Parable of the Leaven
The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman mixes into flour until the whole batch is leavened.
Parallel Accounts
Berean Standard Bible (BSB)
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Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain.
Explore Further
Matthew pairs this with the mustard seed in the chapter 13 parable discourse; Luke pairs the same two parables but in the travel narrative. The parable is nearly identical in both Gospels, suggesting a shared source. The image of leaven is striking because leaven elsewhere in Scripture is usually negative (corruption), yet here Jesus uses it positively.
Part of the seven-parable collection; immediately follows the mustard seed.
Placed alongside the mustard seed in the journey to Jerusalem section.
The bulk of Jesus's public work centered in Galilee: calling of the Twelve, the Sermon on the Mount, parables, miracles, and growing opposition.
All pericopes