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THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN vs.
THE KINGDOM OF "LEAVEN"

Matthew 13:31-33 is the key to understanding all the religious confusion of our day (lets turn to those verses). Before we examine these verses, we must understand what is the meaning of the phrase "the Kingdom of Heaven" described in the context of Matthew 13. We find that Jesus is no longer proclaiming the Kingdom being "at hand" like He did earlier in Matthew 4:17. By the time we come to chapter 13, the Kingdom is nationally rejected and is to exist in a mystery form until His second coming. That is why Jesus is now preaching the Kingdom of Heaven in the form of "parables" (which are earthly stories with heavenly meanings). With this in mind, these parables describe how the course of religious Christianity (also known as 'Christendom') will be like from now until the end. The two parables we will look at describes the foundations of various denominational beliefs. (Note: This does not describe what Heaven is going to be like, but how the Kingdom of Heaven will progress in it's existence upon the earth while awaiting the return of the King).

Look at verse 31 and you will see that it's a "mustard seed" that is sown rather than "good seed" in verse 24. The "mustard seed" brings forth a "tree" in verse 32 which results in the "birds of the air" that come and lodge in the tree's branches. Let's answer these questions:

What do birds symbolize in a parable? (Answer: verses 4 and 19)

What does a tree symbolize in a parable? (Answer: Daniel 4:20-22)

So when we put these two things together, we find that this represents the growth of an institution (symbolized by the tree) that's filled with evil influences (symbolized by the birds). We read about it's future judgment in Revelation 18:2 which says, "And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird."

With this in mind, we should not find it strange in our modern day how the main focus of Christendom seems to be about building institutions with "mustard seeds" rather than building individuals with the "good seed." Up to this point in Matthew 13:31-32, we now come to verse 33 which gives us the teachings or doctrines of this religious system in a parable form. If you understand this, then you can trace which category a certain denomination or religious organization falls under, regardless of what name or label it goes by. It is very important to realize that this study is designed to look beyond what the confusing labels that churches have and see what their foundations are. They will have at least one of the three characteristics that we will examine in verse 33. Let's look at Matthew 13:33 in our Bibles. I will attempt to break this down while you look in your Bible.

LEAVEN: There is nothing in God's Word that refers to leaven as being good. It is always used to describe false doctrine, sin, and pride.

WOMAN: A woman is always used to describe (in a parable) something that is out of place concerning religious order. This is not degrading to women since they are great assets to the cause of Christ (they helped Jesus and Paul in their ministries). But when a woman, in parable symbolism, is seen as having authority it represents religious chaos or confusion. Read and meditate on these Scriptures in your spare time: Zechariah 5:6-11 1 Timothy 2:11-15 Revelation 2:20-23 Revelation 17 and 18.

THREE MEASURES OF MEAL: These are the three categories that have been "leavened." This is what I like to call "The Trinity of Apostasy." We must remember that according to 2 Peter 1:20 there is no "private interpretation" of Scripture. With this in mind, let's look at the three leavens that Jesus warned us about:

Phariseeism: (Matthew 16:6 and 11) The leaven of the Pharisees describes outward forms of religion without having anything on the inside. The word "Pharisee" means separated. Read Christ's rebuke on this in Matthew 23:14, 16, 23-28). This leaven also exalts man-made tradition equal or above God's Word (Matthew 15).

Sadduceeism: (Matthew 16:6 and 11) The leaven of the Sadducees is simply denying anything supernatural and the inspiration of the Scriptures. We read about this in Matthew 22:23:29. The word "Sadducee" named from Zadok who was the founder of this sect. The name Zadok means "just." So, I guess they justify themselves by removing anything supernatural and exalt their opinions as religious practice.

Herodianism: (Mark 8:15) The leaven of Herod is a picture of worldliness and religious compromise for political gain. It is motivated by polls and popular opinion. We get the picture of this in Matthew 14:1-11. Other descriptions of the Herodians (as a group) are found in Matthew 22:16-21 and Mark 3:6.

We either belong to the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of "Leaven." The true Kingdom is based upon unleavened bread (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). That is, THE BREAD OF LIFE (John 6:32-58)

- James S. Hodges

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