Commentary on the Gospel of

Fr. Johnson Joseph Thurackal CMF

In the Hebrew understanding yeast can be an element corruption and it was eliminated from their houses. The purpose was not to contaminate the Passover, the feast of unleavened bread. Naturally a comparison of the Kingdom of God to this element would be questionable. Yet there is a convincing force: it is sufficient to put a very small quantity of yeast in three measures of flour to get a big amount of dough. Jesus announces that this yeast, hidden or that has disappeared in three measures of flour, after a certain amount of time, leavens the whole flour. 

What did Jesus find common in the mustard seed and the kingdom of God? The unprecedented growth of a tiny seed into a large shrub! God’s kingdom, in the same way, has a humble beginning in human hearts before it becomes a captivating force. The uniqueness of this transformation is that it results from a powerful inner dynamism. In the apparent smallness, a transforming power is at work as in the case of leaven that transforms the dough. It takes faith to understand that the present struggles are nothing compared to the glory that is to be revealed. Faith enables us to see a large bush in a tiny mustard seed, and the power and working of God in an apparently fragile life situation and desperate and challenging times.

These two parables are the image of God’s working in the human history. The Spirit of God which is the leaven, is the powerful force behind the Word that is proclaimed and the God’s reign that is being planted in the world.

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