The Yeast of Faith

UV 3886/10000. The Yeast of Faith He told them another parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and worked into three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” Matthew 13 v 33 The leaven, that Jesus refers to in this uni-verse, is the yeast of faith which needs to mingle with all that believers think, speak and do. The yeast of faith needs to be consistently applied to all of our lives to make our burdens lighter and more bearable, to make our offering of praise and thanksgiving rise up to God. Indeed, the Son rises in the yeast of faith. Faith in Jesus, the Son, affects positively and deeply all aspects of our lives. Like yeast makes the rough bread soft and edible, it makes the difficult truths of God embedded in the word soft and edible. Just as the yeast contributes to our digestion of the bread, the Holy Spirit rises in us to enable us to digest the word of God. Jesus, on another occasion, warned people of the yeast of the Pharisees. Here, the reference to yeast was to the insincerity and hypocrisy of the priests and teachers of the day who made things more difficult for people to be close to God. They had the outer form of religion or faith without its inner power. Jesus warns us of the impurities of human traditions that have the power to make the word of God to be of no effect. The leaven of the kingdom of God gives us inner power to combat and overcome our own inner weaknesses and tendencies to disobey the will of God. Just as leaven affects the whole dough and causes it to rise while being baked, our faith in God through Christ increase our influence among people and thereby, more people get access to the kingdom of heaven. The yeast was spread by the woman in the entire dough so that no part of the bread was half baked, no part was not soft and delicious to eat. Similarly, our faith should not be half baked or inconsistent. The yeast is not visible but it is hidden in the dough. Likewise, our faith should be hidden and only its impact should be visible to the world. Faith is not showy, flamboyant, aggressive or obtrusive. It should not be imposed but gently communicated even as Jesus taught with all gentleness and love. Yeast keeps our digestive system healthy and in balance. Likewise, faith in Christ keeps us immune from the evil influences and agents of this world. Just as yeast is a living micro-organism, our faith in Christ is a living force that helps us live victoriously in this world and prepares us to be citizens of the kingdom of heaven.