Matthew 13:33 - The Parable of the Yeast.
Mat 13:33: The Parable of the Yeast.
Mat 13:33 (TEV) Jesus told them still another parable: "The
Kingdom of heaven is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it
with a bushel of flour until the whole batch of dough rises."
DEVOTIONAL PEARL
The preaching of the gospel works like leaven in the hearts of
those who receive it. The leaven works certainly, so does the word,
yet gradually. It works silently, and without being seen, Mark
4:26-29, yet strongly; without noise, for so is the way of the Spirit,
but without fail. Thus it was in the world. The apostles, by
preaching the gospel, hid a handful of leaven in the great mass of
mankind. It was made powerful by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts, who
works, and none can hinder. Thus it is in the heart. When the gospel
comes into the soul, it works a thorough change; it spreads itself
into all the powers and faculties of the soul, and alters the
property even of the members of the body, Romans 6:13. From these
parables we are taught to expect a gradual progress; therefore let us
inquire, Are we growing in grace? and in holy principles and habits?
[Matthew Henry Commentary]
THE FOLLOWING IS FOR THOSE WHO DESIRE DEEPER STUDY:
CONTENT; What's in the verse; Translations; Paraphrase; Word
Study:
Mat 13:33 (KJV) 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.
Mat 13:33 (TEV) Jesus told them still another parable: "The
Kingdom of heaven is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it
with a bushel of flour until the whole batch of dough rises."
Mat 13:33 (CWR) The growth of God's kingdom can also be
compared to the quiet action of yeast which women put in their bread
dough. Without notice, the yeast begins to permeate the dough, and the
dough begins to rise.
A parable is a story that makes one central point, and relates
every element in the story to this point. The parables in this chapter
concern Jesus' kingdom, but are not obvious. [The 365-Day Devotional
Commentary]
CONTEXT; What's around the verse; Overview; Topic:
Overview
Jesus' claim to be LORD of the Sabbath (12:1-14) and the Servant
predicted by Isaiah (vv. 15-21) brought direct conflict with the Pharisees
(vv. 22-37). Christ rejected their demand for a miraculous sign (vv.
36-45), but announced kinship with those who do God's will (vv. 46-50).
In a series of parables told to puzzled crowds (13:1-35), and in
another series told to His disciples (vv. 36-52), Jesus explained the
unexpected aspects of His kingdom. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
Chapter Topics
3 The parable of the sower and the seed 18 the exposition of it.
24 The parable of the tares, 31 of the mustard seed, 33 of the
leaven, 44 of the hidden treasure, 45 of the pearl, 47 of the drawnet
cast into the sea: 53 and how Christ is contemned of his own
countrymen. [SDA Commentary]
13:3-52 The parables of this chapter are significant
structurally and theologically. Structurally there is a balance between those
delivered "by the sea" (of which there are four) and those delivered in
the house (also being four in number). Theologically they explain
the development of the kingdom between Christ's first and second
coming, His rejection and future reception. [Believer's SB]
Chapter Summary
As resistance hardens, Jesus begins to speak in parables. The
parables summarize contrasts between the form of God's kingdom the Jews
expect and the form of the kingdom Jesus is about to institute. [Victor
Bible Reader's Companion]
13:1-52 The Third Major Discourse: The Parables concerning the
Spread of the Good News and the Results. The parables are presented to
the crowds, but their meaning is explained only to the inner circle
of the disciples (13:10-17, 34-36). [Cambridge Annotated SB]
Jesus said that He spoke in parables so that those who believed
might understand-- and those who did not believe would not understand
(vv. 11-15). What an illustration of God's grace. [The 365-Day
Devotional Commentary]
Section Headings
The Mustard Seed and the Leaven (13:31-33)
Stories About a Mustard Seed and Yeast--Mark 4:30-34; Luke
13:18-21
Parable of the yeast (13:33)
Jesus tells the parable of the yeast (13:33-35)
CROSS REFERENCES; What's in verses elsewhere.
Luke 13:21 (KJV) It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid
in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
Galatians 5:9 (KJV) A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
2 Peter 3:18 (KJV) But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for
ever. Amen.
Proverbs 4:18 (KJV) But the path of the just is as the shining
light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
COMMENTARY / APPLICATION: Moving From The Head To The Heart.
What is God teaching here? What does it teach about Jesus?
How can it improve my relationship with Jesus.
Whereas the parable of the mustard seed traces the progress of
the Gospel in the world, the parable of the leaven shows the
progress of the kingdom in the heart and life of a believer. [Daily
Devotional Bible; Apr.16, 1989]
Although leaven sometimes symbolizes evil, here the kingdom of
heaven is being compared to the dynamic character of yeast. When yeast
is kneaded into the dough, it expands by itself. Rather than being
powered by outward armies or organizations, the kingdom of God will grow
by an internal dynamic, the Holy Spirit, overcoming all opposition.
As the parable of the mustard seed addresses the extent of the
kingdom's growth, this parable concerns the power and process of its
growth. [Nelson SB]
As the parable of the Mustard Seed represents the extensive
growth of the kingdom, that is, in numbers, so the parable of the
Leaven represents the intensive, qualitative growth of the individual
members of the kingdom..... As leaven permeates every part of the dough in
which it is placed, so the teachings of Christ would penetrate the
lives of those who received them and were willing to be transformed
thereby. [SDA Commentary]
In the Bible, yeast usually symbolizes that which is evil or
unclean. Here, however, it is a symbol of growth. As yeast permeates a
batch of dough, so the kingdom of heaven spreads through a person's
life. Or it may signify the growth of the kingdom by the inner working
of the Holy Spirit (using God's word). [NIV SB]
The preaching of the gospel works like leaven in the hearts of
those who receive it. The leaven works certainly, so does the word,
yet gradually. It works silently, and without being seen, Mark
4:26-29, yet strongly; without noise, for so is the way of the Spirit,
but without fail. Thus it was in the world. The apostles, by
preaching the gospel, hid a handful of leaven in the great mass of
mankind. It was made powerful by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts, who
works, and none can hinder. Thus it is in the heart. When the gospel
comes into the soul, it works a thorough change; it spreads itself
into all the powers and faculties of the soul, and alters the
property even of the members of the body, Romans 6:13. From these
parables we are taught to expect a gradual progress; therefore let us
inquire, Are we growing in grace? and in holy principles and habits?
[Matthew Henry Commentary]
In the Saviour's parable, leaven is used to represent the
kingdom of heaven. It illustrates the quickening, assimilating power of
the grace of God.
None are so vile, none have fallen so low, as to be beyond the
working of this power. In all who will submit themselves to the Holy
Spirit a new principle of life is to be implanted; the lost image of
God is to be restored in humanity.
But man cannot transform himself by the exercise of his will. He
possesses no power by which this change can be effected. The
leaven--something wholly from without--must be put into the meal before the
desired change can be wrought in it. So the grace of God must be
received by the sinner before he can be fitted for the kingdom of glory.
All the culture and education which the world can give will fail of
making a degraded child of sin a child of heaven. The renewing energy
must come from God. The change can be made only by the Holy Spirit.
All who would be saved, high or low, rich or poor, must submit to
the working of this power.
As the leaven, when mingled with the meal, works from within
outward, so it is by the renewing of the heart that the grace of God
works to transform the life. No mere external change is sufficient to
bring us into harmony with God. There are many who try to reform by
correcting this or that bad habit, and they hope in this way to become
Christians, but they are beginning in the wrong place. Our first work is
with the heart.....
The man who attempts to keep the commandments of God from a
sense of obligation merely--because he is required to do so--will
never enter into the joy of obedience. He does not obey. When the
requirements of God are accounted a burden because they cut across human
inclination, we may know that the life is not a Christian life. True
obedience is the outworking of a principle within. It springs from the
love of righteousness, the love of the law of God. The essence of all
righteousness is loyalty to our Redeemer. This will lead us to do right
because it is right--because right doing is pleasing to God.....
The leaven hidden in the flour works invisibly to bring the
whole mass under its leavening process; so the leaven of truth works
secretly, silently, steadily, to transform the soul. The natural
inclinations are softened and subdued. New thoughts, new feelings, new
motives, are implanted. A new standard of character is set up--the life
of Christ. The mind is changed; the faculties are roused to action
in new lines. Man is not endowed with new faculties, but the
faculties he has are sanctified. The conscience is awakened. We are
endowed with traits of character that enable us to do service for God.
Often the question arises, Why, then, are there so many,
claiming to believe God's word, in whom there is not seen a reformation
in words, in spirit, and in character? Why are there so many who
cannot bear opposition to their purposes and plans, who manifest an
unholy temper, and whose words are harsh, overbearing, and passionate?
There is seen in their lives the same love of self, the same selfish
indulgence, the same temper and hasty speech, that is seen in the life of
the worldling. There is the same sensitive pride, the same yielding
to natural inclination, the same perversity of character, as if the
truth were wholly unknown to them. The reason is that they are not
converted. They have not hidden the leaven of truth in the heart. It has
not had opportunity to do its work. Their natural and cultivated
tendencies to evil have not been submitted to its transforming power. Their
lives reveal the absence of the grace of Christ, an unbelief in His
power to transform the character.
"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Rom.
10:17. The Scriptures are the great agency in the transformation of
character. Christ prayed, "Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is
truth." John 17:17. If studied and obeyed, the word of God works in the
heart, subduing every unholy attribute. The Holy Spirit comes to
convict of sin, and the faith that springs up in the heart works by love
to Christ, conforming us in body, soul, and spirit to His own
image. Then God can use us to do His will....
The truths of the word of God meet man's great practical
necessity--the conversion of the soul through faith. These grand principles are
not to be thought too pure and holy to be brought into the daily
life. They are truths which reach to heaven and compass eternity, yet
their vital influence is to be woven into human experience. They are
to permeate all the great things and all the little things of life.
Received into the heart, the leaven of truth will regulate the
desires, purify the thoughts, and sweeten the disposition. It quickens
the faculties of the mind and the energies of the soul. It enlarges
the capacity for feeling, for loving.....
The leaven of truth will not produce the spirit of rivalry, the
love of ambition, the desire to be first. True, heaven-born love is
not selfish and changeable. It is not dependent on human praise. The
heart of him who receives the grace of God overflows with love for God
and for those for whom Christ died. Self is not struggling for
recognition......
The leaven of truth works a change in the whole man, making the
coarse refined, the rough gentle, the selfish generous. By it the
impure are cleansed, washed in the blood of the Lamb. Through its
life-giving power it brings all there is of mind and soul and strength into
harmony with the divine life. Man with his human nature becomes a
partaker of divinity. COL95-102
The very expression of the countenance has an influence for good
or evil. His spirit, his words, his actions, his attitude toward
others, are unmistakable. If he is living in selfishness, he surrounds
his soul with a malarious atmosphere; while if he is filled with the
love of Christ, he will manifest courtesy, kindness, tender regard
for the feelings of others and will communicate to his associates,
by his acts of love, a tender, grateful, happy feeling. It will be
made manifest that he is living for Jesus and daily learning lessons
at His feet, receiving His light and His peace. {AH 33}
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