Like Yeast

Have you ever baked bread before? It’s a long, time-consuming process of mixing, kneading, rising, and baking. One of the most important ingredients in breadmaking is leavening, often yeast. Though yeast is small, it makes a huge difference in bread. Without yeast, bread is flat and dense. Even a little yeast goes a long way, and when you mix it into the dough, it impacts the entire loaf and makes it grow in size. Yeast is a small thing that makes a huge impact on its surroundings. The Bible talks about how our words and actions can be like yeast, affecting the people around us. In Luke 12:1-3, Jesus warns about the “yeast” of some of the religious leaders, the Pharisees, and the dangerous influence of their hypocrisy. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul says, “Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough?” (1 Corinthians 5:6). In this passage, Paul is telling the church in Corinth that they need to discipline fellow Christians who continue in their old sinful ways of life, in hopes that these people will repent. Paul goes on to caution against associating with people who call themselves Christians but continue to indulge in sin. In another letter, Paul says, “This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough!” (Galatians 5:9). Paul is refuting a false teaching that was going around in Galatia. He tells the Galatian Christians that it doesn’t matter whether or not they are circumcised, but rather, “What is important is faith expressing itself in love” (Galatians 5:6). These three examples all compare yeast to harmful influences, but did you know that Jesus also compares the kingdom of God to yeast? Jesus said the kingdom spreads like yeast through the dough. And we get to receive the kingdom through putting our trust in Jesus and following Him. • Abby Ciona • Why do you think Jesus said the kingdom of God is like yeast? • How can we recognize hypocrisy and false teaching? A good place to start is by comparing it to the gospel, which is characterized by love and centered around Jesus (see our “Know Jesus” page). “ the Kingdom of God is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.” Luke 13:20-21 (NLT)