In the parables of Jesus, he would speak of the kingdom of heaven. Many times we see that bad things happen. The parable of the sower is one example.
Let's look at Matt. 13:33
MT 13:33 He spoke another parable to them, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took , and hid in three pecks of meal, until it was all leavened." NAS
Most of the time we are told that this is good happening in the kingdom of heaven. The growth of the Church is often talked about.
I think that something different is happening here. First we see that it is a woman that is acting in the parable. Who does she represent. The Father, Son and the Holy Spirit aren't presented as a woman. Also notice that she hids the leaven and the result is that all is leavened.
My explaination: The woman represents evil. This isn't the first time that he woman is used that way.(Zech. 5:7-11) Then we see that she is hiding the leaven. Jesus wants our light to shine and not be hidden. (Matt. 5:14-16) Now for the leaven. Leaven is not acceptable to God. It was not to be in any sacrifice to Him. In Matt. 16:6-12 Jesus tells the disciples to, "Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." The disciples took a little while but learned that the leaven represented the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Here is 1 Corinthians 5:6-8
1CO 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.NIV
So, I believe that Jesus is using this parable to tell us to watch out for evil getting into the kingdom of heaven. The leaven being wrong teaching. The three pecks of meal may represent the three kingdoms of heaven. The first is Moses giving the law to the Israelites. The people chose sin over God and the Babylonian captivity came. The second is Ezra and Nehemiah tried to get the people back on the path of the Lord. By the time of Jesus, it was corrupt. Jesus brought us the Gospel. Today, false teaching has gotten back in for the third time.
Note: I am not talking about disagreements that we have over verses in the Bible. I am refering to the all paths lead to God preaching. A Catholic leader saying that we should use the name Allah instead of God , The Father, etc. so that the followers of Islam will feel good about us. Sinning is okay if it doesn't hurt somebody and you feel good.
I LOVE what you have said here. Not necessarily because I agree entirely with, but because I can see that you are passionately seeking understanding in scripture that many would say is too easy to understand. As a result, it isn't reread very often. Thank you for this.
Now to what you said. You have brought up some very thought provoking points in this parable, from the woman, to the leaven, to the pecks representing 3 major points in time. Here's an issue that I have with this, though. Jesus says, "The kingdom of heaven is like...". This means, according to your view of this parable, that evil overwhelms the kingdom of heaven... this is awkward. Also, the previous parable that is coupled with this one (the mustard seed) refers to a man planting a small seed that created a huge tree (the kingdom of heaven). It only makes sense that this leaven parable has a very similar meaning.
I wonder aloud, though... is it possible that some of Jesus' parables had dual meanings? I'm not sure, but I don't think it's outside of his ability. The things you have said actually make an immense amount of sense. The leaven and the Pharisees... the 3 pecks. I think that they could, AT THE SAME TIME, represent the teachings of the Pharisees corrupting the Law, Writings, and Prophets. AKA, the Old Testament teachings. I think this parable may have more than one meaning. Maybe not. If it does, however, I believe you have hit the nail pretty much on the nail. Very interesting views, man. I really enjoyed reading them. I look forward to talking with you more!
Remember what the people listening to Jesus would have heard. They knew that leaven was excluded from service to God. At Passover time, the wife clears the house of leaven except for a small bit of it. The husband goes through the house to see that all the leaven has been removed. He finds that last bit and removes it and declares that their home is free of leaven.
:goofball:...it was a parable...an example. Leaven was left out of the sanctuary service because it was a symbol of sin...not because it was sinful. If the Israelites never used leaven, then the distinction that passover bread must be made without leaven would have been unnecessary. He probably could have used the theory of osmosis, or equilibrium, or whatever...but He used a simple object lesson everyone could understand. I agree with freakazoid again. Wait...does that make me a freak? :dancingp::ribbit:
