33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” 34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.” (Matthew 13:33-35)
Previously, the Lord Jesus told the parable of the mustard seed, which talks about the development of the kingdom of heaven, just like the mustard seed, which grows from the smallest seed to the largest vegetable and becomes a tree.
Here, the Lord Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven is like yeast, which a woman took and and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough. What does this mean?
6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:6-8)
Paul said the same thing here, “a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough” This refers to the fact that there was adultery in the Corinthian church. The yeast here refers to sin. leavened with malice and wickedness mentioned here all refer to sin. Sin will affect the entire church. There is adultery in the church, Paul wants the church to excommunicate him. We see that the church may be affected by sin.
Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be[a] on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. (Luke 12:1)
Here the Lord Jesus said that you should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:6) Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:12)
Here the Lord Jesus wants the disciples to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The yeast here refers to their teachings, that is, wrong teachings.
Here we see that yeast represents sin and wrong teachings, sin and wrong teachings will affect the church. We should read the Bible more, do the Lord’s will, if we have sins, confess and repent of our sins, draw near to the Lord, have a close relationship with the Lord, be the sheep that listen to the Lord’s voice, and discern the wrong teachings.
May God bless you and your family! 🙏😊
