RETURN TO
SYLLABUS
THE PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST
LESSON #29
THE PARABLE OF THE LEAVEN AND MEAL (MAT 13:33-35)
- MATTHEW 13 IS AN UNUSUAL CHAPTER IN THAT THERE IS ONE PARABLE AFTER ANOTHER. THESE SEVEN
PARABLES ARE PROPHETIC AND DESCRIPTIVE ABOUT THE CHURCH AGE IN WHICH WE LIVE TODAY. THE
EIGHTH PARABLE IS PROPHETIC ABOUT THE COMING MILLENNIUM.
- THE PARABLES OF CHAPTER 13 ARE PROGRESSIVE IN THEIR TEACHING OF TRUTH:
- #1 THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER = THE REJECTION OF THE WORD OF GOD.
- #2 THE PARABLE OF THE TARES AND THE WHEAT = THE OPPOSITION TO THE WORK OF GOD.
- #3 THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD TREE = THE DISTORTION OF THE PLAN OF GOD.
- #4 THE PARABLE OF THE LEAVEN AND MEAL = THE CORRUPTION OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF GOD.
- THE PARABLE OF THE LEAVEN AND MEAL IS ANOTHER PARABLE THAT IS OFTEN MISINTERPRETED.
- THE COMMON AND POPULAR MISINTERPRETATION:
- SIMILAR TO THE PREVIOUS MISINTERPRETED PARABLE, THIS PARABLE IS SAID TO MEAN THAT
CHRISTIANITY, HIDDEN IN THE LUMP OF THE WORLD, WILL PERMEATE THE WORLD AND BECOME THE
CONQUERING POWER. THEREFORE, CHRISTIANITY WILL CAUSE THE WORLD TO BE SAVED.
- AS WE OBSERVED IN THE PREVIOUS PARABLE, THAT IDEA IS TOTALLY FOREIGN TO ALL THE REST OF
THE BIBLE.
- THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT THE WORLD WILL GET WORSE AND WORSE NOT BETTER AND BETTER.
CHRISTIANS WILL NEVER BE A MAJORITY, BUT ALWAYS A MINORITY.
- READ MAT 13:33-35
- WHAT IS THE SYMBOLIC MEANING OF LEAVEN?
- THE CHARACTERISTICS OF LEAVEN
- LEAVEN (YEAST) PERMEATES DOUGH OVER TIME TO MAKE IT RISE AND EXPAND.
- THE MISINTERPRETATION OF THIS PARABLE COMES BECAUSE THEOLOGIANS, PASTORS, AND TEACHERS
ARE NOT CONSISTENT WITH THE REST OF THE BIBLE IN THEIR INTERPRETATION OF LEAVEN.
- IN THE BIBLE, LEAVEN ALWAYS REFERS TO SOMETHING EVIL, BAD, OR SINFUL.
- LEAVEN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:
- THE FIRST TIME IT IS USED IN THE BIBLE IS GEN 19:3 LOT GAVE UNLEAVENED BREAD TO THE
ANGELS BECAUSE HE KNEW THE MEANING LEAVEN, AND THAT NOTHING UNCLEAN SHOULD BE GIVEN TO
THESE ANGELS.
- THE NEXT REFERENCE IS WHEN THE JEWS LEFT EGYPT. (EXO 12:15-20)
- NO SACRIFICE OFFERING SHOULD BE MADE TO GOD THAT CONTAINED LEAVEN. (LEV 2:11 LEV 6:14-18
EXO 12:8, 15, 19, 29)
- IN THE TABERNACLE ON THE TABLE OF SHOWBREAD, ONLY UNLEAVENED BREAD WAS ALLOWED.
- THIS BREAD REPRESENTED JESUS CHRIST, THE BREAD OF LIFE, THE SINLESS ONE.
- IN THE LEVITICUS OFFERINGS:
- SOME OF THE OFFERINGS HAVE LEAVEN AND SOME DO NOT.
- WHEN THE OFFERING WAS TO POINT TO CHRIST, THE ONE WITHOUT SIN, UNLEAVENED BREAD WAS
USED. (LEV 2:1-11)
- WHEN THE OFFERING WAS TO POINT TO MAN OR THE CHURCH, LEAVENED BREAD WAS USED. (LEV
23:15-21)
- LEAVEN IN THE NEW TESTAMENT:
- JESUS’ USE OF LEAVEN TO INDICATE SOMETHING EVIL:
- JESUS SPOKE OF THE HYPOCRISY OF THE PHARISEES AS LEAVEN. (LUK 12:1 MAT 16:6, 12 MAT
22:23, 29)
- JESUS USED IT MEAN WORLDLINESS WHEN HE SPOKE OF THE LEAVEN OF HEROD. (MAR 8:14, 15)
- PAUL’S USE OF LEAVEN:
- PAUL USED LEAVEN AS A SYMBOL OF SIN. (1COR 5:6-8 GAL 5:7-9)
- WE NOTICE THREE THINGS IN PAUL’S USE OF LEAVEN:
- =1= IT IS SOMETHING WHICH EXERTS A POWERFUL AND MOVING INFLUENCE.
- =2= IT IS SOMETHING THAT HINDERS MEN FROM OBEYING THE TRUTH.
- =3= IT IS SPECIFICALLY SAID THAT IT IS NOT FROM HIM WHICH CALLED YOU.
- WHO DOES THE WOMAN REPRESENT?
- THE FIGURE OF A WOMAN IS USED SYMBOLICALLY IN THE BIBLE IN THREE WAYS:
- =1= IT IS USED AS A KINGDOM, WHETHER GOOD OR BAD. ((ISA 47:5)
- =2= IT IS USED AS A CITY. (JER 6:2 ISA 3:26 EZE 24:6,7)
- =3= IT IS USED AS A CHURCH, WHETHER TRUE OR FALSE.
- THE TRUE CHURCH (ISA 54:1 REV 12:1,6,17)
- THE FALSE CHURCH (ZEC 5:7 REV 2:20 REV 17:1)
- REMEMBER THAT THESE PROPHETIC PARABLES IN MAT 13 CORRESPOND WITH THE 7 CHURCHES OF REV
2-3 TO REPRESENT THE CHURCH AGE.
- READ REV 2:18-29 THE CHURCH AT THYATIRA:
- JEZEBEL IS USED SYMBOLICALLY TO PORTRAY IMMORAL FALSE DOCTRINE.
- JUST BEFORE THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST, THERE WILL BE A ONE-WORLD FALSE RELIGION.
REVELATION CALLED IT BABYLON THAT GREAT CITY. REVELATION DEPICTS IT AS A KINGDOM, A CITY,
AND A CHURCH. (REV 17:18)
- NOTICE THE ACTION OF THE WOMAN IN THE PARABLE:
- SHE HIDES THE LUMP OF LEAVEN.
- THEREFORE, LEAVEN CANNOT BE SOMETHING GOOD, FOR WE ARE TOLD NOT TO HIDE THE GOSPEL. WE
ARE TO SHARE IT OPENLY.
- THE LEAVEN IS, THEREFORE, A FALSE DOCTRINE THAT SHE SECRETLY HIDES AND SCATTERS. HER
PURPOSE IS TO STEALTHILY INTRODUCE A FOREIGN AND CORRUPTING ELEMENT INTO THE MEAL TO
AFFECT ITS DETERIORATION.
- WHAT IS MEANT BY THE THREE MEASURES OF MEAL?
- WHEN JESUS SPOKE OF THREE MEASURES OF MEAL, HE USED A PHRASE KNOWN BY ALL THE JEWS OF
THAT TIME.
- WHEN ABRAHAM PREPARED A MEAL FOR THE LORD IN GEN 18:6, IT WAS A MEAL OF FELLOWSHIP.
- THREE MEASURES OF MEAL ARE EQUAL TO AN EPHAH WHICH WAS THE AMOUNT OFFERED IN THE MEAL
OFFERING (EZE 45:24 EZE 46:5,7,11)
- THIS OFFERING WAS DONE AFTER THE SIN OFFERING WHERE THE ATONEMENT FOR SIN WAS
ACCOMPLISHED.
- THE MEAL OFFERING, THEREFORE, WAS AN OFFERING OF FELLOWSHIP. (LEV 2:11)
- WHEN WE ACCEPT CHRIST AS OUR SAVIOR, WE REALIZE HE PAID FOR OUR SINS. WE ARE NO LONGER
SEPARATED FROM GOD BY SIN. WE NOW HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD. (EXO 16:36 NUM 15:9 NUM 28:12,
20, 28 NUM 29:3, 9, 14)
- THE NUMBER, 3, IN THE BIBLE IS A SYMBOLIC NUMBER THAT REPRESENTS THE TRINITY.
- THEREFORE, THE BELIEVER’S FELLOWSHIP IS WITH THE THREE MEMBERS OF THE TRINITY: GOD,
THE FATHER; JESUS, THE SON OF GOD; AND GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT.
- WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE?
- SIN, FALSE TEACHINGS, AND FALSE DOCTRINE WILL PERMEATE THE CHURCH DURING THE CHURCH AGE.
THEY WILL PERMEATE AND POLLUTE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD.
- AS A RESULT, THERE WILL BE A FALLING AWAY FROM GOD (A GREAT APOSTASY) AT THE END OF THE
CHURCH AGE.
HOMEWORK
THE PARABLE OF THE TREASURE AND THE FIELD (MAT 13:44)
THIS IS A SELF STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR
CORRECTION.
- APPLICATION OF THE PARABLE OF THE LEAVEN AND MEAL (MAT 13:33-35)
- GOD WANTS US TO FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM IN PRAYER AND READING HIS WORD.
- WHAT IS IT THAT KEEPS YOU FROM PRAYER AND HIS WORD?
- MAKE A COMMITMENT TO ENJOY HIS FELLOWSHIP MORE THIS WEEK.
- WRITE YOUR COMMITMENT NOW, AND TELL HOW YOU PLAN TO FULFILL YOUR COMMITMENT.
- PREPARATION FOR THE PARABLE OF THE TREASURE AND THE FIELD (MAT 13:44)
- READ MAT 13:44
- THIS IS ANOTHER OFTEN MISINTERPRETED PARABLE. (CONSIDER THE ACTIONS OF THE MAN IN ORDER
TO OBTAIN A PROPER INTERPRETATION.)
- WHAT DOES THE FIELD REPRESENT?
- WHO DOES THE MAN REPRESENT? HOW DO YOU KNOW?
- WHAT ACTIONS DID THE MAN DO?
- WHAT IS THE TREASURE?
- WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE?