The Kingdom of Heaven - Introduction

This is the first installment of a series of studies about the Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven.  Before investigating the mysteries of the Kingdom parables, it will be useful to understand what the Kingdom of Heaven is!   

The "Gospel" of the Kingdom

The “gospel” of the kingdom is the good news that this “kingdom” is at hand, and that some may enter, and be subjects of the kingdom. The terms "Kingdom of Heaven" used by Matthew, and "Kingdom of God" are synonymous.  The first thing we should know is that John the Baptist, Jesus, and even His disciples preached about the Kingdom of Heaven throughout their ministries.

Matthew 3:1-2 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!”  HCSB

  

Mark 1:15 [John speaking] “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.   NKJV

Matthew 4:17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!”   HCSB

Matthew 10:5, 6-8 Jesus sent out these 12 after giving them instructions...go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  As you go, announce this: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, drive out demons.  You have received free of charge; give free of charge.  HCSB

Who are the citizens of this kingdom?  We learn its inhabitants will include the meek, the persecuted, and the righteous.  Jesus gave us a glimpse of this kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:3 “The poor in spirit are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.   HCSB

 

Matthew 5:10 Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.  HCSB

Mark 10:15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”  NKJV

Matthew 5:19-21 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  HCSB

The "Gospel" or "good news" of the Kingdom of God is that the King grants eternal life to those who enter, and they can never be snatched away from His protection.  We are exhorted to try to obtain citizenship in this Kingdom:

Matthew 6:33 [Jesus speaking] ...But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  NKJV

And in numerous places in the New and Old Testament, the message is preached that God's kingdom will be everlasting and righteous in its judgments:

Hebrews 1:6 ...but to the Son:  Your throne, God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of justice.  HCSB

Societies in the past chose their own kings to protect them and honored them with gifts or tribute in return for security.  Conversely, in the Kingdom of Heaven, God gives inhabitants the free gift of citizenship through salvation and eternal life.  Believers in the Kingdom of God enjoy the protection of eternal security and all its blessings if they submit to His will and obey His commands in this life.

The Kingdom of This World

By contrast, there is the kingdom of the world.  This is the antithesis of the Kingdom of Heaven. The kingdom of the world is characterized by deception, violence, greed, and lust, and driven by selfishness and ambition.  Its ruler is none other than Satan himself - the 'god' of this Age.  This is confirmed by Paul:

2 Corinthians 4:4 In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.   HCSB

Those who belong to the kingdom of the world are blind to spiritual truth, living in their sins and in spiritual darkness. Many have given allegiance to the devil, whose evil purpose (ironically) is to destroy the very people worshiping him.  And sadly, these blind people, having refused grace, will be judged at the end of their lives.  The destruction of the kingdom of the world is foreordained by God and "already done" in God's Mind:

Psalm 2:1-9 Why do the nations rebel and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and His Anointed One:

           “Let us tear off their chains and free ourselves from their restraints.”

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord ridicules them.  Then He speaks to them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath:

“I have consecrated My King on Zion, My holy mountain.”  I will declare the Lord’s decree: He said to Me, “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.

Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance and the ends of the earth Your possession.  You will break them with a rod of iron; You will shatter them like pottery.”   HCSB

The primary characteristic of the kingdom of this world is rebellion against God.  Every commandment of God and teaching of Jesus and the New Testament writers is directly opposed by society, governments, universities, culture and entertainment industries around the world. The requirements to join the kingdom of world are fairly easy, but the list to exclude us from the Kingdom of God is extensive.

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  NKJV

Choose any moral teaching or boundary set by God for mankind, and there you will find the culture, societies' laws and behaviors of individuals and organizations directly opposed to God's righteous laws.  Do not murder: abortion on demand is idolized.  He made them male and female:  apparently God forgot the other 200 genders....  Do not fornicate: prostitution, pornography and promiscuity is glorified.  Do not engage in sorcery:  the drug cartels literally run countries around the globe.  Do not engage in idolatry:  every vile creature and dead idol is worshipped.  Love your neighbor:  no, it's easier war against them and take their lands and property.  The list is endless.

The key to remember is the kingdom of this world will end in destruction.

1 John 2:16-17 For everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father but is from the world.   And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.  HCSB

Which Kingdom Are You a Citizen of?

A serious warning to all concerning your citizenship and allegiances:

Matthew 7:21-27 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.  On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?’  Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. And its collapse was great!”  HCSB

Most citizens of the kingdom of this world do not want to hear the truth about Jesus and do not want to submit to His authority as the righteous king: 

John 10:24-31 Then the Jews surrounded Him and asked, “How long are You going to keep us in suspense?  If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

“I did tell you and you don’t believe,” Jesus answered them. “The works that I do in My Father’s name testify about Me.  But you don’t believe because you are not My sheep.  My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.  The Father and I are one.” Again the Jews picked up rocks to stone Him...  HCSB

How Do We Become Citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven?

Those who are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven hear the voice of the shepherd and obey.  Jesus explained this to Nicodemus, who was a teacher of the people.

John 3:3-5 Jesus replied, “I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  “But how can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked Him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”  Jesus answered, “I assure you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  HCSB

And we are commended to fulfill the Great Commission and preach the Kingdom just as Jesus and His followers did after His resurrection!

Acts 1:2-3 ...until the day in which [a]He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.  NKJV

Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.  NKJV

So, the requirements to enter the Kingdom of Heaven are to hear Jesus' voice, obey His commands and be "born again" out of this world and into the new life.  Your sins are forgiven, so you are "perfect" and "righteous" because you accept the sacrifice of Jesus and His perfect righteousness.  

Jesus came to the Earth expressly for the purpose of seeking and saving the "lost" -- those whose citizenship are in the kingdom of this world.  He is actively seeking new citizens even today.   We are now in the Church age in a time of testing.  we are exhorted to persevere to the end; knowing that our King will be victorious and His Kingdom will never end.   Hold fast for yet a while:

Mathew 24 11-14 Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.  Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold.  But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.  This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations.  And then the end will come.  HCSB

Our study goes into more detail in further posts, where Jesus describes the Kingdom of Heaven in the form of parables to communicate spiritual truths.  

Mark 4:11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables.... NKJV

Further reading on this subject:

The Kingdom of Heaven - Introduction 

Kingdom of Heaven - New Wineskins 

The Kingdom of Heaven - Parables About the Word

The Kingdom of Heaven - Parables About False Doctrine

The Kingdom of Heaven - Parables About the Church 

_____________________

Scripture citations are from:  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) © 2009 Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville TN or New King James Version®. (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson 

The Kingdom of Heaven - Parables About the Word

About the Word "Parable"

Jesus reveals nine parables described in Matthew 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8 that describe the nature and purpose of the Kingdom of Heaven.  "Parable" comes from the Greek "parabolé" which means to "throw down beside" something in order to compare its size (or to measure it).  Jesus uses commonly known objects and relationships that people of that culture understood and "threw them down beside" a spiritual truth.  In its simplest form, a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.  Jesus exhorts us repeated to "hear" these parables, which means we are to have a receptive heart to the spiritual message.

After His rejection by the Jewish leadership in Matthew 12, Jesus would only communicate the spiritual truths about the Kingdom of Heaven in the form of parables.

Mark 4:11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables.... NKJV

This was to fulfill Isaiah's prophecy concerning Israel:

Isaiah 6:9-10 Go! Say to these people: Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do not perceive.  Dull the minds of these people; deafen their ears and blind their eyes; otherwise, they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed.  HCSB

The Rejection of the Messiah

This rejection of Jesus as the Messiah by the Jewish leadership (described in Matthew 12) was basis for Jesus only teaching in parables from that point forward in His ministry.  The "unpardonable sin" that Israel committed as a nation.  Their punishment was the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and the diaspora of the Jews and their persecution for nearly 2000 years. We are individually accountable for our own sins and judged accordingly, and when we call on the name of the Lord as our savior we are saved and forgiven of all our sins.  But the "unpardonable" sin was committed by the nation of Israel when the Sanhedrin attributed the miracles of Jesus to Beelzebub instead of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, the parables were spoken and taught specifically over the period after the rejection of Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah.  The failure of the Jewish people (in general) to accept their Messiah is what led to their reproach that was prophesied in Psalm 79 and Psalm 80.  However, the Jewish remnant comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus as their Messiah prophesied by Zechariah 12 and 13, Joel 2, and Isaiah 64.   

Paul exposits on this process of national hardening of the hearts of the Jews to reconcile the Gentile world to God and then the Jews' subsequent national repentance in Romans 9, 10 and 11.  The key parts of that process are summarized here:

Romans 11:25-27 So that you will not be conceited, brothers, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery: A partial hardening has come to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.  And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written: 

'The Liberator will come from Zion; He will turn away godlessness from Jacob. 

And this will be My covenant with them (Isaiah 59:20-21)

when I take away their sins.' (Jeremiah:31-31-34)   HCSB

The time and place of the Kingdom of Heaven

• The Kingdom's citizens are the Church and the Tribulation Saints (both Gentile and Jewish) 
• The Kingdom began with the preaching of John the Baptist, Jesus, and HIs disciples.
• The Kingdom will replace the kingdom of the world and cast out its leader Satan.
• The Kingdom of Heaven will never end.  It is invisible now but will become fully visible upon the return of Jesus Christ following a 75-day interval at which time Christ will set up the Earthly Millennial Kingdom that He will rule from Jerusalem.

The key to understanding the spiritual lesson of parables is to properly decode the symbols.  Parables typically have multiple layers of meaning, but the Bible ultimately defines the meanings of the symbols used.  When symbolic interpretation is applied correctly, parables with "commonly known" interpretations can actually take on a significantly different meaning. 

Parable of the Secretly Growing Seed

Mark 4:26-29 "And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.  For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.  But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” NKJV

This parable is an extension of the Parable of the Sower designed to teach the hearer that the seed (the Word of God) will spring to life of its own accord, for it has the power of life:

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.  HCSB

Other than bearing fruit through their own testimony, it is not the responsibility of the Sowers to create fruit in others.  The Sower (the Christian disciple) is responsible to spread the word to fulfill the great commission, but God will cause the seed to take root through the Holy Spirit Who convicts the hearts of hearers.  God will bring the growth and produce the fruit of holiness and praise.

Isaiah 55:10-11 For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.  HCSB

Our response is to apply the Word to our lives and allow it to take root in our hearts.  It (the Word) will grow and transform our lives and produce in us the fruit of righteousness and praise for God.  To allow the seed to grow we must be hearers of the Word and allow it to transform us:

John 12: 24-25 “I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself.  But if it dies, it produces a large crop.  The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." HCSB

 

Parable of the Sower and the Seeds

This could also be considered the "Parable of the Soils".  (See also Mark 4:3-9 and Matthew 13:3-9)

Luke 8:5-8 “A sower went out to sow his seed.  As he was sowing, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky ate it up.  Other seed fell on the rock; when it sprang up, it withered, since it lacked moisture.  Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  Still other seed fell on good ground; when it sprang up, it produced a crop: 100 times what was sown.” As He said this, He called out, “Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!”  HCSB

This parable is actually named later by Jesus as the "Parable of the Sower" in verse 18 of Matthew's account.  According to Jesus Himself, this parable establishes the interpretation for the other 8 parables:

Mark 4:13 Then He said to them: “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any of the parables?  HCSB

The Kingdom will be characterized by the sowing of seed (the Word of God), and as several parables suggest, the Word of God will be resisted both externally by evil spiritual forces, and internally in the hearts of fallen men and women who reject its message.  Throughout the Kingdom period there will be different groups of people who will be prepared to hear the Gospel, and those who will reject it.   

Jesus' Interpretation of the Parable

Matthew 13:18-23 “You, then, listen to the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word [logos] about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is the one sown along the path.  And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.  Yet he has no root in himself but is short-lived. When pressure or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the seduction[d] of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does bear fruit and yields: some 100, some 60, some 30 times what was sown.”  HCSB

The fruit from the good soil is righteousness and praise as described by Isaiah:

Isaiah 61:11 For as the earth produces its growth, and as a garden enables what is sown to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.  HCSB

While those who rejected the message of the Kingdom of Heaven would have their hearts closed to what little insight they held, and their understanding would be taken away from them.  The lesson for us is that over time, if you continue to reject the message of Christ and the salvation He offers, it gets easier to ignore the prompting of the Spirit.  Eventually the heart becomes totally hardened and will not accept the Gospel message.  

The Jews had the oracles of God, thousands of teachers of the law, and hundreds of years to prepare and make straight the way of the Lord - but they fell into legalism and ceremonies and lost the power of the Word of God.  Even though they were the holders of the Truth, they repeatedly rejected the personification of Truth when it was among them -- and the truth was hidden from their eyes.

Parable of the Householder's Treasure

This is quite the ambiguous parable:

Matthew 13:52 “Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

This is a very interesting and apt interpretation of this verse. 

Which is better, the old or the new?  The parable of the householder's treasure is similar to the parable of the patch and the wine skins (Matthew 9:16f.).  Are we to throw away the old for the sake of the new?  Or renounce the new, because we prefer the old?  The "scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven" is certainly privileged.  A scribe in Jesus' time was noted for his learning of the Jewish scriptures (the Old Covenant).  He was a teacher of God's law and wisdom.  The scribe (and disciple) who recognizes the new teaching and law which Jesus brings, does not need to abandon everything he learned.  He can now use it in a new light which Christ reveals to those who listen.  The words "old" and "new" are often used in the New Testament to refer to the Law of the Old Covenant and to the Gospel.  So, a scribe or disciple who is trained by Christ understands and teaches both the Law and the Gospel. Consider how impoverished we would be if we only had the Old Testament or the New Testament, rather than both.   www.dailyscripture.net  Copyright © 2014 Don Schwager

Augustine is credited with the phrase "in the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and in the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed."  Both Old and New Testament are part of a coherent, single message -- a love letter written across the centuries by One Author.  What may not make sense to our eyes in the Old Testament, especially without Levitical training, is revealed in the practical teaching given to us in the Gospels and Epistles.   

The life Jesus lived serves as an example to each of us as the fulfillment of all the scriptures. 

Matthew 5:17-18 “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished.  NKJV

Jesus gives us a fascinating glimpse into the future (from the perspective of His disciples) that reveal the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven.  It will overcome the kingdoms of the Earth, but first we who are still here in the world must spread the gospel, which will secretly take root and grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.  

Further reading on this subject:

The Kingdom of Heaven - Introduction 

Kingdom of Heaven - New Wineskins 

The Kingdom of Heaven - Parables About the Word

The Kingdom of Heaven - Parables About False Doctrine

The Kingdom of Heaven - Parables About the Church 

_____________________

Scripture citations are from:  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) © 2009 Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville TN or New King James Version®. (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson 

The Kingdom of Heaven - Parables About False Doctrine

Jesus Cares About Doctrine

This is a continuation of series on the Kingdom Parables and focuses on lessons and warnings given by Jesus to "walk the narrow path" of doctrine.  Seeing forward in "history" our Lord knew many heresies and false teachers would arise attempting to steal His prize -- the church.

Recall later in Revelation, John scribes seven epistles to seven churches that are dictated directly from Jesus!  He had several things to say about heresy and bad doctrine, and improper worship that came with severe consequences if not corrected.  To the church at Pergamum He warned:  

Revelation 2:14-6  But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block in front of the Israelites: to eat meat sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.  In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent! Otherwise, I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of My mouth.  HCSB

The warning to Thyatira came with a death sentence for those who fail to repent of false teaching:

Revelation 2:20-23 But I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and deceives My slaves to commit sexual immorality and to eat meat sacrificed to idols.  I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality.  Look! I will throw her into a sickbed and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her practices.  I will kill her children with the plague.  Then all the churches will know that I am the One who examines minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works.   HCSB

Following are two cautionary Kingdom of Heaven parables for the church today.

Parable of the Mustard Seed 

This is important enough to also be recounted in Mark 4:30-32 and Luke 13:18-19.

Matthew 13:31-32 He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.  It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the vegetables and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”  HCSB

This parable describes the historical growth and progression of the church.  This parable, as all others, is a fulfilled prophecy in our times.  The traditional interpretation of this parable is summarized as follows:

The tiny mustard seed literally grew to be a tree which attracted numerous birds because they loved the little black mustard seed it produced. God's kingdom works in a similar fashion. It starts from the smallest beginnings in the hearts of men and women who are receptive to God's word. And it works unseen and causes a transformation from within.  www.dailyscripture.net  Copyright © 2014 Don Schwager

While the visible church has taken on enormous proportions and has influence with most governments of the world, this growth has mutated, and does not resemble the original pattern that was intended by its seed (the Word of God).  Note within the structure of the visible church there is a habitation for birds, which are symbolic of the servants of Satan!  Today there are many institutions claiming to be the "church" that have large numbers of servants of evil nesting in their branches.

This ties in with the parable of the Tares and the Weeds as the counterfeit church have taken the original teaching of Christ and corrupted it until it is unrecognizable.  The visible church has become the home to many cults, and even occult elements and married to the world's pagan religious practices and beliefs.  

These false doctrines always have two things in common:

1. They serve to deny the Deity of Christ (or at least replace Christ with another)
2. They serve to glorify man and justify his sin

Here is an alternative interpretation of the parable using symbolic meanings consistent with other parts of Scripture.  According to J Vernon McGee, the mustard tree is not a "good" symbol for the church.  Mustard is of no nutritional value; the Bible consistently refers to good things as bearing fruit, such as fig trees or wheat.  We are instructed to be "salt" to the world, not mustard.

Matthew 7:17-19 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. HCSB

The emphasis on the size of the plant is also instructive:  God works in the hearts of men, but not in large edifices and wealth and political power within the kingdoms of the Earth.  Jesus testified to Pilate that His kingdom was not temporal but spiritual, and that we are not to boast in the things of this world or by the standards the world uses to judge the importance of a thing.  

Other than bearing fruit through their own testimony, it is not the responsibility of the Sowers to create fruit in others.  The Sower (Christian) is responsible to spread the word to fulfill the great commission, but God will cause the seed to take root through the Holy Spirit Who convicts the hearts of hearers.  God will bring the growth and produce the fruit of holiness and praise. 

Parable of the Woman with the Leaven

A parallel passage is in Luke 13:20-21.

Matthew 13:33 Another 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.”  HCSB

The conventional interpretation of this parable is well summarized here:

Leaven is another powerful agent of change. A lump of dough left to itself remains just what it is, a lump of dough.  But when the leaven is added to it a transformation takes place which produces rich and wholesome bread when heated -- the staple of life for humans.  The kingdom of God produces a transformation in those who receive the new life which Jesus Christ offers.  www.dailyscripture.net  Copyright © 2014 Don Schwager

Leaven Symbolizes Corrupted Doctrine

This is a beautiful interpretation and has merit.  However, a careful application of the meanings of the symbols used consistently by Jesus in other teachings yield a very different interpretation, and this study aims to learn the meaning the speaker intended.  While many interpret leaven as the Gospel, nowhere else in Old or New Testament teaching is leaven used to represent good.  Rather, in 98 other places in the Scripture leaven symbolizes pride, corruption and evil.   Jesus even used the analogy of the "leaven of the Pharisees" to describe their corrupted doctrine.

Matthew 16:11-12 How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?—but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  HCSB

These corrupted doctrines were criticized by Jesus in detail in Matthew 23 with a seven-fold judgment of "Woes" against their hypocrisy and pride, and the twisting of God's Law.  One woe is pronounced by Jesus here:

Matthew 23:23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  HCSB

Looking also at the three measures of meal, recall it is made of harvested grain.  Since the Parable of the Sower was explained to us by Jesus, we know the seed or grain is the Word of God.  So, interpreting this by the previous explanation of the symbols yields a different meaning:  namely, that the dough is the Word of God being secretly corrupted with false doctrine.  Why else would the woman need to "hide" the leaven in the dough?  We are commanded to proclaim the gospel in and out of season publicly and shine the light, not hide it.  

This interpretation also has practical application to our lives today as it resembles the current state of world.  Everywhere the Gospel is preached, forces are at work to corrupt the message and grow it into legalism or allegorize it to destroy its power.  Leaven makes the bread more palatable than unleavened bread.  Similarly, we are warned by Paul that many will be led astray by false doctrines that are more 'appetizing' than the True Word of God.

2 Timothy 2-4:  Preach the word!  Be ready in season and out of season.  Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.  NKJV

The "three measures of meal" is also an allusion to Christendom dividing into Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant factions.  The parable does not seem to have a happy ending, because the leaven eventually affects the entire lump of dough.

  
In the end times, corrupt doctrine will affect the entire church and eventually lead to apostasy for all three traditions.  This is prophetically described in the final church age of Laodicea in Revelation 3.  

Paul also warns of the coming apostasy (or "falling away") by the church:*

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.  Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first...  NKJV

Further reading on this subject:

The Kingdom of Heaven - Introduction 

Kingdom of Heaven - New Wineskins 

The Kingdom of Heaven - Parables About the Word

The Kingdom of Heaven - Parables About False Doctrine

The Kingdom of Heaven - Parables About the Church 

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*Another less plausible interpretation of this passage describes the rapture. However, many who firmly believe in the Rapture find this passage problematic because "first" the "falling away" must take place, "then" the Lord comes and gathers His own.  This seems out of order.

Scripture citations are from:  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) © 2009 Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville TN or New King James Version®. (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson