Texts in Conversation
Matthew and Luke compare the kingdom to yeast a woman mixes into three measures of flour. The Gospel of Thomas compares it to the woman herself, ends with big loaves instead of leavened flour, and leaves out the three measures.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Matthew 13:33
New Testament
32 It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the wild birds come and nest in its branches.” 33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen.” 34 Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; he did not speak to them without a parable.
Luke 13:21
New Testament
19 It is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the wild birds nested in its branches.” 20 Again he said, “To what should I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen.”
Gospel of Thomas 1:97
Nag Hammadi
96 Jesus said, “The kingdom of the Father is like a woman carrying a jar full of meal. While she was walking on a distant road, the handle of the jar broke; the meal spilled out behind her on the road. She did not know it; she had not noticed a problem. When she reached her house, she put the jar down and found it empty.” 97 Jesus said, “The kingdom of the Father is like a woman who took a little yeast, hid it in dough, and made big loaves. Whoever has ears should hear.” 98 Jesus said, “The Father’s kingdom is like a man who wanted to kill a powerful man. In his own house he drew his sword and stabbed it into the wall to find out whether his hand would go in. Then he killed the powerful man.”
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Notes and References
“... The version in the Gospel of Thomas 96 differs in two major respects: the subject of the sentence is a woman, not leaven, and the outcome is the yield of large loaves of bread, not the leavening of the flour itself. The effect is that, while the Synoptic versions emphasize the hidden power of the leaven, the Thomas version highlights the woman's ability to use the leaven. In addition, the three measures are not mentioned. [...] In any case, the parable has a gnostic coloring. The emphasis on the woman's skill and effort—rather than the rising of the dough from the fermenting of the leaven—corresponds to the Gnostic's need to actualize the particle of light within, of which the leaven is itself a symbol. ...”
Hultgren, Arland J.
The Parables of Jesus: A Commentary
(pp. 404-405) William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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