Matthew 13:31-33
“He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’” vs. 33
Jesus uses a number of parables to help his hearers understand the mysterious presence of the kingdom of heaven in our world, but the insights we receive as he compares the kingdom to yeast are unparalleled. What an amazing image! Yeast is a single-celled fungus that, in the presence of warm water, causes bread to rise by converting the sugar in flour into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Just a tiny amount of yeast produces amazing results…without it all bread would be flat. Jesus wants us to know that while the kingdom of heaven may seem insignificant it has a powerful influence in this broken world. Where it is present, lives are touched and transformed and the light of Christ shines brightly. Sometimes it’s easy to get discouraged because the Church isn’t dominating the scene like we imagine that it once did. The parable of the yeast reminds us that followers of Jesus, even when we’re small in numbers, can have an outsize effect on the world. In fact, we’re probably at our best when we can focus on radical inclusive loving and not worry about trying to be the biggest show in town. Our call is to be present in the world and not worry about conquering the world!
Thought for the Day: How can a few Christians affect an entire community?
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