18 Then Jesus said, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it with? 19 It is like a mustard seed that a man plants in his garden. The seed grows and becomes a tree, and the wild birds build nests in its branches.”
20 Jesus said again, “What can I compare God’s kingdom with? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and hid in a large tub of flour until it made all the dough rise.”
Read Luke 13:18-21 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
Of all the parables Jesus shared about the kingdom of God, one of the shortest contains one of the most powerful insights into God’s kingdom working in our lives than any other one. In the parable of the yeast, we can learn insights into God’s kingdom from something as simple as baking bread – a process that hasn’t changed significantly since the time when Jesus shared these words.
Luke’s gospel tells us that immediately following the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus continues by saying, “What can I compare God’s kingdom with? It is like yeast that a woman took and hid in a large tub of flour until it made all the dough rise.” (v. 20-21)
Like with other kingdom parables, whenever Jesus shares something that describes God’s kingdom, God is one of the characters present. In this short parable, there are only three things that are shared, and really only one candidate for God’s character: the woman.
God’s kingdom is like God taking and hiding yeast in a large tub of flour. I’m guessing that moisture/water is also within this tub of flour because the “flour” becomes “dough” that rises.
With an understanding that God is the one hiding the yeast, what would the yeast represent in this context?
In other places, Jesus warns the disciples about the Pharisees having yeast, and in that context, yeast refers to the Pharisees’ teachings and beliefs about God. If yeast in that case represented teachings and beliefs, then in Jesus’ parable here, yeast could also refer to a person’s teachings and beliefs.
What we have been taught and what we believe is not directly seen from looking at us from the outside. If you had a lineup of people, with each person wearing different types of clothing, we might get an impression of what someone might believe, but at best it would only be a stereotype conclusion and not a true picture of what each person knows or believes. In this way, a person’s beliefs, unless they display them through their actions, is hidden within their lives like yeast hides in a ball of dough.
But yeast’s primary characteristic is that it grows. Yeast starts small, only a teaspoon or less in many cases, but it ultimately affects the whole ball of dough. In our lives, the ideas we hold onto will grow. The beliefs we have will expand. What we focus on will become a lens for our reality. What might have begun as a small, simple idea may just transform our life.
The Pharisees used logic and questions to plant seeds of doubt in the minds of others. They did this to bring people over to their way of thinking. In contrast, Jesus planted seeds of hope and love through stories that showed God, His character, and His kingdom.
We have the choice of whose yeast we will pay attention to. Will we pay attention to the ideas and beliefs in this world that grow into doubt, or will we pay attention to the ideas and beliefs that support a loving God who cares about humanity enough to sacrifice Himself for us?
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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