The story of Jesus is told repeatedly throughout the pages of the Bible. There was a day, however, when Jesus told His own story in a very interesting way.

Leaven

He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” Matthew 13:33 ESV

Jesus liked to use stories from everyday life to illustrate spiritual truths. This story is no different. Everyone listening would have easily related to what He said.

Leaven was a bit of fermented dough left over from previous baking. The leaven was either dissolved in water or mixed directly into the flour to cause the bread to rise, similar to how we use yeast today. Here, a woman mixes some leaven into nearly fifty pounds (three measures) of flour. The presence of the leaven would eventually transform the entire fifty pounds of flour until all it was good for was making raised bread. Everyone listening to Him would have nodded in agreement. It was a process they had seen many times before.

In the Bible, leaven is often used to picture the corrupting power of sin. Here, however, Jesus uses it to illustrate the spreading influence of the Kingdom of God. Even though it would have small and obscure beginnings, it will eventually take over everything.

However, there is something else that we may not see…

He Was Telling His Own Story

What we often fail to see is that Jesus was actually telling His own story through this simple illustration.

Think about it…

He didn’t enter the world with great fanfare and fireworks. He was born a humble baby to humble parents in a humble stable located in a humble village. How many people knew about that?

Mary and Joseph (obviously). We are not sure if their parents knew (who would believe a story like that!).

Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, knew, but we don’t know if her husband, Zachariah, did.

On the night He was born, angels announced it to some shepherds. They, in turn, told some others.

When His parents presented Him in the Temple, Simeon and Anna knew who He was.

Sometime within the next two years, wise men from the east (number unknown) came looking for Him.

Some thirty years later His identity was revealed to John the Baptist.

Twelve guys, plus a few others, came to know who He was.

After He was raised from the dead, His influence increased significantly on the day of Pentecost with three thousand coming to know Him as God’s Anointed Savior. That number jumped up to five thousand a short time later. From there, His influence invaded Samaria and the Gentile regions. This process of expansion will continue until the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He reigns forever and ever. (Revelation 11:15).

Jesus was God’s leaven, planted obscurely within humanity until His influence eventually takes over and transforms the world. Hallelujah!

Little By Little

When Christ returns, He will come with fanfare and fireworks. Until then, His Kingdom continues to work its way through humanity little by little, just like leaven working its way through a measure of flour. You and I are part of that story as we go about our daily lives living in the Reign.

M