leaven not always sin
Leaven usually is a symbol for sin and how it can spread in a person's life or through an entire group. But, here Jesus uses leaven to represent the power or the breadth of the kingdom of heaven. The leaven is put into three measures of flour and kneeded by the hands of a woman. It is worked until it is throughout the dough. It is showing that the kingdom will be complete, no one who belongs there will be left out nor missed. (next He states that many will search for it, but find the doors locked because they were never in a trusting relationship with God)
The three measures could represent other things:
• Father, Son, Holy Spirit; in which case heaven is only complete when we accept Jesus and the Holy Spirit as God, and/or that Jesus comes from God and must return before heaven is full.
• past, present, future; heaven will have members from those who have seen Jesus, and those who were on earth before and after His bodily mission.
I love that Jesus uses a woman and her daily work to show the kingdom's labour, power, knowledge. A woman works the dough until it is ready, but it is not by sight, but by experience that she knows it is ready. Her hands create this fluffy bread that provides nourishment and strength for herself and always others. And she does this every day for all meals. In many cultures, the bread is used to pick up the rest of the meal with your hands; no forks or spoons here, just soft, absorbant, tasty bread.
Leaven, not always a symbol for sin, and woman, not always the symbol for sinner, but also a labourer in the Kingdom.
http://www.kirtondrawnback.org
Created over 1 year ago
