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The Parable of Leaven
Jesus has been teaching about the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 13. We’ve seen the Sower, followed by the Wheat and Tares, and then the Mustard Seed. Now, He uses leaven to illustrate a kingdom characteristic. We read:
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)
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The Parable of the Mustard Seed
As the Lord’s parables about the kingdom continues in Matthew 13, now we come to the parable of the mustard seed. It reads:
The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds, but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches. (Matthew 13:31-32)
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The Parable of the Wheat and Tares
In one sense, all of the Lord’s parables are about the kingdom of heaven, but there are a collection of parables which begin in Matthew 13 that we commonly call the kingdom parables. Each begins with the statement, “The kingdom of heaven is like…”
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The Parable of the Sower
Jesus’ parables tend to use simple images. He would employ activites and ideas the common person would understand – activities that folks had experience with. Perhaps the best known parable spoken by Jesus is the parable of the sower. Two gospels record this parable, Matthew (13:3-23) and Luke (8:4-15).
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The Parable of the Two Debtors
Simon the Pharisee invited Jesus to his home for a meal. As He sat at the table, a woman, simply identified as a sinner came in. Some have tried to identify her as Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2), but the text does not infer this. Her name is not as important as what she did. Simon withheld some basic courtesies from the Lorrd – he did not wash His feet, give Him a kiss, nor anoint His head. However, the woman whom Simon called a sinner (Luke 7:39) did all of these for the Lord (Luke 7:44-46).
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The Parable of the Divided Kingdom
The crowd buzzed, “Could this be the Son of David?” The Lord had just healed a demon-possessed man brought to him. Hear this, the Pharisees quickly accused,
This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of demons. (Matthew 12:24)
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The Parable of Children Playing Games
Jesus spoke about the work of John the Baptist to the people. They “justified God,” for they had received his baptism. However, Luke says the Pharisees,
…rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him. (Luke 7:30)
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The Parable of Plentiful Harvest
Matthew spoke of the Lord’s work as He journeyed, taking the gospel from village to village. The apostle recorded:
…when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)
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The Parables of the Bridegroom and Patches and Wineskins
The disciples of John the Baptist and the disciples of the Pharisees asked Jesus:
Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink? (Luke 5:33)
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The Parables of the Physician
Immediately after Jesus called Levi to follow Him, this new disciple hosted a feast at his home. Matthew 9:10 tells us that many tax collectors and sinners came and sat downn at his table. Even at this early stage in Jesus’ ministry, the Pharisees and scribes were keeping tabs on what Jesus was doing. Mark 2:16 reveals they saw Him eating with this motley crew at Matthew’s house. And so, they asked His disciples why He ate with such people.