Leaven refers to wrong doctrines. The Lord Jesus spoke about the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of the Sadducees. In Mark 8:15 there was the leaven of Herod. Thus, leaven in the Bible refers to wrong doctrines. It is quite clear that the fine flour in Leviticus 2:1 refers to the food of God’s people. In particular it refers to the Lord Jesus. The Word of God shows us that the Lord Jesus is the fine flour, which is the food God gave to His people. Leaven is not allowed in this food. God commanded the people of Israel to eat unleavened bread when they came out of Egypt. In other words, putting leaven into fine flour spoils the Lord Jesus as our food! Originally, there was fine flour, but now leaven has been added to it.
What happens when leaven is added to fine flour? Without leaven, bread is coarse, tasteless, hard, heavy, and difficult to digest. With leaven, bread becomes light and easy to digest. Leaven makes the flour tasty and easy to digest. Many people feel that it is too hard to accept the Lord Jesus and His teachings; they find it hard to digest these things. Those who study the types of the Old Testament know clearly that fine flour refers to the life of the Lord Jesus. Some feel that such a life is too weighty, hard, and solid; they cannot take it. The woman in the parable introduces many heresies into the church. She leavens the fine flour, making it easier for many to accept the Lord! When the world and every kind of heresy and doctrine are brought into the church, it is easier for someone to accept the Lord Jesus and His teachings! This is what Roman Catholicism has done.
According to the truth concerning the church, the works mentioned above constitute a great mixture. The world is mixed with the church, grace is mixed with the law, and believers are mixed with unbelievers. The result is confusion. Moreover, righteousness is mixed with mercy, paganism with Christianity, and religion with politics. There is no greater confusion and fornication than that which is seen in Roman Catholicism! It mixes Christianity with Judaism and Grecian art with the worship of God. It brings in every conceivable thing from the world! The birds of heaven have come in. Leaven has been put into the meal, and it has become leavened. Now it is light and puffy, and everyone can accept it. A person can be a Catholic as long as he is baptized. If he sins, he can buy an indulgence, which will deliver him from the sins of this life as well as the future purgatory.
All kinds of heresies have come in! As a result, the meal is now leavened, and men can easily accept it. Roman Catholicism does not ask men to take the leaven; it only asks men to take the fine flour which contains the leaven. Roman Catholicism gives us heresies as well as truths. It believes that Christ is the Son of God and that the Lord Jesus died on the cross to accomplish redemption. These two basic tenets of faith are there, but the fine flour has been leavened.
Why does the Bible say three measures here? The number three is frequently used in the Bible. Abraham took three measures of meal and made bread for the angels. It seems that three measures can be easily held in our hands. This is a common measure, a common unit. It is like measuring flour or rice by packets or sacks. In the ancient days the most convenient unit was three measures.
The problem is that the woman has sown confusion into the food of God’s people! She has destroyed their food! She has brought all sorts of heresies into the church. By introducing the heresies into the church, Catholicism has confused the Word of God.
This work of the Roman Catholic Church results in the world creeping into the church. The woman now assumes great authority. She has taken control of worldly affairs as well as spiritual affairs. She has not only established a large church on earth, but has even extended her dominion over the nations of the earth. In other words, the church has taken over political power as well as religious power. It has indeed become a big tree. At the same time, it has truly mingled leaven with the fine flour.