Three measures of meal first appear when Abraham and Sarah met the Lord, who foretold the birth of Isaac (Genesis 18:6). That setting links the three measures to the covenant relationship between God and Abraham's house. In the Parable of the Leaven, a woman hides leaven in three measures of meal until it spreads through the whole (Matthew 13:33). The meal represents the physical nation descended from Abraham, whose covenant bond with God degraded over the centuries until, by the time of Christ's ministry, it was completely debased. The leaven stands for false beliefs that lead people away from God and toward perdition. Introduced to and by Abraham's descendants, it broke down the spiritual wall and made the nation hospitable to demons, as the Mustard Seed's birds lodging in its branches show. Leavening also explains the tares among the wheat, the hardness of the soils in the Sower, and the opposition of the Pharisees and other leaders to those God was working with. The three measures thus mark the nation in which corrupt belief spread everywhere. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure answers this: God-given faith, which includes trust in God and a body of true beliefs, counterbalances the leaven.

In the Parable of the Leaven, Jesus spoke to the multitude, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened' (Matthew 13:33). These three measures of meal first appear in Genesis 18:6, when Abraham instructed Sarah to prepare them for cakes during God's visit to promise them a son, symbolizing the fellowship between God and Abraham's family. The Jews in Jesus' audience readily claimed Abraham as their father, recognizing the historical significance of the three measures. However, Jesus introduces a subversive element, indicating that over time, the fellowship between God and the expanding house of Abraham became entirely leavened, reflecting a corrupted covenantal relationship due to the incorporation of pagan beliefs and practices from surrounding nations.

In Matthew 13:33, Jesus presents a parable stating, "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 of leaven, often symbolizing corruption in Scripture, appears contradictory since the church, being in Christ, is considered unleavened. However, when understood as referring to the physical nation under heaven's dominion, the parable warns of corruption overtaking it. The three measures of meal connect to Genesis 18:6, where Abraham instructed Sarah to prepare three measures of fine meal for a meal with the pre-incarnate Christ, symbolizing fellowship between God and Abraham's family. Over time, this fellowship degenerated as Israel adopted corrupted beliefs from surrounding nations, introducing leaven into their relationship with God. By Christ's time, the nation had become fully leavened with corrupted teachings and traditions, resulting in spiritual bondage despite their physical presence in the Promised Land. This illustrates how leavening can symbolize slavery, contrasting with unleavened bread as a symbol of deliverance from the house of bondage.