Jesus said, “The kingdom of Heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest tiniong herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches.”
The tiny mustard seed grows to a big, strong plant in all lands, hut in the warm land where these words were spoken, it grows so large, it is often much higher than a man, and its branches spread out like a tree, where birds gather for shade or to eat the seeds. Mustard is useful in some medicine, and to season some foods.
You may wonder how the kingdom of Heaven could be like a little seed: but we know that this kingdom was first told of, only to the people of Palestine, and only a few of them believed it was to come. Then after Jesus had gone back to Heaven, His words were told in all countries, and written in all languages, and very many people have believed them. Then we can understand that Jesus knew His kingdom would grow and spread like the little seed.
Jesus also said, “The kingdom of Heaven is like unto leaven (yeast) which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened” (made light and spongy).
Perhaps you know that leaven or yeast are tiny plant cells which ferment in warm, moist meal or dough until the whole is raised, if left long the dough will even be frothy. Dough with yeast seems to be double the amount, and we like our bread made light with it, if baked at the proper time.
Yet it is plain that in God’s Word, leaven does not teach of what is good, but of what is untrue and unreal and of careless ways which effect all. Jesus spoke of the wrong things taught by the leaders “as leaven”; they talked of God, but did not really honor Him, and told false things (Matt. 16:6,11, 126Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. (Matthew 16:6)
11How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? 12Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. (Matthew 16:11‑12)). When the people of Israel were to show real sorrow to God for sins, they were to eat unleavened bread (Ex. 12:1515Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. (Exodus 12:15)). After Jesus’ death, the believers were told to keep the feast with unleavened bread of “sincerity and truth”, which did not mean with real bread, but they were to be themselves sincere and true, not unreal and untrue as leaven.
The meal of the woman in the parable was for food, and the leaven made it less pure. So God’s words are for food to His people, but wrong things have beet, taught and done, to cause His words to seem less true, and to make His people careless. It was not the Lord who put in the leaven, but people, who are, or profess to be His, and sometimes spoken of as a “woman.”
ML 05/09/1943