In the light of Scripture, Perhaps taking root in rabbinic literature, leaven is often viewed as being symbolic of corruption and evil. There are Scriptures that appear to support this such as Matthew 16:6, 12 where it refers to erroneous teaching and legalism, and 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 where it represents fleshly corruption, and Galatians 5:9 highlighting that like leaven (yeast) in flour it only takes a small amount to affect the whole mass! But in today’s parable recorded in Matthew 13:33 Jesus uses leaven to represent the gospel and the kingdom of heaven which “is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.” So how do we reconcile these two seemingly different views? I believe if we view leaven as neither good or bad, but look at its work we can get an accurate picture; just like it only takes a small amount of leaven in the flour to affect the whole batch so it only takes a small amount of false teaching, legalism, and fleshly corruption hidden within us to defile and poison our whole spiritual life. The same standard is true with the gospel and the kingdom of God which begins small but when properly cultured grows into full maturity. We see this played out in the birth of the child Jesus growing into manhood, beginning a ministry with a seemingly small beginning, expanding to twelve disciples, Matthew 10:1, to about one hundred twenty, Acts 1:15, then to about three thousand, Acts 2:41, and on to about, five thousand Acts 4:4, and it continues. The same truth is played out in our personal life “if we follow on to know the Lord” Hosea 6:3 KJV. Job 8:7 says “Though your beginning was small, Yet your latter end would increase abundantly.” And Philippians 1:6 says, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”.
Small made large
By Rose Hill
Oh the wonder of it all,
The things that are so very small.
So very large can grow,
How they do it God doth know.
Oh the wonder of it all,
God gave a faith so very small.
On His word I daily fed,
And it grew in me as God had said.
Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version copyright …1982 by Thomas Nelson Co. used by permission.