The Parable of the Leaven, as spoken by Jesus to the multitude, illustrates a profound truth about the kingdom of heaven. He declared, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened." This imagery draws from a recognizable element in the history of His audience, referencing the three measures of meal first seen in Genesis when Abraham fellowshipped with God. However, Jesus introduces a subversive element, showing that over time, the fellowship between God and the expanding house of Abraham degenerated, becoming entirely leavened. This parable points to a covenantal relationship that had become thoroughly corrupted, as Israel adopted pagan beliefs from surrounding nations, blending them into her relationship with God. The Judaism Jesus encountered was a mix of some Scripture with corrupting influences from the Babylonian captivity, Hellenism, and hardened traditions, resulting in a kingdom marked by false beliefs rather than overt idolatry. Thus, when He came to His own, the descendants of Abraham, they did not receive Him, reflecting a covenantal bond that had been wholly compromised.

In Matthew 13, Jesus Christ employs parables to predict circumstances that would impact God's church through the ages until His return. Among these, the Parable of the Leaven (Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20-21) serves as a warning of internal doctrinal distortions. This parable, one of the first four in Matthew 13, reveals the church's future progress alongside others like the Parable of the Sower, the Wheat and Tares, and the Mustard Seed, highlighting various challenges to God's plan. Specifically, in the Parable of the Leaven, God's doctrines face corruption from within. The parable consists of three interconnected elements: the leaven, the woman, and the meal. Leaven symbolizes corruption and evil, consistent with its usage throughout the Bible to represent sin and false doctrine. Jesus Christ uses it to denote the corrupt teachings of groups like the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herod, which could extend to later distortions prioritizing human traditions over God's Word. The leaven, hidden in the meal, illustrates how satan subtly undermines the truth, symbolizing disintegration and corruption through influences such as greed, pride, and worldly desires. The woman in the parable represents a system of beliefs and practices that oppose Christ. By surreptitiously hiding leaven in the meal, she infuses the church with corrupting ideas, acting as an adversary to His teachings. Her actions signify the secretive introduction of false doctrine, undermining the purity of the church. The three measures of meal, a significant quantity, symbolize love, service, and loyalty to others, particularly within the church. Recognized by Jesus' audience as akin to the grain offering which must remain unleavened, this element underscores the importance of pure, uncorrupted service to fellow human beings. Jesus warns that false doctrines, stealthily introduced, would erode these relationships, fostering self-centered attitudes that spread through the church like leaven in dough, ultimately corrupting the entire body if unchecked.

The Parable of the Leaven, as presented in Matthew 13, challenges the common interpretation that the Kingdom of Heaven would grow to encompass the whole earth in a purely positive manner. When Jesus likened the Kingdom of God to leaven in bread, it likely astounded His audience, given the negative connotation leaven carries throughout most of Scripture. They would have questioned how the Kingdom could be full of leaven, suggesting corruption or sin, when it was expected to be glorious and pure. In this parable, leaven appears as a symbol of corruption that multiplies and spreads, consistent with its portrayal in other biblical contexts as something negative. Jesus, observing the span between His death and return, saw that people would remain full of leaven until changed, highlighting the ongoing struggle with sin even within the Kingdom's present form. The woman in the parable, who takes leaven and hides it in three measures of meal, represents a system of beliefs and practices influencing others, likely in a negative manner due to the covert nature of her actions. The term "hidden" suggests secrecy or sneakiness, indicating this system is up to no good. The phrase "three measures of meal" would have resonated with Jesus' Jewish audience as a reference to the meal offering, symbolizing service and devotion to fellowman, akin to loving one's neighbor. Historically, such offerings were significant in contexts of hospitality and spiritual fellowship, as seen in examples from Genesis, Judges, and Samuel. To include leaven in such an offering was unthinkable, akin to blasphemy, signaling a subversion of something good. Thus, this parable warns that a false system will covertly attempt to corrupt the true church through false teachings, particularly in how members treat one another. The church has often guarded major doctrines well, but its greatest weakness lies in personal relationships, marked by distrust, offense, disunity, and other works of the flesh. This parable, as the fourth step in satan's plan to undermine the church, underscores the injection of false teachings regarding personal interactions, urging a focus on overcoming these relational challenges to align with God's intent.

In the Parable of the Leaven, found in Matthew 13:33, Jesus Christ illustrates a profound truth about the kingdom of heaven, which in this context represents the church in its present age. He declares that the kingdom of heaven is like leaven, a comparison that would have startled His listeners, as leaven consistently symbolizes the corruption of sin throughout Scripture. This parable reveals a troubling reality within the church, where sin, depicted as leaven, infiltrates and affects its purity. A woman, symbolizing a system of beliefs and practices that influences a community, takes leaven and hides it in three measures of meal. The act of taking, with its connotation of seizing or stealing, and hiding, implying secrecy and deception, suggests that this woman is engaging in something covert and wrong. Her actions indicate a deliberate mixing of corruption into something meant to be pure, syncretizing false teachings or practices into the church's fabric. The three measures of meal represent a significant offering, far beyond the ordinary, symbolizing the church's great purpose and devotion to fellow man. This large quantity, enough to produce numerous loaves of bread, underscores the expansive potential of the church's service. Yet, the woman's introduction of leaven into this vast offering prophesies that false teachings and practices will infiltrate the church after its founding by Jesus Christ. Jesus warns that this corruption, introduced by the woman under the influence of satan, will succeed, as the parable concludes with the statement that the whole was leavened. The primary impact of this leaven is the breakdown of harmony among church members, undermining the proper way they should act, react, and serve each other. Satan's goal through this deception is to set members against one another and corrupt the doctrines and practices that facilitate reconciliation, rendering the church ineffective in its mission to be light and salt to the world. Despite the church's success in guarding significant doctrines, its great weakness lies in the area of personal relationships, failing to show true love for one another. Issues such as distrust, offense, disunity, selfishness, gossip, and judgment among brethren reveal the pervasive influence of this leaven, hindering the church's ability to fulfill its purpose of service and devotion as a super meal offering to the world.