33Another parable He spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."
This is a very short parable, and I'm not sure exactly the point Jesus was trying to make with it but there are a few different interesting possibilities. I knew leaven was like yeast, and yeast added to bread dough will cause the whole thing to rise.
Is Jesus talking about society or the individual? If the kingdom of heaven takes root in a small part of society, will it spread to the rest of society? If you let the kingdom of heaven into your heart does it influence everything about you? To me this is another indication like the sower of the mustard seed. The sower was to spread the seeds, but their growth happened on their own. Again, if the kingdom of heaven was let in, it would spread on its own.
But what about the fact that the woman hid the leaven? Do we ever try to hide our faith or beliefs, the source of our strength? Just like the leaven, it cannot remain hidden. It will permeate outside of the confinement we try to hold it in.
And finally, I looked up the meaning of leaven in my dictionary. I knew it was like yeast, but my dictionary has two definitions for it: A substance, such as yeast, used to produce fermentation in batters and dough; an element that works to lighten or enliven a whole. The kingdom of heaven works in your favor. It works to lighten and enliven everything about you!
The kingdom of heaven cannot be contained. As the mustard seed, it will provide strength, support, and shelter, but as leaven it will also help to remove your burdens and put life back into your life.