Could this man Jesus be the tiny seed? He was a nobody, wasn’t he? Born in an animal stable, cradled in a cattle feeding trough, brought up in the pitiful town of Nazareth, living in a friend’s house, his only possession was his clothing. Today he has 2,180,000,000 who name his name across the world.
The tiniest seed of the man of Calvary would become - on earth - a refuge for millions in their need and hopelessness.
But Jesus’ next parable (2) in bold above - is a real mystery. Heaven on earth, he said, is like yeast that a woman took and hid in three measures of wheat flour, till it was all leavened.” A woman? Three measures? Wheat flour?
There’s only one other place in the Bible which refers to a woman, three measures, and wheat flour. The woman was named Sarah. She was the wife of Abraham. The God and Father of Jesus Christ had promised the two of them a child in their old age. Abraham believed it. Sarah didn’t. When God’s messengers came to Abraham she prepared three measures of wheat flour for them. At that very time, Sarah laughed at God’s promise. The messengers said to her, “Was that you laughing?” she said “No. I didn’t laugh.”
Sarah hid her unbelieving laughter whilst preparing three measures of wheat flour for God’s messengers.
Is that what Jesus was saying through his parable? Heaven on earth? Could it be that unseen and hidden – but within the heavenly realm on earth - are those who will not truly believe in Jesus and walk in his ways? Could it be that this kind of yeast is within every single part of heaven on earth? |