Rather than striving to change the world, this is the life of the happiest surrender— trusting myself and entrusting everything so that Jesus who dwells within me may freely use me as He wills.

Rather than striving to change the world,

this is the life of the happiest surrender—

trusting myself and entrusting everything

so that Jesus who dwells within me

may freely use me as He wills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“And again He said, ‘To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened’” (Luke 13:20–21).

 

 

 

(1)    After reading today’s passage, Luke 13:20–21, I tried reading it in the original Greek.  When I did so, I noticed the word “τρία” (three) in verse 21, and I asked an AI what “three measures of flour” means in the Korean translation:

 

“In the Bible, the three ‘saton’ (σατόν) correspond to approximately 22 to 39 liters, enough to make an enormous amount of bread—sufficient to feed well over 100 to 150 people” (Internet).

 

(2)    Next, I became curious about the meaning of the Greek word “ἐζυμώθη” (ezymōthē, “was leavened” or “was fermented”) in Luke 13:21, so I asked an AI:

 

(a)    “The word ‘ἐζυμώθη’ in Luke 13:21 is the aorist passive form of the Greek verb ‘ζυμόω’ (to leaven, to cause to rise).  It carries a strong meaning beyond simply ‘it rose’; it means ‘it was completely transformed into a new state.’ The specific implications of this word in the parable are as follows:

 

1.       Total and thorough transformation

 

Completed result: Grammatically, the aorist tense indicates that the action has been fully completed.  This confirms that the leaven permeated all three measures of flour completely, without leaving any part untouched.

 

Change of essence: When dough is ‘ezymōthē’ by leaven, its nature and volume are entirely changed.  This signifies the fundamental recreation and transformation that occurs when the gospel enters a person’s soul or society.

 

2.       Irresistible permeation

 

Meaning of the passive voice: The phrase ‘was leavened’ indicates that this change was initiated not by the flour itself but by the ‘leaven’ (the power of the kingdom of God) introduced from outside.

 

Penetrating power: Though hidden within the flour, the leaven quietly but irresistibly spreads and takes over the whole. This single word captures that unstoppable process.

 

3.       The certain expansion of the kingdom of God

 

Through this word, Jesus emphasizes that although the kingdom of God may appear small at first, it will ultimately fill and transform the whole world with the gospel.

 

In summary, ‘ezymōthē’ proclaims that the power of the gospel does not merely change outward appearances but penetrates deeply within and completely transforms the entire being” (Internet).

 

(a)    As I reflected on this word, I became curious about the fundamental recreation and transformation that occurs when the powerful, unstoppable gospel comes upon a person’s soul.  So, I asked an AI:

“We can examine how the power of the gospel fundamentally transforms the soul from three perspectives:

 

1.       Ontological infiltration

 

Just as leaven finds its way into the ‘gaps’ of the dough, the gospel penetrates the deepest part of a human being—the core of the self.

 

Irresistible grace: Just as dough cannot resist the chemical action of leaven, when the Holy Spirit works in the soul, human stubbornness and defense mechanisms collapse.

 

Transformation of even the unconscious: Leaven does not merely touch the surface but changes every part of the dough.  This signifies that the gospel recreates not only our outward behavior but also our thinking patterns, values, and even unconscious habits.

 

2.       Explosive expansion

 

Leaven produces gas (CO₂), causing the dough to rise.  What was once dense and confined becomes filled with life.

 

Expansion of spiritual freedom: A soul that was compressed under sin and guilt encounters God’s love and becomes ‘ezymōthē.’ Its capacity expands, creating space for love and compassion toward others and the world that was previously impossible.

 

Outflow of vitality: Just as dough begins to move, a once-dead soul becomes alive and dynamically responds to God’s purposes.

 

3.       Irreversible transformation

 

The most remarkable aspect is that it cannot return to ‘flour’ again.

 

A new creation: There is no physical way to turn risen dough back into dry flour. Likewise, a soul recreated by the gospel undergoes a fundamental qualitative change and can never return to its former empty life.  The statement, ‘If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation,’ declares precisely this state of being ‘ezymōthē’” (Internet).

 

(i)        At this point, I became curious about how this ‘irresistible recreation’ that occurs when a soul encounters the gospel relates to “Irresistible Grace,” one of the five points of Calvinism.  Here is the AI’s response:

 

“The dynamic of ‘ezymōthē’ (being leavened) that occurs when a soul encounters the gospel is theologically in perfect alignment with ‘Irresistible Grace,’ one of the five points of Calvinism (TULIP).  This connection can be summarized in three key points:”

 

1.       The initiative of change: “passive voice” and “sole operation”

 

Ezymōthē (passive): As mentioned earlier, this word is in the passive voice.  The flour does not rise by itself; rather, the leaven introduced from outside initiates the change.

 

Irresistible Grace: John Calvin taught that salvation is not based on human will or cooperation, but entirely on God’s sovereign work.  Since humans are spiritually dead and cannot respond on their own, the Holy Spirit, like leaven, penetrates the center of the soul and breathes in an irresistible life.

 

2.       Penetrating power that overcomes resistance: “permeation” and “effectual calling”

 

The penetration of leaven: Leaven spreads quietly yet surely throughout the dough without resistance.

 

Effectual Calling: The term “irresistible” does not mean suppressing human free will, but rather that God’s grace is so sweet and powerful that a person willingly yields with joy.  Just as hardened dough becomes soft through leaven, the grace of the Holy Spirit melts resistance and recreates the soul into a state where it cannot help but receive the gospel.

3.       Certainty of the result: “all” and “perseverance”

 

Leavening the whole: In the end, the leaven transforms all three measures of flour. There is no failure.

 

Certain recreation: A soul that has experienced irresistible grace is fundamentally changed.  This connects with the final point of the five doctrines of grace, the Perseverance of the Saints. If God has placed the leaven (grace), there is assurance that He will never stop the process of transformation until that soul is fully matured in Christ.

 

Conclusion

 

Ultimately, the “unstoppable transformation” contained in the word “ezymōthē” can be seen as a precise and vivid metaphor illustrating the absolute nature of grace emphasized by Calvin: that what God begins, He will surely complete (Internet).

 

(3)    Then why did Jesus say in today’s passage, Gospel of Luke 13:20–21, that “the kingdom of God is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all leavened”?

 

“The reason Jesus compared the kingdom of God to leaven is to explain the penetrating power and total transforming ability of the gospel.  This parable pairs with the parable of the mustard seed to present a fuller picture of the nature of God’s kingdom.

 

1.       Invisible and hidden expansion (inner transformation

 

While the mustard seed parable emphasizes visible external growth, the leaven parable symbolizes internal change that spreads invisibly within the flour.  The kingdom of God does not advance through loud slogans or outward expansion, but quietly permeates people’s hearts and areas of life, transforming the whole.

 

2.       Powerful transformation and influence (qualitative change)

 

Just as a small amount of leaven causes a large mass of dough to rise and completely changes its nature, the kingdom of God fundamentally transforms the order wherever it comes.

 

Three measures of flour: This amounts to about 20 kg (around 40 liters), enough to feed 100–150 people.

 

Leavening the whole: It assures that the influence of the gospel spreads beyond individuals to families, societies, and nations, ultimately bringing about the full realization of God’s reign.

 

3.       The kingdom of God in everyday life

 

Jesus used the everyday act of bread-making, familiar to Jewish women of that time, as His example.  This reminds us that the kingdom of God is not confined to a distant future or special place, but begins in our ordinary daily lives and works as a dynamic force that transforms the world.

 

Therefore, this teaching was meant to instill in the disciples a sure hope and confidence that, though the kingdom of God may now seem small, it will ultimately bring complete transformation to the world” (Internet).

 

(a)    Then how does the kingdom of God come into our ordinary daily lives?

 

“The coming of the kingdom of God into our everyday lives is not a dramatic event, but a process in which our values and attitudes are quietly transformed, like leaven in dough.  Specifically, it appears in the following ways:

 

1.       Transformation of relationships: “service and forgiveness”

 

God’s reign comes into our relationships with family, coworkers, and neighbors.  Instead of self-centeredness, we begin to respect others, forgive first in times of conflict, and show small acts of kindness.  As we change, the atmosphere of the communities we belong to gradually ‘rises’ like leavened dough.

 

2.       Transformation of values: “a different standard from the world”

When we choose the values of God’s kingdom—love, justice, and peace—over worldly standards like success, money, and power, God’s kingdom is present there.  Acting honestly even when no one is watching and keeping one’s conscience even at a loss are everyday choices that embody God’s rule.

 

3.       Peace in suffering: “unshakable trust”

 

Maintaining peace and trusting in God’s goodness even in hardship or pain has a powerful influence on others. This peace spreads quietly like leaven, giving hope to those around us.

 

4.       Faithfulness in small things: “sense of calling”

 

It means carrying out repetitive daily tasks or household work with sincerity, as if serving the Lord.  When we realize that our labor benefits others and serves as God’s instrument to sustain the world, that ordinary place becomes sacred ground of God’s kingdom.

 

Ultimately, the core of the parable of the leaven is “contagiousness.”  The kingdom of God comes into our daily lives as a small change that begins in one person’s heart, alters the atmosphere around them, and eventually transforms the whole” (Internet).

 

(i)         This is a column I wrote on October 7, 2007, under the title “People Who Spread Jesus”:

 

Referring to the Apostle Paul, who was a person who “spread” Jesus, the Bible says, “This man is a plague” (Acts 24:5).  He earned the nickname “plague” because he passionately preached the gospel of Jesus Christ.  In Thessalonica, the capital of Macedonia where many different ethnic groups lived together, he reasoned with the Jews from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that “this Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 17:2–3).  At that time, a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women who had joined Judaism heard the gospel and came to believe in Jesus.  We too must become evangelists who passionately proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ like the Apostle Paul.  Wherever we go, let us all become people who spread the gospel through the love of Jesus.

 

·         Through us, who spread the gospel with the love of Jesus wherever we go, I pray that the kingdom of God may come upon this earth like leaven.  This is the central mission that Jesus gives us through this parable. Its meaning can be explored deeply in three ways (Internet):

 

a.   We are the “leaven.”

 

Jesus used “leaven” as a medium to explain the kingdom of God.  This refers not only to the gospel itself, but also to each individual Christian who possesses the gospel.

 

Thrown into the world (the three measures of flour), we are beings who permeate the cracks of the world carrying the essence of Jesus’ love, rather than grand slogans.

 

Wherever we go, when we exist as leaven with “holy contagion,” the kingdom of God begins there.

 

b.   The “spreading” is quiet but powerful.

 

Leaven does not cause the dough to rise with noise. It simply remains within and faithfully does its work.

 

Not a gospel of mere words, but the love of Jesus demonstrated through life slowly melts and raises people’s hearts.

 

When we live with love, sacrifice, and integrity within the “dough” of our homes, workplaces, and schools, those around us experience the “ezymōthē” (ἐζυμώθη, transformation) of the kingdom of God through us.

 

c.    God’s zeal to leaven “the whole.”

 

The love we share may seem small, but God is responsible for the results.

As promised in Luke 13:21, God desires to transform the “whole” community we belong to through us, the small leaven.

 

The small kindness and confession of love from one person can ultimately become an instrument of irresistible grace that transforms a family, a workplace, and even the world.

 

Ultimately, “a life that spreads the gospel” is not about doing something great myself, but about becoming a channel through which the “powerful leaven, Jesus within me,” flows out into the world.

 

-       Then what does it mean to live as a channel through which “Jesus, the powerful leaven within me,” flows into the world?

 

“That life is not a painful effort to force something out of myself, but a life of ‘overflow’ in which the life of Jesus within me naturally bursts forth.  Specifically, it appears in the following ways:

 

1.       A life that reveals Jesus by dissolving the ‘self’ (Self-Emptying)

 

Leaven disappears without form within the dough, yet causes the entire dough to rise.

 

It is a life of yielding myself so that the character of Jesus (love, gentleness, humility) is reflected through me, rather than putting forward my stubbornness, pride, or ego.  The smaller I become, the more clearly Jesus within me flows into the world.

 

2.       A life that permeates the “cracks” of daily life (Permeating)

 

Leaven finds its way into the deepest parts of the dough.

 

Rather than great religious achievements, it is about conveying the fragrance of Jesus to people we meet in ordinary life. Smiling one more time in an irritating situation, or reaching out first to a neglected coworker—these small acts of “permeation” become the power of the gospel that raises another person’s heart.

 

3.       A life that trusts the life-giving power that “spreads” (Trusting the Power)

 

It is about being freed from the pressure of having to change people myself.

 

Just as leaven itself already has the power to make dough rise, Jesus within me already possesses the power of irresistible grace.  I simply need to open the “channel” for Him to flow.  The change is not something I produce, but something Jesus accomplishes directly within others as He flows through me. It is a life that believes this and rests in peace.

 

4.       A life that turns dry flour into living bread (Vitalizing)

 

Dry flour remains scattered, but when leaven enters, it comes together and becomes abundant bread.

 

It is a life of becoming a peacemaker where there is conflict and division.  By my presence, cold relationships become warm, and dead hope comes back to life. It is a life that witnesses scenes of recreation.

In the end, to become a channel of the “powerful leaven, Jesus,” is not about striving to change the world, but about living the happiest life of surrender—trusting and entrusting myself so that Jesus within me may freely use me” (Internet).