Parable of the Leaven
Encyclopedia
The Parable of the Leaven (also called the Parable of the yeast) is one of the shorter parables of Jesus
. It appears in two of the Canonical gospels of the New Testament
. The differences between Gospel
s of Matthew and Luke are minor. In both places it immediately follows the Parable of the Mustard Seed
, which shares this parable's theme of the Kingdom of Heaven
growing from small beginnings.
A version of the parable also occurs in the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas
(96).
describes what happens when a woman adds leaven (old, fermented dough
usually containing lactobacillus
and yeast
) to a large quantity of flour (about 8½ gallons or 38 litres). The living organisms in the leaven grow overnight, so that by morning the entire quantity of dough has been affected.
In the Gospel of Luke, the parable is as follows:
, namely the powerful growth of the Kingdom of God
from small beginnings. The final outcome is inevitable once the natural process of growth has begun.
Although leaven symbolises evil influences elsewhere in the New Testament (as in Luke ), it is not generally interpreted that way in this parable. However, a few commentators do see the leaven as reflecting future corrupting influences in the Church.
As with the Parable of the Lost Coin
, this parable is part of a pair, in which the first parable describes Jesus' work in terms of a man's agricultural activities, and the second in terms of a woman's domestic activities. Joel B. Green
writes that Jesus "asks people — male or female, privileged or peasant, it does not matter — to enter the domain of a first-century woman and household cook in order to gain perspective on the domain of God."
The large quantity of flour may hint at a planned festive occasion, since the bread produced could feed a hundred people.
Parables of Jesus
The parables of Jesus can be found in all the Canonical gospels as well as in some of the non-canonical gospels but are located mainly within the three synoptic gospels. They represent a key part of the teachings of Jesus, forming approximately one third of his recorded teachings...
. It appears in two of the Canonical gospels of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. The differences between Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
s of Matthew and Luke are minor. In both places it immediately follows the Parable of the Mustard Seed
Parable of the Mustard Seed
The Parable of the Mustard Seed is one of the shorter parables of Jesus. It appears in three of the Canonical gospels of the New Testament. The differences between Gospels of Matthew , Mark , and Luke , are minor...
, which shares this parable's theme of the Kingdom of Heaven
Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven is a foundational concept in the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.The term "Kingdom of God" is found in all four canonical gospels and in the Pauline epistles...
growing from small beginnings.
A version of the parable also occurs in the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas
Gospel of Thomas
The Gospel According to Thomas, commonly shortened to the Gospel of Thomas, is a well preserved early Christian, non-canonical sayings-gospel discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945, in one of a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library...
(96).
Narrative
The parableParable
A parable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, which illustrates one or more instructive principles, or lessons, or a normative principle. It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as characters, while parables generally feature human...
describes what happens when a woman adds leaven (old, fermented dough
Sourdough
Sourdough is a dough containing a Lactobacillus culture, usually in symbiotic combination with yeasts. It is one of two principal means of biological leavening in bread baking, along with the use of cultivated forms of yeast . It is of particular importance in baking rye-based breads, where yeast...
usually containing lactobacillus
Lactobacillus
Lactobacillus is a genus of Gram-positive facultative anaerobic or microaerophilic rod-shaped bacteria. They are a major part of the lactic acid bacteria group, named as such because most of its members convert lactose and other sugars to lactic acid. They are common and usually benign...
and yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
) to a large quantity of flour (about 8½ gallons or 38 litres). The living organisms in the leaven grow overnight, so that by morning the entire quantity of dough has been affected.
In the Gospel of Luke, the parable is as follows:
Interpretation
This parable is part of a pair, and shares the meaning of the preceding Parable of the Mustard SeedParable of the Mustard Seed
The Parable of the Mustard Seed is one of the shorter parables of Jesus. It appears in three of the Canonical gospels of the New Testament. The differences between Gospels of Matthew , Mark , and Luke , are minor...
, namely the powerful growth of the Kingdom of God
Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven is a foundational concept in the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.The term "Kingdom of God" is found in all four canonical gospels and in the Pauline epistles...
from small beginnings. The final outcome is inevitable once the natural process of growth has begun.
Although leaven symbolises evil influences elsewhere in the New Testament (as in Luke ), it is not generally interpreted that way in this parable. However, a few commentators do see the leaven as reflecting future corrupting influences in the Church.
As with the Parable of the Lost Coin
Parable of the Lost Coin
The Parable of the Lost Coin is one of the parables of Jesus. It appears in only one of the Canonical gospels of the New Testament. According to Luke , a woman searches for a lost coin...
, this parable is part of a pair, in which the first parable describes Jesus' work in terms of a man's agricultural activities, and the second in terms of a woman's domestic activities. Joel B. Green
Joel B. Green
Joel B. Green, Ph.D. is Associate Dean for the Center for Advanced Theological Studies and Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, United States, and the author of numerous books, most of which are related to the New Testament.He is an...
writes that Jesus "asks people — male or female, privileged or peasant, it does not matter — to enter the domain of a first-century woman and household cook in order to gain perspective on the domain of God."
The large quantity of flour may hint at a planned festive occasion, since the bread produced could feed a hundred people.