The Fifth Sunday of Easter (CL)

Matthew 13:24-43

24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”

31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”

34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:

                  “I will open my mouth in parables;

      I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001 (Mt 13:24–43). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Why does Jesus have to speak in so many parables?  Jesus tells the people about a woman with leaven in her flour.  Jesus uses Leaven in other places to refer to false teaching.  But here it resembles the Kingdom of Heaven.

Just like in the case of the Mustard seed which grows up into a great plant.  Similarly, False Teaching can take a foot hold in a community and become a major teaching of heresy.  The Kingdom of Heaven is just like a woman who took some flour and put a little leaven in it.  The entire flour becomes leavened.

This may be confusing to us.  But the Kingdom of Heaven will spread the truth.  This truth will spread to all corners of the earth.  All people will be given the message of Salvation.  The Leaven of Christ's Truth will set people free.  Christ has given people hope for eternal life.  Christ died for the forgiveness of sins.  He offers this gift to others.  Likewise, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who went out and planted good seed in the field.  But weeds grew up among them.  In the end the weeds were cast into the fire but the good crop was harvested.  So the leaven hidden in the three measures of flour leavens the it all.