Daily Bible Reading 12th October 2026 // Luke 13: 18-21
18 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”
20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
The two parables, while belonging together and having the same message essentially, stand in contrast in one respect: the mustard seed, though an insignificant thing, is seen to grow, but the leaven is not only insignificant, but hidden, invisible. In this, the latter corresponds to the 'salt of the earth' aspect of the Church's work, whereas the former corresponds to the 'light of the world' aspect; the one an indirect influence, the other direct, and both to be fulfilled by the people of God. The gospel has, in fact, this other, indirect function in the world, as well as the direct one of winning men to Christ. There are many in society who will not come to Him; but society itself is influenced for all that, and in spite of itself, by the presence of the saving gospel. In times of spiritual awakening, for example, it has been known for whole communities to be raised to a new moral and spiritual tone, even when large numbers within them have not themselves turned to Christ. And it is a simple fact that in countries that have known a Christian civilization have had qualities and standards 'built into them' and have regarded them as natural attributes, when in fact they are entirely due to the leavening process in society by the Christian gospel. The gospel is a living thing; and not only does it contain within itself that which can make it branch out like a tree, but also it has the power of penetrating a foreign mass in such a way as to permeate the whole thing with its influence.