For the sake of a better
understanding, I am going to use the King James version of this Parable…“Another
parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a
grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed
is the least of all seeds: 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. Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is
like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till
the whole was leavened.”
When God is involved, something small can
be transformed into something great. A mustard seed was an expression of the
time to signify something small or of little significance. If you were to look
at a mustard seed you would think that not much could become of it. It is not
something that exudes expectation. This is a kingdom principle; In God’s
kingdom, people, situations, and circumstances are not limited to how they
appear in the natural.The word “Parable” comes from the Greek "parabole" (para-bow-LAY) which comes from ‘para’-next to; along side; and ‘ballow’-to cast…So, it means "to place beside, to cast alongside" As defined by Vine’s Expository Dictionary of N.T. Words, it "signifies a placing of one thing beside another with a view to comparison"… A parable is a short story or narrative that has two levels of meaning. A parable is a simile and an example and a metaphor all at the same time. Jesus did not invent parables, but used them when teaching and especially used them when He spoke about the Kingdom of God.
A parable can also have more than one meaning as we will see. Let’s see if we can interpret these two short parables…First we have to break this down a little; we have a “mustard seed”, it is planted and grows, then we have the birds that come and perch in its branches…let’s look at the typical view…
“Mustard seed” == Kingdom of God ( in seed form ); Word of God; “faith” which Jesus spoke of; or the Church; all of which may start out small.
“Planted” == in individual; in a community; in the world as a whole.
“Grows” == through seeking; study; preaching; teaching
“Birds” == people; come seeking joy, peace, protection, provision, rest.
“Branches” == denominations;
Parable #2 – Most common
interpretation;
“Yeast-Leaven” == Gospel or Word of God“Woman” == the Church
“Meal or dough” == the world.
The church takes the yeast of the gospel and has an affect on the world like yeast mixed into dough.
But, there could be another interpretation; If we dig deeper into the words of this parable, we find a different perspective…
If you were a Jew in those days, you would have caught the phrase – “3 measures of meal”… This is what they would take to the Temple as an offering, an act of worship. They would grind up the meal very fine, then add oil and frankincense and make it into a cake. Now, there were two things you were not allowed to put into the meal as a Jew; honey and leaven or yeast. In the Bible, leaven is always a picture of sin. (read) Lev. 2:11…
The woman represents Satan or evil. Satan is always trying to influence or have an affect on the church and Christianity. The reason I used the King James version is because of the words “took and hid” – it was a deliberate act…An act of sabotage.
The “yeast” of Satan may be formalism, ritualism, traditionalism, liberalism, or legalism. If the “meal” is an offering of worship…then the “leaven” is something Satan is deceptively trying to sneak into worship. Legalism is the “leaven” of the Pharisees. They arranged their faith into a list of do’s and don’ts…They were outwardly conforming to the law, but inwardly they were corrupt. I’m sorry to say that the “leaven” of the Pharisees is still around today. It’s an attitude of “I am spiritual because I don’t drink, or smoke, or chew, and I don’t go with girls that do!” You can come to church three times a week and still be as carnal as the Pharisees.
The “leaven of the Sadducees was just the opposite. While the Pharisees added to the Word of God, the Sadducees took away from it. They said there is no resurrection; no angels; nor spirits…Today it’s there is no hell; no virgin birth; no inspired word; no miracles; no absolute truth.
The fact that the leaven permeated all the dough would mean that it is found in every church. When the leaven takes over the preaching and teaching of truth, I pray Christ comes to rapture His church because it will be a time of great tribulation.
So, you see, sometimes an in depth look, rather than just a skim of the surface, can bring out some rather interesting facts…And Jesus said, “Let those who have ears hear…”
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