One of the things that I am passionate about is Bible study. I love the discovery of meaning and intention that scripture provides for us. As a pastor, I have always felt strongly that Bible study be a significant part of the church curriculum for adults. Now, I don’t mean “just reading the Bible,” though that is important. I’m talking about looking at scripture through the lens of scholarship, cultural mores and attitudes, as well as the economic and political understanding of the time. What was the writer’s intention and how do we understand the many dialects of ancient languages like Aramaic and Greek?

Greek text, circa 1st & 2nd centuries

Examine the picture of Greek text as it would have appeared around the first and second centuries. Aside from the fact that you can’t read it, what do you notice about it?

There is no punctuation…neither are there spaces between the words. Such is classical Greek. How do you make sense of it? How do you translate it? Obviously, we put our trust in those who are experts in Greek scholarship, but even among scholars there are disagreements.

As you may be aware, we do not have the actual words of Jesus. There were no tape recorders or scribes writing down his every word. What we have are 2nd, 3rd, and 4th accounts handed down via oral tradition. So, what we actually have are sayings that people said he said. One thing we do know for sure is that Jesus taught using parables.

Most of us, pastors included, have understood parables as simple stories with moral or religious meanings. We have come to believe that Jesus used these stories so people would better understand the kingdom of God, or what God might be like.

Mark, and Matthew as well, as Matthew copied much of Mark’s gospel, gives us a disturbing reason why Jesus taught in parables. He says so that the blind would not perceive and the deaf would not hear, heaven forbid, lest they should be forgiven! What’s this about? Why wouldn’t Jesus want everyone to understand his message, and certainly the Kingdom of God?

Recent scholarship on Mark indicates that this text, verse 11 and 12, is most likely edited comments by Mark and not the words of Jesus. Mark wants to show that the parables were teachings for insiders, those who understood the metaphorical nature of the parables, while the outsiders just sit in wonder, like the disciples. Mark and his community want to show that they were insiders privy to Jesus’ words. However, the parables had secret meanings. They are like an onion that you have to peel to get to the core. The gospels reveal time and again that the disciples did not understand many of Jesus’ teachings and the master had to explain the particular teaching to them.

Most of Jesus’ parables are found in the three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, and in the recently discovered gospel of Thomas. Interestingly, the Gospel of John records no parables of Jesus.

I’m indebted to Dr. Bernard Brandon Scott, Professor of New Testament at Phillips Theological Seminary at the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma, for his expert scholarship and keen insight into the parables of Jesus. Scott has published a book on the parables entitled, “Re-imagine the World: An Introduction to the Parables of Jesus.”

Scott maintains that the parables give us access to the way Jesus re-imagined the possibility of living, of being in the world. They are multi-faceted, re-imaginings of life, and the possibilities of life. They help us imagine how we might live life in this world amidst tragedy and good times.

The parable belongs to the wisdom tradition of Proverbs, rich in myth and metaphor. Because parables often expose myth as false answers to life’s hard realities, they also expose their audience to discomfort and pain. It is important to pay attention to the parable’s stories and understand them in their historical, cultural context in order to experience anew the way they literally shook the cultural foundations of Jesus’ world.

A parable is a comparison. The Greek word, ‘parabole’ literally means something thrown beside something else. Many of Jesus’ parables begin with the formula, “it is like…” comparing something to something else.

Jesus seemed to use two types of parables:  the ‘similitude’ which is a simple one liner comparison, where “like” is expressed; “the Kingdom of God is like…” The second is the full narrative, exampled by the prodigal son and the good Samaritan.

I want to look at one of Jesus ‘similitudes’…the parable of the Leaven.

“Heaven’s imperial rule is like leaven that a woman took and concealed in three measures of flour until it was all leavened.” (Matthew 13:33)

Traditionally we would have said that this parable, like the mustard seed which directly proceed it, is about small beginnings and large outcomes. The message is simple, a little turns into a lot.

However, Scott says the parable literally may infer that kind of meaning. But in the language of Jesus, the meaning is hidden…hence, a clue to Mark’s remarks regarding the purpose of parables… “that they may see and not perceive, and hear and not understand.”

At the outset, the translation of the word ‘kingdom’ is problematic. The Greek translation for kingdom is “Basileia,” from which comes the English ‘basilica.’ Basileia is basically a large building. The Romans used the word basilica to refer to their emperor’s administrative offices, where he conducted business. To the Jew in the first century, the basilica was the Roman Empire.

Though Augustus brought about the Pax Romana, or period of peace, it was only peace to Roman citizens. To the indigenous people of the villages and provinces of Palestine, it was oppression. Therefore, Scott argues in favor of translating the word ‘basileia’ as “empire,” noting it to be the empire of God in direct opposition to the Roman Empire. For those oppressed by the Roman Empire, basileia had a negative connotation and in stating it as such, the empire of God is a symbol used to make God more available to the common everyday folks and provide them with an alternative to their everyday life in the empire of Caesar.

The next key to this parable is in the understanding of ‘leaven’ itself. As Scott indicates, the fact that a woman was making the bread herself would indicate a rural setting in a peasant background. In urban areas, bread was made in bakeries and was purchased daily for the family, “give us this day our daily bread.” Archaeological digs have uncovered what appear to be large bakeries in such cities as Pompeii and Ostia-Antica. However, in this parable, we are in a rural area watching a peasant woman preparing to make a large batch of bread. So the setting of the parable is in the most common and understandable form of life, peasant life, which made up a large portion of the province of Galilee.

In the ancient world, the process of leavening frequently stood as a metaphor for moral corruption. Leaven, or yeast, as we call it today, ferments, poisons or infects the dough with its active bacteria causing it to swell. Not unlike a decomposing corpse. The corpse swells up for the same reason that bread swells up—fermentation—spoilage and rotting.

There are several examples in the New Testament supporting the concept. In the 8th chapter of Mark, Jesus warns the disciples concerning the leaven of the Pharisees.  Matthew interprets the leaven of the Pharisees to be their teachings. In Galatians 5:9 Paul quotes the proverb, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” referring, of course, to those false prophets, teachers that are leading the Galatian community astray. This would not be so unlike our American proverb, “one rotten apple spoils the whole bunch.”

From a Jewish point of view, unleavened bread is a powerful symbol of the Holy. During the Passover, or Feast of Unleavened Bread, all leavened bread was removed from the household. Unleavened bread was a symbol of the sacred and holy, because it was pure, free of the leaven, or yeast, that spoiled it.

So you see, right at the outset, the parable with the simple word “leaven” would throw the audience off guard and possibly into a panic. For leaven is surely no holy symbol of the kingdom of God. Essentially Jesus would be saying, “The empire of God is like a rotting corpse.” The audacity…to say that the empire of God is like rotting corps. That’s blasphemy!

The next element of surprise would be the fact that Jesus intentionally uses a woman as an emblem of the sacred.  That, too, is blasphemy! Now the ancient world was one in which the role of women was, shall we say, not favorable. It was a patriarchal structure, evidenced in culture, economics and politics, which were certainly reflected in the home. Males were the dominate sex. Women were at a disadvantage, and they certainly were not a viable prescription for the kingdom, or empire of God.

So, you have thus far compressed within the first ten words, the Empire of God is like a rotting corpse brought about by a woman…Do you get a sense of how radical this man Jesus really was? To compare the empire of God to rotting bacteria, and bring it about via a woman? Is it any wonder that some of the Jews could not see Jesus as Messiah?

The next element is found in the word hid. Now there is nothing suspicious with the empire of God being hidden. That was understood. But what is very unusual is the Greek word used for hidden, ‘krypto,’ which means concealed; Our word encrypt, which means to keep secret by means of a code, originates from the Greek word krypto.

It’s not just randomly hidden, but is actually and intentionally concealed. The leaven is actually concealed in the dough, by a woman. The words of Mark become increasingly more meaningful, “that they may see and not perceive, and hear and not understand.”

Next, the parable speaks of three measures of flour…the leaven was concealed in three measures of flour. Three measures of flour is equivalent to 50 pounds of flour and would make enough bread to feed 100 people. In the 18th chapter of Genesis we have the narrative of the three visitors to Abraham. Upon their request, Abraham orders Sarah to prepare three measures of choice flour and make cakes.

The symbolism here might be a little sketchy but the three measures is a significant quantity of flour used to entertain important guests, noblemen and kings, or herald important events. We find out later that Abraham was indeed entertaining God. This then becomes a prophecy on the birth of Issac. The three measures herald an important event.

In the parable of the Leaven, the three measures, a large amount of dough, has been made larger and transformed by a little leaven. What the three measures herald, here in this parable, is that the messiah is here among us, not far off, but very present, right in their midst. So, if we look at the parable in the light of this information, it might read something like this:

The empire of God is like a little bit of yeast that a woman takes and conceals in a large batch of dough. The yeast transforms the whole dough, giving rise to many loaves of bread.

What would this parable mean to the 1st century Jew?

First of all, it would be good news to women. It gives them a major role in the empire of God, just the way they are, doing what they do best…taking care of family.

Second, it would be good news to all of those who were considered leaven in their society, people who were poor and disenfranchised…this parable assures them that the empire of God is like them…and that would consume 80% of the population of first century Galilee.

It would not, however, be good news to those who were doing well under Roman rule. God was not what they had imagined or the scriptures predicted. God was not like unleavened bread, but leaven.

So Jesus is saying, you know the drudgery of life under the oppression of the Roman Empire, it’s hard…re-imagine, if you will, a life that is full, joyful and transforming in spite of the oppression. Think of it like leaven that is concealed in a large batch of dough. The leaven is the spirit of God transforming every aspect of life it infects. Just as we can’t see the leaven working in the dough, we can’t see the work of the empire of God, but like the leaven is always working, the empire of God is always working. It is always working to draw people closer to God.

How should we understand this parable today? 

First of all, the word kingdom, or empire, has little meaning for 21st century Christians. Rather, I would substitute the word ‘arena’ for kingdom/empire meaning the place where God is present and does God’s work.

Also, some of the metaphors I will be using might be as shocking to you as the original parable was to the first century Jew. I believe that Jesus wanted the people to understand that even amidst the most severe oppression, pain and suffering, and yes, even good times, the arena of God is constantly in their midst.

It might go something like this:

  • The arena of God is like a woman that got breast cancer. It started with a small lump until it infected the whole body.
  • The arena of God is like a young man falling asleep at the wheel, running into an automobile and killing the occupants.
  • The arena of God is like getting a flat tire on the freeway late at night only to have a couple of Hell’s Angel bikers stop and fix it.
  • The arena of God is like paying for groceries at WinCo and have the person in the next lane bag your groceries and help you out to your car.
  • The arena of God is like a small child that wiggles free from a parent during worship and runs squealing down the aisle to freedom.
  • The arena of God is like church camp during summer camp time.
  • The arena of God is like being a care giver to a dying parent.
  • The arena of God is like cleaning your house.
  • The arena of God is like staying in a job where you are under-paid and over-worked.
  • The arena of God is like being hit by a drunk driver and handicapped for life.
  • The arena of God is like orphaned children in Gaza.
  • The arena of God is like a wedding that unites two people in love.
  • The arena of God is like giving birth to twins.

The arena of God is our journey, day to day, in this life; it’s not about something magical, mystical, extremely religious or other worldly. It’s not about wealthy kingdoms. The arena of God is like sitting in your recliner watching TV. It’s simply about the day-to-day baking of bread, trying to serve God with our heart, mind and soul, transforming those around us with God’s Grace and Love.

Re-imagine, if you will, a world like that!