THE KINGDOM PARABLES – THE FOURTH – THE LEAVEN – Part 1
[A]. INTRODUCTION TO THE PARABLE AND CATHOLIC TEACHING
We are coming to the fourth parable in the set of seven Kingdom Parables that the Lord delivered and recorded in Matthew’s Gospel. This parable is known as The Parable of the Leaven. It occupies just one verse.
{{Matthew 13:33 “He spoke another parable to them, “THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS LIKE LEAVEN which a woman took and hid in three pecks of meal until it was all leavened.”}}
When I say that parables 3 to 6 are most misunderstood, I do not wish to sound pompous or have a know-all attitude. Sadly this misunderstanding has persisted for centuries and I think even goes way back into the Catholic Church by what I have gleaned. I have three quotes from Catholic sources touching on the meaning here. I have taken more quotes than normal, because this is where Protestant teaching on the parable has come from. It just adopted the Catholic line.
* * * * The first is from “Catholic Productions” by Dr. Pitre –
[[“So he uses leaven as a symbol for sin. So that's a weird thing for Jesus to do, to take something that was known as being unclean and saying the kingdom of God is like that. Which by the way, just as a kind of scientific side note, it is interesting that the Jews regarded leaven as unclean, because as contemporary science has shown us, what yeast is, is it is a small microorganism. It is a small bacteria and what it does, the way it makes bread rise, is the yeast, the microorganism, gets into the bread and it eats all the sugars, and when it eats the sugar it produces gas. The carbon dioxide that the little organisms emit, make bubbles and the bubbles cause the bread to rise. So you can see how even contemporary science would show that there is a certain natural logic to considering yeast to be unclean. Well in antiquity that was the kind of standard association with yeast, it was unclean. So when Jesus says that heaven is like leaven, people would be scratching their heads, “What is this guy talking about? The kingdom is like leaven!?”]]
MY NOTE: What this De Pitre is doing is to state the evil of leaven and then try to resolve why leaven in the Kingdom is good. That is the problem when you are not consistent with biblical types. Let us continue with Dr Pitre -
“[[They would not have had the science behind it. They wouldn’t have known how and why, that if you take some of this yeast and you put it into bread dough that it's going to make it rise. It's mysterious. You take the dough and often you put it in the dark too in order to let it rise, and then you come back and sure enough it has risen. So there is a kind of mystery there, and I think that's what Jesus is getting at too. The kingdom is not what you expect. It's mysterious. It starts out small but it ends great. And of course, there may be a Eucharistic image there as well. Anytime you see bread, bread is going to play a key role in Jesus' mission and message when you get to the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist.”]]
MY NOTE: Yes these are the Mysteries of the Kingdom, but the fallacy the Catholic Church has is that the “Kingdom” must always mean the Church. The Protestant teachers just continued that Catholic line. The Kingdom of heaven is that whole world under the “supervision of God”, the whole of what the Kingdom contains, the rule of man and the Church, evil and good. In the case of the leaven, it is evil.
* * * * This second excerpt is taken from “The Catholic Cafe” -
[[“In the case of this particular parable, the Kingdom is like yeast which “leavens” the bread because just a small measure of it causes the whole batch of dough to rise. In other words, the Kingdom may seem small, but it is incredibly potent. Just a small touch of God’s grace can raise to life the whole world. The fact that yeast makes dough rise also alludes to Christ’s Resurrection. Also, notice how the woman uses three measures of flour – three is a number that alludes to something special or sacred. And again, it refers to the Resurrection: Christ rose from the dead after three days.’]]
MY NOTE: This is a conglomerate of patches of ideas, none of them with justification. He seems to equate the leaven with God’s grace which is diametrically the opposite of what it really is.
* * * * This third excerpt is taken from another site -
Another response is this – [[“The Catholic teaching on the parable of the leaven emphasizes that it illustrates the transformative power of God's kingdom, which can grow from small beginnings to great influence, much like how a little leaven can permeate a large amount of dough. It also highlights that God's grace can be found even in unexpected places, suggesting that the kingdom can emerge from what may seem corrupt or unclean.”]]
MY NOTE: This site also refers to God’s grace because it begins with the premise that the Kingdom must always be good, related to the Church, the Roman Catholic Church in particular.
[B]. CONCLUSION ON CATHOLIC TEACHING (AND WHAT PROTESTANTISM HAS CONTINUED)
In the last parable we did, that of the Mustard Seed, I tried to show that this monstrosity was not the intended outcome for that sown seed. It was meant to be only a shrub but grew up into this deformed monstrosity of a tree that harboured all the filthy, predatory birds of the air. The parable represented mutational destruction of the Gospel.
What it was teaching is that what began with proper germination, resulted in this great horrible ugliness. We say that this happened when Constantine entered the Church in AD 312 and brought all his unconverted soldiers into the church with their unclean Babylonian doctrines that have remained.
That parable allied itself with the church at Pergamum to which the Apostle John wrote in AD 96. Pergamum means “married twice” and this is what happened to the Church. The true Church is Christ's Bride but this second marriage to the world, and paganism under Constantine, is what caused this monstrosity to occur.
We have seen also that each of the 7 churches in Revelation 2 and 3 is a period of Church History and in the same order as the letters to the churches, and the parables. It is God’s mark on this, another absolute affirmation of the inspiration of scripture.
[C]. THE PARABLE OF THE LEAVEN
(a). THE CONSISTENCY OF THE TYPES
This parable is just so misunderstood, it is very sad, because the interpretations just ignore the consistency of scripture. What do I mean by consistency, or if you like, uniformity?
In the parable of the Mustard Seed we took great lengths to show that the birds of the air are always evil. That is the point about biblical consistency. There can be no exceptions. Types are always consistent and last time I mentioned a couple. Brass is always associated with judgment and gold always with divinity. White is cleanness and purity. You can’t have it meaning purity in 9 cases out of 10 but in the tenth, making it relate to wickedness.
(b). WHAT IS THE TYPE FOR LEAVEN?
To establish that we have to look at the occurrences of leaven in the bible. Let us begin with the most telling one –
[1]. {{Matthew 16:6 and Jesus said to them, “Watch out and BEWARE OF THE LEAVEN of the Pharisees and Sadducees,”
{{Matthew 16:11-12 “How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But BEWARE OF THE LEAVEN of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.}}
Jesus confirmed that the leaven is associated with evil and evil teaching. Of course, for those who take issue, referencing leaven in baking, Jesus ruled that out. Here we are speaking of spiritual connection with leaven.
[2]. {{1 Corinthians 5:7-8 “Clean out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened, for Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with THE LEAVEN OF MALICE and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”}}
The association with leaven is evil, which is why Paul’s use of it here is in regard to wicked things. He is being true to the type found in the Old Testament, which we will do soon.
Talking about cleaning out the old leaven, the Jews of today still know the wrongness of leaven in any connection with God. This speaks of the Jews’ preparation for Passover and any leaven around:- (hametz is the word for “leaven” or “leavened foods”.)
[[FROM MY JEWISH LEARNING]]
(a). Getting Clean
The most basic and essential step in readying a house for Passover is to clean it of all possible crumbs of hametz. In the context of Passover cleaning, this typically entails more than routine washing of surfaces and organizing clutter. Some Jews will search the folds of sofas, scrub the shelves of the refrigerator, run a self-cleaning cycle on the oven, and even turn out coat pockets and fan out the pages of books — any place where a crumb of leavened food might possibly have fallen. Because Passover normally falls out in mid-April, this often doubles as spring cleaning.
(b). Swapping Out Utensils
Many observant Jewish homes reserve special cookware, flatware and dishes specifically for Passover use. These are often stored away the entire year and used only for the one week of the Passover holiday. Those without special Passover utensils can render some of their kitchenware kosher for Passover. Generally speaking, any glass or metal utensils — stainless steel, cast iron, aluminum, etc. — can be koshered by washing them thoroughly, waiting 24 hours, and then immersing them in boiling water. Ceramics, plastic and wood cannot be koshered for Passover according to Jewish law because they are considered porous and absorb the flavors of hametz with which they come in contact.
(c). Covering Surfaces
Many observant homes will cover all the surfaces in their kitchens that may come in contact with food with foil or contact paper for the duration of Passover. Countertops made from metal or stone can be koshered with boiling water similar to kitchen pots and pans, but this can be cumbersome and even dangerous, so some people choose to cover them instead. The same is true of sinks — metal and stone can be cleaned and koshered with boiling water after 24 hours, but ceramic sinks are covered. Many will also cover surfaces in their refrigerators after they have been thoroughly cleaned.
(d). Selling Hametz
Any hametz that is kept in the home over the holiday, either because it’s too expensive or onerous to get rid of, can be sold to a non-Jewish person for the duration of Passover. This transaction is typically completed early in the day prior to the holiday. Once the holiday is complete, the hametz is repurchased and is available for use. Often, this is done by delegating a rabbi as an agent to sell hametz on one’s behalf, but some choose to sell hametz on their own, or by using an online service.
(e). Final Preparations
The final steps in cleaning the house for Passover are a pair of related rituals performed in the 24 hours before the holiday begins. Bedikat hametz is a final search for hametz products conducted by candlelight the night before Passover begins. Biur hametz is the ritual burning of any final leavened products performed no later than mid-morning on the day Passover begins. In many communities, a bonfire is prepared in a public space for this purpose.
(b). CONTINUING - WHAT DOES THE TYPE FOR LEAVEN MEAN?
[3]. {{Galatians 5:7-9 “You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you. A LITTLE LEAVEN LEAVENS THE WHOLE LUMP of dough.”}}
The Galatian churches had a problem. The Judiasers entered among them with their insidious doctrine of Christ's sacrifice not being enough. They had to keep the Law, namely, circumcision and regulations. Paul knew the evil of leaven and used this type to say that just a little will affect the whole lot. This is exactly in line with the parable we are studying.
Let us say that a Galatian thought, “Okay, I will be circumcised but won’t hold to most of the Law of Moses. Just a bit will do!” Well, Paul sets the matter correct. You slip in that tiny part and the evil of that will seep all the way through. Can you see so far, the uniformity of this teaching on leaven? It is important we recognise the uniformity here just like I tried to point out in the Parable of the Mustard Seed.
[4]. {{Exodus 12:15 “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, THAT PERSON SHALL BE CUT OFF FROM ISRAEL.”}} Just to be absolutely sure the congregation understood, it was repeated – {{Exodus 12:19 “For seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses for WHOEVER EATS WHAT IS LEAVENED, THAT PERSON SHALL BE CUT OFF from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an alien or a native of the land.”}} AND over and over in the Old Testament the association of leaven is that of evil
Much more could be said but my purpose is in establishing the meaning of leaven in the scriptures. Its connection is always with evil when used in association with anything spiritual and there are no exceptions. Biblical types must remain constant.
Part 2 will follow next time. In that we examine the parable in detail.
