesus is an answer not heard on the TV news, CNN, or on any
other secular media, but only in the house of the Lord, for His answer is the
confirmation that His Kingdom is a victorious one! May we have ears to hear!
I – The Parable of the Mustard Seed – External Growth
(13:21-32)
31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed
that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is
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Psalm 72:7-10 In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more! 8 May he
have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! 9 May desert tribes bow down before
him, and his enemies lick the dust! 10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the
kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! Zechariah 8:22-23 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the
Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. 23 Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten
men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have
heard that God is with you.’” Isaiah 60:3-4 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your
rising. 4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you.
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We live in a country that is not “post-Christian,” but a “Christian hating” country and society.
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larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in
its branches.”
- “He put another parable before them, saying” --- Jesus continues teaching
the crowds (“them”) with parables. Parables (Gk. παραβολή) were the weapon of
attack used by our Lord Jesus (13:13-16).
v.31
We must be careful when interpreting the parables that don’t have an explicit
explanation given by Jesus, as the parables of the soils and the tares do. We must be
careful with the different meanings that the analogies may possess (e.g. the seed in the
first parable is the Word of God while in the second parable the seed represents people;
the soil in the first parable represents the heart while in the second parable the soil
represents the world).
“The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and
sowed in his field.” --- The Kingdom of Heaven is compared to the smallest seed
found in Palestine in the days of Jesus. What is the Kingdom of God/Heaven? It is the
sovereign reign of God over the lives of His people.
The word “kingdom” implies greatness, dominion, power, and influence. The words
“grain of mustard seed” resemble something small and insignificant. This
comparison is shocking, because the words “kingdom” and “mustard seed” are
opposites in themselves.
THE MUSTARD SEED:
“is like a grain of mustard seed… v.32 It is the smallest of all seeds” --- The
mustard seed is, probably, the black mustard (sinapis nigra) that was cultivated to
produce mustard and colza oil. Botanically, the smallest of all seeds is the orchid seed.
However, the smallest garden-variety seed in Palestine, or the entire eastern world, at
the time of Christ was the mustard seed. It requires 725-760 seeds from the black
mustard to make a gram. Dr. L. H. Shinners4, Director of the Herbarium at Southern
Methodist University and Research Associate at the Milwaukee Public Museum, said,
"The mustard seed would indeed have been the smallest of those likely to have been
noticed by the people at the time of Christ. The only modern crop plant of importance
with smaller seeds than a mustard seed, the only one in modern day, for a crop plant is
tobacco, and that plant is of American origin and was not grown in the old world until
the 16thCentury.5" Shinners, an expert in the field of botany has shown that the
mustard seed in Bible times was the smallest garden-variety seed and, with the
exception of tobacco, remains so today.
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Dr. Shinners received the Ph.D. degree in Botany from the University of Wisconsin in 1943. He has served as
Research Associate at the Milwaukee Public Museum and is a founding member of the Southwestern Association
of Naturalists.
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See http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt/ntesources/ntarticles/gtj-nt/sproule-matmustard-gtj80.pdf
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The mustard seed was so well known among Palestinians for being the smallest of all
seeds that it became a proverb of something very small. “The seed of mustard plant
was proverbially small (cf. 17:20). Rabbinic literature gives similar contrasting metaphor
using the mustard seed. The mustard seed exemplified the smallest quantity of blood
(y. Ber. 5:8d; b. Ber. 3:1), while the Galilean Rabbi Simeon ben Halafta (2nd cent. A.D.)
asserts that he climbed a mustard bush that was as tall as a fig tree (y. Pe’ah 7:20b). 6”
By comparing the Kingdom of God to a very small grain of mustard seed, Jesus is
teaching that:
1 – The Kingdom of God Has an Apparent Small Beginning! As I said before, this
was shocking to the Jews. “To them (Jews) it must surely have seemed blasphemous to
associate God’s reign with the tiniest of seeds… his listeners probably expected God’s
kingdom to be inaugurated in a dramatic, earth-shattering manner.7”
This comparison reveals that God’s ways are not men’s ways. The Almighty God,
creator and ruler of the universe, establishes His Kingdom in a simple and humble way.
The truth of this teaching is seen in the advent of Jesus Christ: a feeble infant born in a
manger, the baby was laid where the animals slept, Bethlehem was a despised and
unimportant town, his parents were not famous religious leaders, his ministry was in
Galilee, Jesus appointed simple fishermen and a tax-collector to be His disciples, and
most of His faithful followers were despised women. Jesus called His group of disciples,
“my little flock” because they were small in number and small in the eyes of the people.
All these things point to the apparently unseen beginning and launching of the Kingdom
of God. J.C. Ryle writes, “The beginnings of the gospel were exceedingly small… It was
a religion which seemed at first so feeble, and helpless, and powerless, that it could not
live. Its first founder was One who was poor in this world, and ended his life by dying
the death of a malefactor on the cross. – Its first adherents were a little company, who
number probably did not exceed a thousand when the Lord Jesus left the world. – Its
first preachers were a few fishermen and publicans, who were, most of them,
unlearned and ignorant men. 0 Its starting point was a despised corner of the earth,
called Judea, a petty tributary province of the vast empire of Rome. – Its first doctrine
was eminently calculated to call forth the enmity of the natural heart. Christ crucified
was to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness. – Its first movements
brought down on its friends persecution from all quarters… It was a sect everywhere
spoken against. – These are no empty assertions. They are simple historical facts,
which no one can deny. If ever there was a religion which was a little grain of
[mustard] seed at its beginning, that religion was the gospel.8”
But this is nothing new; this is how God has operated since the beginning. God used
one man and one woman to start the human race. He used one family to build an ark
6
Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (Zondervan), Vol. I, p. 86.
Ryken-Longman III, Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (IVP), p. 578.
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J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels – Luke (Banner of Truth), Vol. 2, p. 94.
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and save the human race from the flood and after the flood He used that same small
family (Noah’s family) to continue to populate the earth. The nation of Israel began
with one old man and an old barren woman (Abraham and Sarah). The greatest king of
Israel was a despised young shepherd (David)… Why does God work in this way? So He
may receive all the glory9!
“But when it grows (full grown)” --- The Kingdom of God doesn’t stay in the
form of a seed. There is life in the seed, therefore there is growth. Jesus is teaching
them that, though small in appearance, it will grow.
v.32
“But when it grows, it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a
tree” --- The mustard plants are large shrubs that can grow to a height of 8 to 12 feet
v.32
(2.4 to 3.7 m). The Greek naturalist Theophrastus noted that the mustard grows into a
“tree” (dendron)10. That small seed would become an immense plant.
The second lesson Jesus is teaching:
2 – The Kingdom of God will have powerful growth! The disciples could, by now,
picture that immense bush/tree that would take over the entire garden. The “smallest”
seed becomes the “largest” of all plants. The emphasis is in the contrast. Jesus, the
greatest teacher ever, uses the contrast found in the gardens of Palestine to show the
contrast in the Kingdom of God. The “smallest” – despised and rejected King and
Kingdom – will become the “largest” – it will expand and grow. This was to comfort and
encourage the disciples, but at the same time it was the declaration of devastation to
those who were opposing Him. It was a message of doom to those who reject the King!
“so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches” --- That small
and insignificant seed will grow so much that it will provide a dwelling place for the
birds.
Who are the “birds” that find a dwelling place in the tree? Some people see the
birds as representing Satan and satanic forces, since the birds are "the evil one" in
Jesus' first parable (Matt 13:19). They say that the “birds” are unbelievers who are able
to find temporal relief and benefits from Christians (e.g. good deeds, hospitals, schools,
universities…). However, we must be careful because symbols don't mean the same
thing every time they occur (e.g. the seed is the “message of the Kingdom” in v. 19,
while in the parable of the tares the seed represents “good and evil people”; the soil in
the parable of the sower symbolizes the heart of man, while in the parable of the tare
the field is the “world”; the sower in the parable of the sower is Jesus, while in the
parable of the tares we find another sower, Satan). It seems that Jesus is drawing on
an Old Testament image to enrich his parable. The picture of a great tree that provides
a dwelling place for birds is used three times in the O.T. (Ezekiel 17:23; 31:6; Daniel
4:12). In each case, the tree is a mighty kingdom and the birds depict the majesty and
blessings of that kingdom.
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Zechariah 4:10 Who dares despise the day of small things?
Arnold, Vol. I, p. 436
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EZEKIEL 17:2311:
Most commentators agree that Jesus is alluding to the passage in Ezekiel 1712. Ezekiel
17 is an oracle of judgment against Judah, rebuking king Zedekiah. After two parables
of judgment (17:1-21) Ezekiel concludes with an oracle of hope and salvation (22-24).
Ezekiel 17 says that Zedekiah will not be able to save Israel; instead he is bringing more
condemnation upon the nation. It is God, in His own time, who will plant the messianic
king (shoot) on His mountain and He will become a mighty tree, providing a place for
the “birds.” This pictures the exaltation of the Kingdom of God, under the reign of the
Messiah, starting with a humble beginning (a small plant being planted).
Many Jews at the time of Jesus believed that Ezekiel 17:23 described the rule of the
messianic king, ruling over a restored Jewish kingdom. The translators of the LXX (the
Greek Old Testament) called the cedar "he" to make it clear that the cedar is a person
(in Greek, cedar is a feminine word); and the Ezekiel Targum (an Aramaic translation,
possibly from the late first century) explained that the cedar was a king from the line of
David, and the birds were the "humble who dwell in the shade of his kingdom."
The imagery of birds and trees is highly recognized as echoing the representation
common in the ancient Near East of great kingdoms as cosmic trees with “the birds of
the heaven” representing the nations that find shelter and bring beauty to the tree.
Jesus is taking His listeners back to Ezekiel 17, reminding them that God had spoken
this same truth more than 500 years before Him.
Ezekiel 17 finishes with these words, “And all the trees of the field shall know that I am
the Lord; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree,
and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will” (v.24).
Emphasizing that the tree will grow because God is the One who makes the seed
flourish! He alone gets the glory for the expansion of His Kingdom.
v.32 so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.
“so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches” --- The Gk.
verb κατασκηνόω (encamp, tabernacle, and dwell) is used in the LXX of Zachariah
2:11 (2:15 LXX): “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become
my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me
to you.” Jesus is saying that what was happening in Galilee was about to expand and
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Ezekiel 17:22-24 22“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar
and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23On
the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar.
Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. 24All the trees of the forest will
know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the
dry tree flourish.“ ‘I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’”
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For more see, Beale and Carson, Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament (Baker), pp. 155158.
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grow to the point of bringing other nations (the “birds”) to the Kingdom of Heaven,
preparing the disciples to accept people from other nations and tribes!
How truthful the words of Jesus are! As we look at the history of mankind we can
clearly see the fulfillment of this promise. In spite of persecution, opposition, and
martyrdom, Christianity grew and expanded. It all started with Jesus calling a few
“unimportant” and despised men in Galilee (12 total). After Jesus’ death there were
about 120 people in the upper room (Acts 1:15), praying and waiting for the Holy Spirit.
The Lord added more and more people. Violence and persecution helped spreading the
Gospel to other areas. Paul’s zeal for missions led him to take the Gospel of the
Kingdom to many areas of the world. Today we can see how the “mustard seed” grew
and became the largest tree. In this tree the birds (people from every nation, tribe, and
tongue) have been finding a dwelling.
Today there is a visible legacy of this amazing expansion. The truth of this parable is
undeniable. History guarantees that it will continue being fulfilled!
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Though I don’t believe that nominal “Christians,” those who profess to be Christians,
and cults like Jehovah Witness, Mormons, and Roman Catholics are real regenerated
believers, we can see that the Gospel has been spreading all over the world.. The “few”
who go through the narrow door, the few who walk on the narrow way are from every
nation, tribe, and language. The “mustard seed” became the largest tree, offering true
rest and a safe dwelling place for the nations of the world! No other religion has grown
and transformed the world like Christianity. No other religion has sent so many people
all over the globe, not to explode buildings, but to build buildings and societies
(hospitals, schools, universities…).
Was Jesus Teaching Postmillennialism?
Here we need to stop and ask, “Is Jesus saying that there will be no more persecution?
Is Jesus teaching that the world will become a Christian society? Is our Lord Jesus
proclaiming that His kingdom will take over all societies of this fallen world?” The
Postmillennial position believes that the Kingdom of God will triumph over the kingdoms
of the world in a way that it will result in a “great economic, political, and cultural
prosperity.13” They see the triumph of the Kingdom of God not only spiritually but in a
physical and material way. They believe Christianity will spread, people will be
converted, society will prosper, creating a theocracy. R.J. Rushdoony and Gary North
are noted promoters of the theonomic14 postmillenniarism - they emphasize the
importance of reconstructionism (a philosophy aimed at bringing all institutions
under subjection to God). Nowhere in the Bible do we find such teaching as the one
taught by postmillennialists. The Scriptures are clear that tribulations and persecutions
will continue15. To be part of God’s Kingdom a person must be born from above and
this is a work of God alone – natural birth doesn’t bring about heavenly citizenship.
Besides that, the natural mind cannot comprehend and accept the things of God. Jesus
13
See Kim Riddlebarger, A Case for Amillennialism – Understanding the End Times (Baker), pp. 28-31
The word “theonomy” comes from the Greek words for “God” (theos) and “law” (nomos)—meaning “God’s
Law.”
15
Acts 14:22 Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God; II Tim 3:2 Indeed, all who desire to
live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
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said: Luke 17:20-21 - Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come,
Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people
say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in within you.”; John 18:36 - Jesus
answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would
be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
Jesus is not promising that all societies and governments will become Christianized. He
is not promising a theocracy in which the Mosaic Law will be obeyed by all nations and
people. Jesus is not promising the end of persecution and martyrdom. He is simply
stating that the Gospel will advance. His Kingdom – His sovereign rule over the hearts
of His people – will go forth. Jesus is reigning via the preaching of the Gospel. All
authority was given to Him and His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom. His Kingdom is
peace, joy, and righteousness in the Holy Spirit. His Kingdom is advancing because it is
within all those who are born of God.
II – The Parable of the Leaven – Internal Growth (13:33)
33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in
three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
With the parable of the mustard seed we see that the Kingdom of God will expand.
Jesus taught that there would be an external and visible growth. The parable of the
mustard seed teaches us that the Gospel will advance and people from all over the
world will find a dwelling place in the Kingdom of God. Now with the parable of the
leaven He teaches how this external growth will take place. It will happen because
there will be an internal growth. The external growth is not because of Crusades and
Reconstructionism. It is not by the power of sword as the Muslims believe. The external
growth will happen because people will be transformed inwardly and the inward
transformation will lead to the spreading of the Gospel16. Therefore, the second parable
clarifies how God will fulfill the first one!
– “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven” --- Now, the Lord Jesus uses
another metaphor to teach about the Kingdom of God. He moves away from the field
and goes to the kitchen in order to find a fitting metaphor.
v.36
“is like leaven” --- Here many commentators see the “leaven” as a negative influence
(e.g. Arthur Pink and Herbert Lockyer). They say that since leaven has a negative
meaning throughout the Scriptures it must be interpreted negatively here. The main
issue with the interpretation of the leaven as a negative influence is that it implies that
Jesus is saying that the Kingdom of God is like something negative and bad, since Jesus
is clearly comparing the Kingdom of God to the leaven (“is like leaven”). Jesus is not
using the leaven in a negative sense, he is comparing the power of the Kingdom of God
to the power of the leaven that infiltrates and permeates the entire dough without an
external power, but with an internal power. R.T. France writes, “Leaven (yeast) is
16
“The parable of the leaven is intended to show the progress of the gospel in the heart of a believer.” (Ryle, p. 95)
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usually in the Bible a symbol for the pervasive power of evil, but it is pervasiveness, not
its metaphorical connections, which is in view here.17” Jesus is focusing on the
pervasiveness and permeation aspects of the leaven.
Leaven is good for bread and was required by God in some offerings - Leviticus 7:13
Along with their fellowship offering of thanksgiving they are to present an offering with thick loaves of
bread made with yeast. Craig Blomberg writes, “Here the most important OT background
not the well-known corrupting influence of leaven, but rather its positive use in texts
such as Lev. 7:13-14; 23:17.18”
is
Jesus is not saying that the Kingdom of God is like false teachings or that there will be
false teachings and false converts in the Kingdom, no! He is talking about the power of
the leaven to permeate and influence the entire dough of bread. The concept of leaven
is the concept of influence, something that permeates, saturates, and changes. It is a
picture of permeation!
“that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all
leavened” --- The picture here is of a woman in Palestine making bread. The “three
measures” is about 50 pounds (39 liters) and would have produced enough bread to
feed a hundred people (family members, neighbors, and guests). “till it was all
leavened” --- The yeast permeates the entire dough. You put just a little bit inside the
dough and it permeates and spreads to the entire bread.
That is how the Gospel of the Kingdom works in our lives, it permeates and changes us
from the inside out. Like leaven, the Message of the Kingdom (Gospel) permeates and
influences our entire being little by little, transforming us and causing us to grow.
Matthew Henry writes, “The preaching of the gospel works like leaven in the hearts of
those who receive it. The leaven works certainly, so does the word, yet gradually. It
works silently, and without being seen, yet strongly; without noise, for so is the way of
the Spirit, but without fail. Thus it was in the world. The apostles, by preaching the
gospel, hid a handful of leaven in the great mass of mankind. It was made powerful by
the Spirit of the Lord of hosts, who works, and none can hinder. Thus it is in the heart.
When the gospel comes into the soul, it works a thorough change; it spreads itself into
all the powers and faculties of the soul, and alters the property even of the members of
the body, Ro 6:13. From these parables we are taught to expect a gradual progress;
therefore let us inquire, ‘Are we growing in grace and in holy principles and habits?’”
The Kingdom of God permeates and will continue permeating, not by politics, not by
laws, not trying to reconstruct politics and the government, and not by forcing things
like the Muslims do and the Roman Catholics did, but by an inward transformation of
the few who walk through the narrow way.
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18
R.T. Frace, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries – Matthew (IVP), pp.227-228.
Beale and Carson, p. 48.
12
That is exactly what Jesus says in Luke 17:20-2119. The Kingdom of God is inside the
people!
MacArthur says, “The Kingdom permeates, not by politics, not by laws, not by lobbying,
not by forcing things. Hidden in the dough of society it permeates and permeates and
bubbles and bubbles under the power of the Spirit of God transforming lives one at a
time. It's the power of gospel truth in the work of the Holy Spirit.”
John Gill says, “So the Gospel reaches the conscience, pierces the heart, enlightens the
understanding, informs the judgment, raises and sets the affections on right objects,
subdues the will, and brings down all towering thoughts, to the obedience of Christ, in
particular persons.”
The great Scottish preacher, Thomas Guthrie, said, “The woman takes the leaven to lay
it not on, but in the meal, where, working from within outwards, it changes the whole
substance from the center to the surface. It is through a corresponding change that the
man goes to whom the Spirit of God communicates his grace. It is hidden in the heart.
The change begins there; the outward reformation not preparing the way for
regeneration, but springing from it; growing out of it as a tree grows out of its seed, or
a stream flows out of its spring.”
Ryle wrote, “The work of grace once begun in the soul will never stand still. It will
gradually ‘leaven the whole lump.’ Like leaven once introduced, it can never be
separated from that with which it is mingled. Little by little it will influence the
conscience, the affections, the mind, and the will, until the whole man is affected by its
power, and a thorough conversion to God takes place. In some cases no doubt the
progress is far quicker than in others. In some cases the result is far more clearly
marked and decided than in others. But wherever a real work of the Holy Ghost begins
in the heart, the whole character is sooner or later leavened and changed. The tastes of
the man are altered. The whole bias of his mind becomes different… Let us ask
ourselves whether there is any work of grace in our own hearts… Do we know anything
of a gradual, growing, spreading, increasing, leavening process going on in our inward
man? Let nothing short of this content us. The true work of the Holy Ghost will never
stand still. It will leaven the whole lump?20”
Has the leaven of the Gospel been permeating your life? Is there an internal
transformation happening in your life? Is the Kingdom of God – the sovereign reign of
Jesus Christ – infiltrating and affecting every area of your life? Is the leaven of the
Gospel affecting what you watch, how you behave, what you put before your eyes and
ears, how you spend your time, how you spend your money, how you dress, how you
19
“The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or
‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”
20
Ryle, p. 96.
13
treat others, how you behave with the opposite sex, how you work, how you desire to
read and study the Word of God, and how you serve the Lord Jesus?
Conclusion:
The disciples were confused with was it worth following this different King? In view of
so much persecution and rejection they were questioning if they were fighting for the
right army and right kingdom. The Lord Jesus assures them that they are on the
winning team, they are fighting for the right army, and they are serving the right King.
That Kingdom, for which they left everything to be part of, will win, expand, and grow.
Today we rest assured that we are not wasting our time, effort, and means. As we look
back in history and see how the words of Jesus are true, we must rest assured that the
Gospel of the Kingdom will continue prospering, expanding, and changing the lives of
those whom God has chosen before the foundation of the world. The Kingdom is
advancing, lives are being converted, the King is reigning, and all these things will
continue so until the return of Jesus. In the face of the growing number of Muslims and
other cults, in the face of the fierce attacks of the Postmodernism and Relativism, we
may be assured that the Gospel will continue operating powerfully in the lives of many.
May we leave this place encouraged that Christ Jesus is reigning! May we leave this
place encouraged that our efforts are very useful in this victorious Kingdom. Let us go
to other nations confident that the Lord is expanding His Kingdom through our lives.
Let us give financially, confidant that Jesus is using our material giving to expand His
Kingdom. Let us give our time with confidence that the Lord is using it to expand His
Kingdom.
This morning I ask you: Are you part of this victorious Kingdom? Has the Lord Jesus
placed the leaven of the Gospel in your heart? Would you cry out for His mercy and beg
Him to make you part of His Kingdom? He is a merciful King who will not cast away any
who comes to Him by faith and with a repentant heart.
More resources online:
http://preceptaustin.org/matthew_commentaries.htm
http://sermonnotebook.org/ntsermons.htm#matthew
http://www.cfbcmobile.org/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=421&sec_id=377&currpage=2&sa_action=mode_bible&sa_filter=Mark
http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/scripture/matthew
http://thegospelcoalition.org/resources/scripture-index/matthew/chapter/13/P30/
http://thegospelcoalition.org/resources/scripture-index/matthew/author/andy_davis/P20/
http://www.vancouverbible.org/sermons/?filter_book=140&filter_topic=&filter_messagetype=1&filter_orders=DESC
Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (Zondervan), Vol. I