The Kingdom as Leaven
Scripture Reading: Luke 13:20-21
These verses caused quite a stir in a class I had in Bible College. The prof said something to the effect that Jesus was making the point that the kingdom of God works imperceptively in the world. It grows and expands mostly without fanfare or even awareness in the broader world that it is happening. It has a permeating power.
A student in the class politely objected. He stated with absolute certainty that the teacher was wrong because in the New Testament leaven always has a negative connotation. Therefore, whatever Jesus meant here, he couldn’t possibly be saying something as simple as the kingdom of God grows and expands like leaven in flour.
Who was correct? If you read John Gill, he doesn’t seem to have the answer. He gives both possible interpretations. It could be taken at face value, and the point is simply that the kingdom of God works like leaven, spreading its influence until it permeates the whole world. Or, since leaven is usually used as a picture of something sinful, Jesus could have been pointing to the false doctrines that would implant themselves in the church and lead to widespread end times apostasy.
Hmmm.
I’m going to come down on the side of the simplest explanation. Jesus was saying what it sounds like he was saying. To quote from the “Pulpit Commentary:”
The apparent result of [Jesus'] work was the devotion of a few simple hearts, mostly fisherman, artisans, and the like, and yet, though men suspected it not, the secret and powerful influence was already at work among men. The story of the years succeeding the cross and the resurrection, on a broader stage and with more actors, was a story of similar silent, quiet working. In a century and a half after the strange leaven-parable had been spoken, the whole civilized world knew something of the Master’s history and doctrine. His disciples then were counted by tens of thousands. No city, scarcely a village, but contained some into whose hearts the teaching had sunk, whose lives the teaching had changed.
Now, the reason I think it is helpful to be reminded of this parable is we need to be encouraged today to not lose faith in the powerful and unseen work of the kingdom. As long as the gospel is being preached and taught the work of the kingdom continues. And often the real growth and spread of the kingdom of God goes unnoticed. It is, in many ways, an unseen work. But being unseen is not the same thing as being non-existent.
So, keep on being faithful. Don’t lose heart. As Paul wrote, “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)
