Jesus says in Mark 4:22-23: “There is nothing hidden except for the purpose of being exposed; nothing has become carefully concealed but for the purpose of coming into the open. Whoever has ears to listen, let him listen.”
The second sentence in the quote contains a challenge to man. Its hidden meaning is: Let him who is vested with intelligence make out if he can. Nothing is kept hidden. If you have intelligence, you can understand what appears to be hidden.
Jesus says demurely: “I will open my mouth with parables. I will publish things hidden since the founding of the world” (Matthew 13:35). Jesus customarily speaks in subtleties and parables. Thereby, he keeps things concealed.
In Matthew 13:33 Jesus uses such a parable while expounding his kingdom of heaven. He compares it to leaven that a woman has taken and buried away in three measures of meal, enough to leaven the whole batch. There is no comparison between the so-called kingdom of heaven that Jesus denotes through this parable and actual heavenly world or world of gods.
In the first place Jesus likens his kingdom of heaven to leaven. While heaven is positive, leaven is negative. One is contrary to the other. The opposite of heavenly world is nether world. When he told Peter in John 21:18 that “you will be taken to the place where you do not want to go”, Jesus was actually saying that his kingdom of heaven is hell. For, the place that Peter wanted to go to was heaven and he believed following Jesus to the hilt was the only means of getting there. Peter did just that. But what did Jesus say? You will be escorted to the place where you do not want to go, namely, hell.
Jesus likens his kingdom of heaven to leaven and not to good meal. It is impossible for Jesus to liken his kingdom of heaven to anything positive. By so doing, the analogue will go all wrong. For, Jesus’ kingdom of heaven is kingdom of hell and he knows it.
By three measures of dough is signified the three worlds of heavenly world, earthly world and nether world or hell. Because Jesus says he is from heaven, the heavenly world is turned leavenous or topsy-turvy. Because he addresses himself as “son of man,” the abode of humans, which is the earthly world, is turned leavenous or ruinous. The nether world is the abode of fallen angels or asuras (Sanskrit for fallen angels—Ed.). By reason of Jesus’ rebellion given shape therefrom, the nether world too is turned disorderly. Evidence is the dispute over Moses’ body in the nether world (see below).
The woman in the parable who hid the leaven until the three measures of meal turned leavenous is certainly Mary. For, it is she who provides the hideout for Jesus the devil supreme to abide and take root. Proof is Luke 1:38: “Behold the handmaid of the lord; let it be done unto me according to thy word. And with that the angel left her.”
When he says his kingdom of heaven is akin to leaven hidden in three measures of meal until the whole batch is leavened, Jesus rebelliously makes known many a verity that have remained secret from the beginning. Jesus challengingly makes these things known out of confidence that he will never be detected. It turns out, however, that his conviction was in vain.