—Matthew 13:33
This
parable is linked to the preceding one, and there is a movement in
each from small to great. Again, the emphasis is on an insignificant
beginning but a magnificent end. A woman may take three measures of
meal for one of the larger bakings which would supply bread for
family and guests, but using only a small lump of leaven. As it is
mixed into this large amount of meal, it will work its way through
the whole until all has been leavened. The kingdom of God permeates
the world, having its effect on all, influencing for the good even
those who reject it. The rejecters’ lot in life is improved, if in
no other way than by needing to compete with something better! As the
“salt of the earth” is interpreted by its enriching benefits,
although not seen in and of itself when enriching the food, so leaven
is not seen in itself in the loaf but works invisibly, making the
bread rise. Yet, the results are visible, for we can see the bread
rising!
Yeast is usually regarded as having negative overtones
in Judaism. All leaven was to be removed from a home before the
Passover lest it alter the special unleavened bread to be eaten at
the Passover meal. However, this parable is not a study on the
symbolism of leaven, but is a singular illustration that the kingdom
will penetrate and influence the world as effectively as yeast
penetrates and transforms the flour into which it is placed. As in
the preceding parables that show that since Jesus has come the field
no longer stands empty, so it is shown here that since Jesus has come
the dough is rising! God is at work as the primary Actor on the
stage of history, permeating society with the influence of His grace.
This parable emphasizes the transforming power of the
gospel of the kingdom; it changes persons, social orders, economic
relations, and primary loyalties. From the illustration of the way in
which leaven moves from particle to particle, Plummer says, “That
kingdom in which the will of God is acknowledged until it becomes
supreme is to spread from soul to soul until all are brought within
His sovereignty.”
Once
again, Jesus uses the illustration of sowing seeds in a field to
teach something about his kingdom. But whereas the parable of the
sower might suggest that much sowing is fruitless, the parable of the
mustard seed shows how powerful and successful good sowing can be—its
effect can be out of all proportion to its appearance. The mustard
seed may be the smallest of all seeds, and the yeast may be almost
indiscernible in the baking mixture, but the effects produced in both
cases are far-reaching and thorough.2
The mustard tree is an unlikely symbol of the church or
of individual Christians. Ordinarily, fruit–bearing trees are used
to depict believers. Mustard is a condiment and has no food value.
It’s not wheat germ, loaded with vitamins; it’s just good on hot
dogs and hamburgers. Mustard is not a food you can live on.
The mustard seed does not grow into a mighty oak like
the little acorn does. It is a shrub which thrives best in desert
lands.
The mustard seed “is the least of all seeds.”
Several years ago a liberal preacher in our area made the discovery
that the mustard seed is not the least of all seeds. He thought he
had found an error in the Bible. What did our Lord mean by “the
least of all seeds”? It was the least of all seeds that the people
in His audience knew about. It is my understanding that it is least
of all the seeds in the category of plants to which the mustard
belongs. It is a very small seed.
“But when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs,
and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in
the branches thereof.” This little seed, which should have become
an herb, got to the fertilizer and became a tree large enough for
birds to roost in.
This parable reveals the outward growth of
Christendom as the parable of the leaven speaks of the internal
condition of Christendom. The church has not converted the world, but
it has had a tremendous influence on the world. Any place that
Christianity has gone can be called Christendom.
This parable reveals the outward growth of the organized
church. The church and the world have become horribly mixed. There
has been real integration between man in the church and man in the
world. They live and act very much alike in our day. The Christian
should be salt in the world, not mustard!
“The birds of the air come and lodge in the branches
thereof.” Years ago I heard another liberal preacher interpret the
birds as being different denominations. He spoke of the Baptist
birds, the Presbyterian birds, the Methodist birds, and all other
church groups as being birds. That, of course, is a contradiction of
our Lord’s own interpretation of the birds in the first parable. We
can be sure that the birds in the parables of this discourse do not
speak of anything good, but rather they represent evil. The birds are
the ones that took the seed which fell by the wayside. Our Lord said
that they represent the enemy who is Satan. I am afraid that
Christendom today is a mustard tree filled with a lot of dirty
birds!3
13:31,
32 The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed:
The parable of the wheat and tares (vv. 24–30) reveals that the
kingdom of heaven will be preceded by an age in which good and evil
coexist. The parable of the mustard seed affirms that during that
time period, the number of people who will inherit the kingdom will
be very small at first. But though it begins like the smallest of
seeds, the nucleus will enjoy growth completely out of proportion to
its initial size. The birds of the air do not represent evil
as they do in the parable of the soils (vv. 4, 19). In the OT a tree
large enough to support nesting birds was considered prosperous and
healthy (Ps. 104:12; Ezek. 17:23; 31:6; Dan. 4:12, 21). The kingdom,
though having only a small number of people at the beginning of the
age, will ultimately be large and prosperous.
13:33
The kingdom of heaven is like leaven: This
second parable on growth is even shorter than the former and builds
upon it. This very brief parable has occasioned a great deal of
discussion. Does the leaven illustrate sin or is it parallel with the
parable of the mustard seed to portray large results from small
beginnings? It is generally believed that leaven in the Bible
portrays evil. Its use in this verse has also often been taken to
represent evil which will gradually interpenetrate Christendom (the
kingdom of heaven). But it is doubtful that leaven refers to evil in
this parable, especially since this parable is also given in Luke
13:20, where it describes the “kingdom of God,” which can hardly
be conceived as penetrated by evil. In the domestic context of
Palestine, we should recall that leaven was properly used all but one
week in the year. The parables were given to be understood by the
common people, not the leaders who were concerned about deciphering
theological symbols. If it is a picture of the dynamic character of
yeast that once it starts it is impossible to stop, this could be a
picture of the numerical growth of the kingdom. As the parable in vv.
31 and 32 dealt with the extent of the kingdom’s growth, this one
concerns the power and process of its growth. Its lesson is related
to the former in portraying how that great growth will take place.
Rather than powered by outward armies or organizations, this kingdom
will grow by an internal dynamic, later revealed as the Holy Spirit.
As such it will not be hindered by opposition, but will rather thrive
on it, as kneading enables leaven to penetrate and produce growth in
dough. Consider this. It took from Pentecost to 1900 for Christians
to number 2.5 percent of the world’s population. From 1900 to 1970
it doubled to 5 percent. In the next twenty-two years it doubled
again to 10 percent. There is a demographic explosion of Christendom
taking place today, especially in Third World countries.4
1
Augsburger, M. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Matthew (Vol.
24, p. 18). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.
2
Campbell, I. D. (2008). Opening up Matthew (p. 82).
Leominster: Day One Publications.
3
McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Gospels
(Matthew 1-13) (electronic ed., Vol. 34, pp. 187–188).
Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
4
Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s
new illustrated Bible commentary (Mt 13:25–33). Nashville: T.
Nelson Publishers.
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