18 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”
20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” Luke 13: 18-21 ESV
Luke 13: 18-21 ESV Mustard and Leaven
What is the kingdom of God like - Jesus has been preaching the Kingdom, and his disciples believe Him to be the Messiah, ruler of that Kingdom, the Son of David. This is not an ideal or a folk hero from mystic childhood stories, no, this idea comes from Holy Scripture, from Moses and the prophets, tested prophets. Jesus also tells us that His kingdom is not of this world, in other words, this present darkness, disease, death and lies, these things belong to the present ruler, Satan. In the disciples' minds this needs to be overcome by force, by Jesus pulling together an army and taking over. They want their land, they want Rome gone, and they want prosperity. Jesus has showed them acts of immense power over nature, over the spiritual realm, over sickness, hunger and even death, so they're ready to cut some ears and issue in the "kingdom" as they see it. A huge problem with that though is that all these things are a result of sin, and the wages of sin is what? So how do the prophets say Jesus is going to deal with sin? How can we who are sinners be made right with an eternal God, who is infinitely opposed to our sin? Who is actually fit to enter this Kingdom?
John MacArthur - The conjunction oun (so, or “therefore”) connects these parables with the incident in the previous section (Lk 13:10–17). The Lord had interrupted his teaching in a synagogue (Lk 13:10) to heal a woman who had been crippled for eighteen years by a demon-caused illness (Lk 13:11). That demonstration of His power over Satan’s kingdom revealed the presence of God’s kingdom (cf. Luke 11:20). The Lord then continued His teaching with these two parables, which illustrate the truth that the divine kingdom both externally and internally would expand exponentially from its small beginnings. (See Luke Commentary) - Precept Austin
The Kingdom of God - One must understand that there are two phases to the Kingdom of God. The first phase is the invisible, internal Kingdom of God and which He later described as "in your midst” (Lk 17:21-note), the Kingdom in which the King reigns in the heart of the person who has accepted Jesus as Messiah. To proclaim the Kingdom of God is to preach the Gospel, to proclaim the good news of salvation, explaining how one can enter the Kingdom of God. When the King returns on "the day that the Son of Man is revealed," (Lk 17:30-note) the heart of every person will also be revealed as to whether they sought the kingdom of "self" or the kingdom of the Savior! The future phase of the Kingdom of God is known as the Messianic Age or the Millennial Kingdom.(See more detailed explanation of Jesus' meaning of the Kingdom of God in notes on Luke 17:20-21). Jesus knew the Jews were looking for the future aspect of the Kingdom of God, but His preaching and that of His disciples was to explain how one could enter the invisible aspect of the Kingdom of God in the present and in that way they would be assured of experiencing the visible Kingdom of God in the future. - Precept Austin
…23At the beginning of your petitions, an answer went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly precious. So consider the message and understand the vision: 24Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. 25Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress.… Daniel 9: 23-25
…4Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted. 5But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 6We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.… Isaiah 53: 4-6
…26And into the city will be brought the glory and honor of the nations. 27But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Revelation 21: 26-27
1Awake, awake, clothe yourself with strength, O Zion! Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, holy city! For the uncircumcised and unclean will no longer enter you. 2Shake off your dust! Rise up and sit on your throne, O Jerusalem. Remove the chains from your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion. 3For this is what the LORD says: “You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed.”… Isaiah 52: 1-3
It is like a grain of mustard seed - Now many people would understand this there, for more people have gardens than have full blown farms, and mustard was a common herb. It had a very small seed in comparison to the full grown plant, and I read that tobacco has an even finer seed, but that was not growing in the gardens of Palestine. But here it is, the Kingdom, something that starts out very small.
MacArthur explains that "The point of this parable is that viewed from an external, visible perspective, the eventually large size of the kingdom was not perceivable at the start...at this point there were only a small number of people who followed Jesus. The kingdom was obscure; it was not distinguished by any majesty, power, or public display. Those things will mark its consummation, not its beginning. Most of the Jewish people were unaware of it (Luke 17:20–21), since its present form was not Messiah’s earthly reign, but the sphere of salvation where God reigns in the hearts of His people. The Lord’s illustration is also a powerful prophecy. The kingdom will steadily grow until its consummation, which will be amazingly out of proportion to its beginning. That will happen when the Lord Jesus Christ returns in glory (Rev. 19:11–15+) and “the kingdom of the world [becomes] the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever” (Rev 11:15+). (See Luke Commentary) - Precept Austin
It grew and became a tree - The Kingdom which was at a time almost unperceivable, easily missed, had gone from a seed, to a shrub, and now even to the heights of a tree. It can no longer be ignored, it's influence has gone everywhere.
…2In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. 3And many peoples will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4Then He will judge between the nations and arbitrate for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation, nor train anymore for war.… Isaiah 2: 2-4
The birds of the air made nests in it's branches - There are a lot of allegorical interpretations about the birds, what or who they represent, but from the text it is clear that they are a good indication of the seeds transformation. It is now a respectable plant of a size that accommodates nesting birds. It is a mature plant so it produces seed as well. My opinion doesn't really matter, what God meant matters, and I feel safe in going so far as to say, they made their nests there. When I was saved I was born again, and with that came a change of residence, making me a foreigner here, a sojourner. The allegiance of my heart changed from the world, the devil and myself to Jesus, and He became my new Lord. While the world and the things of this world continue to pass away, yet He lives. While the world is ever changing, up and down on it's views of morals, of existence, yet God doesn't change. He is my King and I am more concerned with what He has spoken from eternity than any of the passing whims of fallen mankind. His Kingdom started humbly small, in the body of One Man, but it is without end.
Nested (2681)(kataskenoo from kata = down, intensifies meaning of + skenoo = to pitch one's tent, to dwell) literally means “to pitch one’s tent” and hence to settle permanently. Zodhiates - In the NT generally to sojourn or to dwell, spoken of birds as nesting in the branches (Matt. 13:32; Luke 13:19), or under the shadow (Mark 4:32; Sept.: Ps. 104:12; Dan. 4:12). With the meaning of to rest, remain (Acts 2:26 quoting Ps. 16:9). (Complete Word Study Dictionary – New Testament) Liddell-Scott - to pitch one's camp or tent, take up one's quarters, encamp, Xen.; generally, to rest, lodge, settle, - Precept Austin
…35“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed You over to me. What have You done?” 36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.” 37“Then You are a king!” Pilate said. “You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For this reason I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice.”… John 18: 35-37
It is like leaven - He has used leaven as an illustration before, and with the teaching of the Pharisees it represented something bad that ended up spreading throughout the whole lump of dough. For it's same effect leaven is used here, but it is something good, the gospel, that goes out and transforms the lump of dough. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God planted in our hearts to save us, to sanctify us. It starts out small, but in the end, like the mustard seed, it is no longer recognizable. So there is the leaven of bad teaching which we must expose as Christ did with the Pharisees, and as Paul addresses the Corinthians to be rid of boasting and address the sin that was plaguing their congregation and bringing dishonor to the name of Christ. Then there is the good leaven which transforms us day after day, reading upon reading, prayer upon prayer, more and more to the image of Christ. It brings glory to Him Who is all deserving.
…5hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord. 6Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough? 7Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.… 1 Corinthians 5: 5-7
…6being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart. For in my chains and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are all partners in grace with me. 8God is my witness how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.…
…9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.… Philippians 1: 6-11
…20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls. 22Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.… James 1: 20-22
It is like leaven (zume), which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour - While leaven is often used in a negative sense (Lk 12:1, 1 Cor 5:6), in the present context leaven is used in a positive to convey the fact that the Kingdom of God would spread even as leaven spreads in dough until the entire loaf is leavened. The verb hid conveys no special significance except to emphasize the idea that even though it is out of sight, it is still very much at work. So too the is the Kingdom of God. This "prophetic" parable of the Kingdom will not come to complete fruition until the King returns and establishes His 1000 year earthly Kingdom. In the meantime, the Kingdom expands in all whose hearts are transformed by the King's Gospel.
Steven Cole on leaven...hid in three pecks of flour - The size of the task proportionate to the smallness of the force is not a hindrance to Jesus’ ultimate triumph. The woman’s three measures of flour were equal to about 39 liters or 50 pounds of flour, a large amount. The point is that just a small amount of leaven was all that was needed to permeate this large mass of dough....Since leaven is often used in the Bible as a symbol for sin, some commentators understand this parable to be referring to the spread of false doctrine in the church. But this is to overturn the obvious contextual flow of thought. Sometimes in the Bible, leaven is not a symbol for evil (Lev 7:13+; Lev 23:15-18+), and it can be argued that Jesus is using a somewhat different meaning to grab His hearers attention and to give the parable a provocative twist. So the meaning here is parallel to the meaning of the small mustard seed. The smallness of the pinch of leaven is not a problem even though the lump is large. The smallness of Jesus and His ragtag band of followers is no problem with regard to the worldwide spread of the gospel. The power does not depend on Jesus’ followers, but on the power of God through the Gospel (Ro 1:16+). The leaven must come in contact with the dough for the power to be unleashed. We’ve already seen the same point with regard to the seed. Here there may be the nuance that once the contact is made, the power works from the inside out. That is how the gospel works as God transforms the hearts of sinners. (Luke 13:18-21 Why You Want To Be On Jesus’ Side) - Precept Austin
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