Hidden Yeast

February 8, 2016

Hidden Yeast

“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.”

Matthew 13:33 NASB

The Parable of the Yeast is the shortest of all Jesus’ parables; only one simple verse. It is usually taken together with another very short parable, The Mustard Seed, and together they reveal Jesus’ very interesting perspective on the Kingdom of God. When you recall that Jesus was the polar opposite of the prevailing view of God’s Messiah, it is not surprising that Jesus’ view on the Kingdom of God is also quite contrary to the prevailing expectation. In Daniel Chapter 4, we learn of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about a tree. He “dreamed of a large tree in the middle of the earth, tall and strong, and reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see. It had fresh green leaves, and it was loaded with fruit for all to eat. Wild animals lived in its shade, and birds nested in its branches. All the world was fed from this tree” (Daniel 4:10-12). That was the prevailing view of a tree in God’s coming Kingdom. Over and against this view, Jesus uses a scruffy mustard bush as the sign of God’s Kingdom. His point? The Kingdom is coming; it may be small now, but it is coming!

Jesus continues his mastery of hyperbole in the Parable of the Yeast. Three pecks can make enough bread for my entire Home Owners Association! And the yeast isn’t just mixed in as some recent translations render this text; the woman hides the yeast in the flour. His point? The followers of Christ are folded into their culture, and as sure as a little yeast leavens the entire dough, so also a few disciples are changing the course of history. The proof is in the tasting: John Wesley, William Wilberforce, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, (insert your name).

You say, “How can my name be included?” Because nothing is impossible for God! After all, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Gideon was insecure, Martha was a worrier, Paul was complaisant in murder, Moses stuttered, Abraham was old, and Lazarus was dead! Need I go on?

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.