Dealing with Yeast

Dealing with Yeast
Words of Faith 3-14-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 14:1‑2
Now, the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. [2] "But not during the Feast," they said, "or the people may riot."

Is there something wrong with this picture? The priests were those charged with honoring God with worship, prayers, and sacrifices. The teachers of the law were the experts in technically interpreting the Law of God, the Ten Commandments, and the 613 directives of God found in the books of Moses. These groups were upset by Jesus and began discussing ways to kill Jesus but determined they could not do so. Why? There was a religious festival, the feast of unleavened bread, coming up. It is terrible to kill people on a religious holiday.
Okay... it is terrible to kill people on a religious holiday, but not for the reason we might think. The reason was that the people might riot in response. Now we see some of what is wrong with this picture. True, there were as many as a million pilgrims in Jerusalem for the feast of unleavened bread. They might become upset if the priests and teachers of the law arranged the murder of a famous rabbi. Rome would get upset. So, it was really political expediency and not religious sensibility.
But listen to this irony. The feast of unleavened bread was when households removed all the yeast (leaven) from their homes as a symbol of removing the sin from their lives. Yeast represents bad thoughts, wrong motives, and evil desires in life. Passover started the eight day feast and recalled the mighty hand of God in freeing the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. So, it makes sense not to plan a murder during the feast. But that was not the reasoning of the priests and teachers of the Law. Their concern was not to remove the leaven, the evil thoughts and sins from their minds, but rather because a political execution might upset the Roman authorities. Religious is a dangerous game.
The question is this: Could we ever be so blind? Could we allow our love for the "religion of Jesus" to supplant our love of Jesus? Could we allow our desire to preserve the church as we know it to cause us to become hateful? Could we become so blinded by our institutions that we would fail to see the evil of such thoughts?
Of course, we would never consider a murder plot, no matter the year's season. But remember that Jesus once said, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell (Matthew 5:21‑22)." Church life is too often witness to many examples of unleashed anger. Religious families sometimes say things at least as bad.
So what shall we do? Examine your religion. You might say: "I have no religion." Are you sure? The habits, rituals, trappings, and institutions of faith are your religion. The songs you sing, the doctrine you claim, the customs of your church, and the style of worship are all part of your religion. Anything you do religiously is your religion. Is there anything that you are tempted to protect? The comfort zones of our spiritual life? That is your religion.
The truth is that Jesus died at the hands of religionists amid a season dedicated to removing the symbols of sin from every home. God was sovereign, and His plan was at work, but, in a sense, it was religion itself that killed Jesus. That may be why Jesus said: Watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees. What season is good for getting rid of leaven (sin)? Any season and every season.

Lord, help me, by the guidance and power of Your Holy Spirit, to clear out the religion of my life so that I may follow You and You alone. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.