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Just a Spoonful of Leaven… 5/15/2009 www.CrossMarks.com/nwmnsynod.htm Bible Study 2 You Become What You Eat Mark Vitalis Hoffman www.CrossMarks.com Parables function as metaphors challenging or inviting the audience into a new or deeper experience Just a Spoonful of Leaven… The Parable of the Woman and the Leaven of God’s dominion, a dominion identified with the LAST, LOST, LEAST, Mark Vitalis Hoffman LITTLE, and LIFELESS CrossMarks.com Leaven and the Woman Leaven and the Woman Matthew 13:33 Matthew 13:33 G.Thomas 96 He told them another Jesus said, He told them another parable: parable: "The dominion of heaven "The dominion of “The dominion of the is like leaven heaven is like leaven father is like [a that a woman took that a woman certain] woman. She took a little leaven, and hid in with three measures of flour took and hid in with [concealed] it in some until the whole thing was leavened." three measures of dough, and made it flour until the whole into large loaves. thing was leavened." Let the one who has ears, hear! 1 5/15/2009 Leaven and the Woman Matthew 13:33 Leaven and the Woman Ἄλλην παραβολὴν ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς· Matthew 13:33 Ὁµοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ζύµῃ, ἣν λαβοῦσα He told them another parable: "The dominion of heaven γυνὴ ἐνέκρυψεν εἰς ἀλεύρου σάτα τρία ἕως οὗ is like leaven ἐζυµώθη ὅλον. that a woman took and hid in with three measures of flour until the whole thing was leavened." Leaven Leaven • Exodus 12: No yeast at Passover • That leaven in the ancient world was a symbol for moral corruption has long been recognized. ... • Gal 5.9: A little yeast leavens the whole • The physical characteristics of leaven support the batch of dough. metaphor for corrupting. Leaven is made by taking a piece of bread and storing it in a damp, dark place until • 1 Cor 5.8: Therefore, let us celebrate the mold forms. The bread rots and decays, unlike modern festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven yeast, which is domesticated. • ... In Israel there is an equation that leaven is the unholy of malice and evil, but with the unleavened everyday, and unleaven the holy, the sacred, the feast. bread of sincerity and truth. [p. 324] • Matthew 16.6: "Watch out, and beware of BB Scott, Hear Then… the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Leaven and the Woman Leaven and the Woman Matthew 13:33 Matthew 13:33 MGVH NIV He told them another parable: "The dominion of heaven "The dominion of heaven "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a is like yeast that a woman is like leaven woman took and hid in with took and mixed into a that a woman took three measures of flour large amount of flour until and hid in with three measures of flour it worked all through the until the whole thing was until the whole thing was leavened." leavened." dough." 2 5/15/2009 Leaven and the Woman Who Hides It Leaven and the Woman Who Hides It Matthew 13:33 Luke 13:20-21 Matthew 13:33 Ἄλλην παραβολὴν Καὶ πάλιν εἶπεν, Τίνι MGVH NIV ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς· ὁµοιώσω τὴν Ὁµοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ; "The dominion of heaven "The kingdom of heaven βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ὁµοία ἐστὶν is like yeast that a woman is like leaven that a ζύµῃ, ἣν λαβοῦσα ζύµῃ, ἣν λαβοῦσα woman took and hid in with took and mixed into a three measures of flour large amount of flour until γυνὴ ἐνέκρυψεν εἰς γυνὴ [ἐν]έκρυψεν εἰς until the whole thing was it worked all through the ἀλεύρου σάτα τρία ἕως ἀλεύρου σάτα τρία ἕως leavened." dough." οὗ ἐζυµώθη ὅλον. οὗ ἐζυµώθη ὅλον. Note how most translations ‘domesticate’ the parable Leaven and the Woman Who Three Measures of Wheat Hides It in How Much Flour? • σάτα τρία Matthew 13:33 = 3 Measures of wheat = 4.5 pecks He told them another parable: = 1.125 bushels "The dominion of heaven = 144 cups is like leaven = ~ 45 pounds that a woman took >>> about 50 or so large loaves of bread and hid in with three measures of flour >>> feed more than 100 people until the whole thing was leavened." • Genesis 18.6 ? Leaven and the Mustard Seed Leaven and the Woman Optimistic Reading? Matthew 13. Matthew 13.13 • A little makes a lot The dominion of heaven is The dominion of like a mustard seed that heaven is like • Kingdom no longer hidden (Dodd) someone took and sowed leaven that a • Ultimate success in his field; it is the smallest woman took of all the seeds, but when it and hid in with has grown it is the greatest three measures of of shrubs and becomes a flour until the whole tree, so that the birds of the thing was air come and make nests in leavened." its branches." 3 5/15/2009 http://www.themoorings.org/prophecy/apostasy/apos2.html Leaven and the Woman Negative Reading? Far from supporting an optimism about the future of Christianity, the Parable of the Leaven supports a frank pessimism. The church will not conquer the world. Rather, the evil world system will conquer the church. Enemies of Christ will lodge corruptions in the church that will progressively diffuse throughout the whole lump. The word "whole" quite pointedly informs us that no part of the church will escape these corruptions. Also see: www.acns.com/~mm9n/Kingdom/kingdom5.htm http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Parables/parables_04.htm And thus has history repeated itself. Of old God complained to Israel, "Ye Let us now turn, briefly, to the positive side, and give what we believe is the offer polluted bread upon Mine altar" (Mal. 1:7). So today priestcraft and true interpretation. As already stated, the "three measures of meal" stand clericalism have corrupted the bread of God. for Christ as the food of His people: Christ as presented in the written Word, therefore, the doctrine of Christ. The "woman" refers, primarily, to the It is to be noted that the "three measures of meal" were not removed , nor Papacy, and generally, to all corrupters of God’s truth. Romanism has many was something else substituted in their place. Instead, a foreign element "daughters." It is most significant that the leading false cults in Christendom was mingled with it, an element which has slowly and gradually corrupted it. were originated by women . Modern Spiritualism was started in Boston, In 2 Thessalonians 2:4 the apostle Paul declared, "The mystery of iniquity U.S.A., in 1848 by the Fox sisters. Seventh Day Adventism was founded by does already work ." The leaven had started to act even then, and, as our Mrs. White. Christian Science was organized by Mrs. Eddy. Theosophy was Savior declared, it would work till "the whole was leavened." How nearly devised by Madame Blavatsky, and is now engineered by Mrs. Besant. this is the case today the majority of our readers are sadly aware. There are but few places to which an hungry child of God can now go and receive The "leaven" symbolizes the corrupting of God’s truth by the introduction of pure Bread. But thank God there are still a few such places. While the Holy evil doctrine—compare Matthew 16:12. The unadulterated truth of God is Spirit remains on earth amongst the saints, God’s truth will be proclaimed. too heavy for the natural man: the sovereignty of God, the helplessness of While He is here, there is a hindering cause, preventing the "whole" from man, the awfulness of sin, the totality of human depravity, the eternal being "leavened." But at the Rapture the Hinderer will be "taken out of the punishment of the wicked, are indigestible to the carnal mind. Therefore, way" (2 Thess. 2:7), and then the "whole" will be completely leavened. The Rome and her "daughters" have introduced the lightening "leaven," so as to "salt" will be removed, and nothing will be left to stay universal corruption. make, what they hand out, more palatable to their dupes. Leaven and the Woman and… Leaven and the Woman and… An optimistic reading? A pessimistic reading? The Dominion of God is like iodine, which a The Dominion of God is similar to this: hiker, who was very thirsty, upon coming to A group of people had a large container of a mountain stream but fearing to drink the water they shared. The leader spit into it, water, having filled a large container, put and thereafter no one would drink from it only a little of it in, and soon the water was except those who were truly thirsty. completely safe to drink. 4 5/15/2009 Leaven and the Woman The Scandal of the Gospel and the Dominion of God • Leaven • Woman • Hiddenness Bible Study 2 • Comprehensiveness You Become What You Eat >>> Abundance Mark Vitalis Hoffman www.CrossMarks.com 5.
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