120. Lessons from Bread Making

Psalm 78:1-3, Matthew 13:33-35, Luke 13:20-21

Key verse: "O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old what we had heard and known, what our Fathers have told us."

Psalm 78:1-3

Again Jesus takes an opportunity to turn common analogy and accepted teachings of the Kingdom of God on their heads by using another every day occurrence. This time, instead of the farmer in the field, He moves to the kitchen and talks about a woman making bread. Who in that day wouldn't be familiar with this? Mother making bread was a daily occurrence that everyone could relate too.

The Kingdom of God is like yeast that a "woman," hid in a "Large amount of flour." First of all, yeast is usually used in Scripture to describe the spreading of evil. Jesus Himself advised His disciples to avoid the "yeast," of the Pharisees. During the Passover, God commanded that all yeast be removed from the home as part of their purification to partake in this holy meal. In this case however, Jesus strays from the common understanding by describing the growth of the yeast as like the growth of the Kingdom of God. This can be confusing, but it is the growth factor that Jesus is drawing from here to bring understanding of the Kingdom to His audience.

Secondly, this yeast is hidden in a large amount of flour. In fact, the word that Jesus uses here could mean around fifty pounds of flour. Unlike the dried yeast that comes in packages today to be added to water to dissolve before adding it to the rest of the ingredients for making bread, in Jesus' day, a small piece of the dough was set aside, after the yeast had spread through it, to use for a start for the next day's bread. The small lump of dough would be placed in with the flour and water the next day and kneaded in, allowed to rise and then, after shaping, a small piece would again be pinched off, and on and on it would go. Even though the lump of yeast laden dough was hidden in as much as fifty pounds of flour, eventually, if given time, the yeast would have its effect. Then, stand back when that large amount of flour begins to grow! It will result in bread for many people.

Jesus also breaks with another convention in teaching because he uses a female figure, the household bread maker, to represent God. In much of scripture, unfortunately, besides being less valued by the men of ancient culture, women are also depicted as representing evil. There is Jezebel, the woman in a basket in Zechariah, Folly is a woman in the book of Proverbs, and Babylon is represented as a woman in the book of Revelation. Here, however, the planter of the Kingdom of God is a woman.

Is there significance to this? Perhaps. Women were the bread makers of the day. Did Jesus mean more than the simple analogy? I honestly don't know, but what I do know is that there are places in Scripture when God refers to Himself in a female sense, such as a hen gathering her chicks. (Luke 13:34) I will not go any farther down this road. The main point of this parable is, though hidden at the beginning, the Kingdom of God will have its effect.  That effect will become obvious as leaven, or yeast does its work.  Eventually, all will be changed, including you if you will let it.

Bread makers know that yeast is delicate to work with. It grows best at about 80-85^o F and it needs time to develop its effect on the dough. We also do best in a warm environment of encouragement and require patience for God to work out His plan in our lives and the lives of those for whom we care. It's something to think about.

Hymn: "God Is Working His Purpose Out"