Yeast of the Lord

Luke 12: 1-3

1Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.

Christ had much to say on the topic of hypocrisy, and it is no surprise, that message is just as important today. As verse 2 and 3 sums up, all will be reveled in time. We all will be seen for what we really are not just the façade that so many put up on a daily basis.
In Matthew 23:5 reads: "Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; The Pharisees talked a great game, but the rules did not apply to them……sound familiar?

This brings about the question of what type of yeast are you using in your life? Christ used the symbolism of yeast for a very good reason….a little goes a long way. It does not take much doubt to work in and destroy confidence; it only takes a little repeated discouragement to destroy motivation. It is important to remember that it works both ways, in Luke 13: 20-21 we are told: Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." Yeast good or bad spreads quickly and affects the entire batch.

I know we can all think of modern day Pharisees that practice hypocrisy, more than Christianity, we might even have some in our church community. It is important to recognize them and the action for what it is. Worthless. We will all stand before the Lord, and we will each have to answer for our actions, I will go a step further when I say I think we will all be surprised at some of those that get the blessing of the Lord, and some of those that receive God’s rebuke.

So this is our challenge, we have to be aware of the yeast we select to work in to our daily lives; and it is a very conscious choice. Everyday we choose the negative, or the positive, the path the Lord has provided, or the wide path that is easier. Do we listen to all of the discouragement, and doubt that is rained down on us, or do we trust in the Lord, and his plan for us? It is who we hang out with, it is what we choose to focus on; and I will say this time and time again, don’t be fooled just because it has the label “Christian” on it. As Paul tells us in Colossians 2:8: See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

It is in Christ that we place our faith; it is through him that we are saved. There are many out there that will try to twist his words and use them for their own gain, or to attain stature for themselves, to that all that can be said is: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees” Make sure your yeast is good yeast steeped in Christ, and his righteousness.
Peace,
Rev. T