Luke 13:20-21
And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus asks "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?" not just once, but twice, immediately after explaining the mustard seed parable. This repetition highlights that the kingdom's seemingly small or hidden beginnings are a crucial, though often overlooked, aspect of its divine nature.
Jesus is teaching the crowds using parables to explain the nature of God's kingdom, just as he did in Matthew's Gospel. Following the parable of the mustard seed, he poses another question, asking for a comparison to illustrate the kingdom of God further, leading into the parable of the leaven. This teaching occurs as Jesus continues his journey toward Jerusalem, a journey significant for its ultimate purpose.
Ever feel like a tiny seed trying to make a difference? Jesus uses this imagery to describe His Kingdom. It didn't start with a bang, but with something incredibly small.
Jesus asks, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?" This isn't just a rhetorical question; it's an invitation to see His kingdom not as a powerful earthly empire, but as something that begins quietly and inconspicuously. Think about the mustard seed parable: it starts as the smallest of seeds. This was a deliberate choice by Jesus. The Gospel message, and the early church, seemed insignificant to the world's powers. People often dismissed it because the messengers were ordinary, the message seemed radical, and its initial impact was small. But Jesus reassures us that God's power isn't measured by outward appearances or immediate, widespread acceptance. The kingdom's strength lies in its divine origin and its unstoppable, God-driven growth.
How does something tiny transform a whole batch of dough? Jesus uses this everyday image to reveal a profound truth about how His kingdom works.
Following the mustard seed, Jesus asks again, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?" This time, He uses the image of leaven. Leaven, though small, has an incredible power to permeate and transform a much larger mass of dough. This parable speaks to the pervasive, internal influence of God's kingdom. It's not just about outward expansion, but about a deep, transforming work. The Gospel message, like leaven, is meant to spread its influence, subtly but surely, changing lives and eventually society. It reminds us that the kingdom's impact is about a core transformation that can't be contained. Even when hidden or seemingly slow, its nature is to spread and leaven the whole.
Understand the original words
zymē · Greek Noun
In biblical symbolism, leaven typically represents an influential force that permeates the whole, used here to describe the pervasive, transformative power of the Kingdom of God.
saton · Greek Noun
Refers to a specific quantity of grain or meal, often associated in the Old Testament with ritual offerings and preparation for guests.
This passage presents the same parables of the mustard seed and the leaven, directly comparing them to the 'kingdom of heaven' and highlighting their growth from small beginnings to widespread influence.
Mark 4:26-29This account describes the parable of the growing seed, which, like the parables in Luke, focuses on the mysterious and organic way the kingdom of God develops and matures over time.
Isaiah 11:1-9This prophecy speaks of a future ruler from Jesse whose kingdom will bring justice and peace, and it uses imagery of a 'shoot' growing into a great tree where nations will seek refuge, echoing the expansion seen in the mustard seed parable.
1 Corinthians 1:27-29The Apostle Paul emphasizes how God chooses the weak and lowly to shame the strong and powerful, a concept that aligns with the humble beginnings of Jesus' kingdom as illustrated in these parables.
calvinLuke 13:18-22: "Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it?"
- He delivered another parable to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard, which a man took and sowed in his field: 32. Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown up, it is the largest among herbs, [220] and becometh a tree, so that the fowls of heaven come and make their nests among its branches. 33. He spake another parable to them: The kingdom of…
jfbLuke 13:18-30: "Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it?"
Lu 13:18-30. Miscellaneous Teachings.18-21. mustard seed … leaven—(See on [1657]Mr 4:30-32). The parable of "the Leaven" sets forth, perhaps, rather the inward growth of the kingdom, while "the Mustard Seed" seems to point chiefly to the outward. It being a woman's work to knead, it seems a refinement to say that "the woman" here represents the Church, as the instrument of depositing the leav…
Jesus asks "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?" not just once, but twice, immediately after explaining the mustard seed parable. This repetition highlights that the kingdom's seemingly small or hidden beginnings are a crucial, though often overlooked, aspect of its divine nature.
Jesus is teaching the crowds using parables to explain the nature of God's kingdom, just as he did in Matthew's Gospel. Following the parable of the mustard seed, he poses another question, asking for a comparison to illustrate the kingdom of God further, leading into the parable of the leaven. This teaching occurs as Jesus continues his journey toward Jerusalem, a journey significant for its ultimate purpose.
Jesus is teaching the crowds using parables to explain the nature of God's kingdom, just as he did in Matthew's Gospel. Following the parable of the mustard seed, he poses another question, asking for a comparison to illustrate the kingdom of God further, leading into the parable of the leaven. This teaching occurs as Jesus continues his journey toward Jerusalem, a journey significant for its ultimate purpose.
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"And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”" — Jesus asks "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?" not just once, but twice, immediately after explaining the mustard seed parable. This repetition highlights that the kingdom's seemingly small…
