1. We saw last week that the third parable, the parable of the grain of mustard seed, is a bit different from the first two.
2. And we saw that the third parable is closely related to the fourth parable, the parable of the leaven, which we will look today.
3. Before going any further, let me start right off by stating that in the Bible leaven always represents sin, corruption, and false doctrine.
4. There is a popular interpretation of this parable which teaches that the leaven here symbolizes the Gospel, which spreads and permeates mankind, until at last the whole world is converted to Christ.
5. How can anyone take this interpretation seriously? After nearly 2,000 years of Gospel preaching are we anywhere near getting the world converted to Christ? Of course not. We cannot even get America and Great Britain converted, never mind the billions of pagans in India, China, Japan, Africa, Latin America, and so on.
6. I would like for us to look at three keys to this parable, all found in Matt.13:33 – (1) the leaven, (2) the three measures of meal, (3) the woman who took and hid the leaven.

I. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LEAVEN.

1. An important principle of Bible interpretation is "the rule of first mention." The first mention of leaven in the Bible is found in Genesis 19:3. Notice that Lot would not serve these visiting angels leavened bread. Why? Because in Scripture, leaven represents sin.
2. The next reference to leaven is found in Exodus 12:8 (cf. 12:15,17, 20). There was to be no leaven during the Passover. In like manner, today we only use unleavened bread for the Lord’s Supper (cf. Ex.34:25).
3. When we come to the NT, we see that leaven always represents something evil.

1. There is the leaven of false religion (Matt.16:6,12; Luke 12:1; Mark 8:15).
2. This would refer specifically to the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees (Matt.16:6,12).
3. The Sadducees were what we call today worldly liberals, rationalists, humanists, modernists, etc. (Matt.22:23).
4. But whereas the Sadducees denied the resurrection and the doctrine of angels, "the Pharisees confess both" (Acts 23:8).
5. The Pharisees were religious hypocrites (Matt.23:13-16). Therefore, our Lord said, "Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy" (Luke 12:1).
6. Our Lord also warned about the leaven of Herod (Mark 8:15). Apparently our Lord was referring to the corrupting influence of Herod’s worldly, irreligious lifestyle, his self-seeking political views, and his wicked practices.
7. Every time you see some deceitful, self-seeking, unregenerate politician carrying a Bible, or saying he is a Christian, etc. – "Beware of the leaven of Herod."
8. Some time ago, former Mayor Giuliani said he wants to put the Ten Commandments back in the public schools. Yet the man never attends church. And he marches with the homosexuals. And he supports abortion. "Beware of the leaven of Herod."
9. One of our members said she heard Al Gore say on TV that he was a Christian. Yet he brags that he is pro-homosexual and pro-abortion! "Beware of the leaven of Herod."
10. Herod had a group of loyal followers, called the Herodians (cf. Mark 3:6). And as we saw last week in our study of the parable of the mustard seed, "Birds of a feather flock together."

4. The Bible teaches that leaven slowly and invisibly permeates churches, and eventually corrupts the pure Gospel of grace (cf. Gal.5:1-9).
5. Remember, the parable of the mustard seed shows the outward visible growth of Christendom, whereas the parable of the leaven shows the internal, hidden corruption.
6. Again, if this parable teaches the outward growth and progress of genuine Christianity, it would contradict the other parables. Also, it seems highly unlikely that leaven, which represents sin everywhere else in the Bible, could represent the Gospel in this parable (cf. I Cor.5:6-8).

II. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE THREE MEASURES OF MEAL.

1. To interpret the proper meaning of the leaven, we went back to Genesis, and the rule of first mention. We went back to when God warned Lot to escape Sodom and Gomorrah. Before God warned Lot, He warned Lot’s uncle Abraham. So let us go back again to Genesis, and the law of first mention (Gen.18:1-6).
2. Note that Abraham said to Sarah: "Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal" (Gen.18:6).
3. These three measures of meal represent communion with our Lord. Remember Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:32-35,47-51).
4. Therefore, the woman did not hide the leaven in Hinduism. She did not hide it in Islam. She did not hide it in any of these heathen religions which have absolutely nothing to do with Christianity.
5. She hid it "in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened" (Matt.13:33).

III. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WOMAN.

1. In the Bible, a woman often represents a religious system, sometimes good, and sometimes evil. For example, the true church is pictured as the bride of Christ, and the false church is described as a harlot.
2. Lest there be any doubts to the identity of this woman, let us stop and consider. The woman "hid" the leaven in the meal. Should the Gospel be hidden or loudly proclaimed?
3. The obvious answer is that we are to proclaim the Gospel, and not hide it (Mark 16:15,16; II Cor.4:3,4).
4. Yet the woman "hid" the leaven in the meal (Matt.13:33). Therefore, the leaven cannot be the true Gospel.
5. According to the Bible, false teachers bring in their false doctrine quietly and deceitfully (cf. II Peter 2:1; Jude 4).
6. Beloved, those dirty old buzzards in the tree do not like it when the true Gospel is preached (Matt.13:32; cf. 13:4,19). So Satan has the woman "hide" the leaven of false doctrine in the meal, "till the whole was leavened" (13:33).
7. We do not have the time to go deeply into the book of Revelation, but I would like to just point out two different women (Rev.2:20). The Jezebel in Thyatira was a successor to wicked Queen Jezebel, wife of King Ahab.
8. Jezebel had corrupted Israel through her wicked Baal-worship. In like manner, churches today are filled with modern-day Jezebels. May God protect us from them!
9. Finally, in Revelation 17 we see another woman, "THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS" (Rev.17:5). This is God’s vivid description of Christendom in its final days after the rapture.

CONCLUSION:

1. The great theme of this chapter is separation. Our Lord said that at "the end of this world," He will sever the wicked from among the just, and cast them into hell (13:40-43,49,50).
2. After teaching these parables, our Lord asked them, "Have ye understood all these things?" (13:51).