Watch out for Yeast

Watch out for Yeast
Words of Faith 1-5-2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 8
[14] The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. [15] "Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod."

Yeast is a powerful Biblical symbol. Because of the nature of yeast, it always represents something that spreads and changes things. Mostly, yeast is a symbol of sin and evil in the Bible, but it also was a symbol of the Kingdom of God in Matthew 13:33. Yeast is an excellent symbol because it is a living organism that works its way through a batch of dough and literally changes it. Just a tiny bit can change a virtually endless amount of dough.
In Judaism, the annual Feast of Unleavened Bread involves removing all the leaven (or yeast) in the house once a year to symbolize starting new and leaving behind every speck of the old. Jesus tapped into a rich image when He warned about the "yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod." But what is this yeast?!
The Pharisees were the legal religionists. They believed in most of the things Jesus taught, including the resurrection of the dead, a personal relationship with God, and the existence of angels, but they focused obsessively on strict observance of the law. The narrow legalistic interpretations of the Pharisees made them vulnerable to a hardening of the heart toward God and people. Pharisees could be self-righteous and judgmental. The Pharisees had no political power but were very influential in the synagogues or the "grassroots" among the people. Many Pharisees hated people who did not obey the religious rules. Some even hated Jesus.
The party called the "Herodians" was basically made up of Sadducees. The Sadducees were the ones who ran the Temple in Jerusalem and focused on the rituals of Judaism. Sadducees were generally wealthy families of priests who cooperated with Rome and Herod for political expedience.
The Sadducees had no personal faith and did not believe in angels, resurrection, or an afterlife. For them, religion was a series of motions and prayers. Life consisted of doing good business and maintaining the status quo through political compromise. The Herodians hated people who threatened to disturb their religious and political status quo, including Jesus.
Though these two groups differed, Jesus labeled them both as dangerous yeast. Beware of these dangerous extremists that can manipulate a crowd very quickly. We know that extreme viewpoints are often volatile and poisonous on almost any issue and will work through the dough. We will miss the Kingdom when we label an extreme view as the "God position" and a law unto itself. Before we know it, there is a protest, a bombing, or a movement to ban part of the Bible.

Now, was Jesus suggesting that we not take a stand? Should we stay in the middle on issues? Certainly not. Remember the words of the Lord to the church at Laodicea? "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm‑‑ , neither hot nor cold,‑‑ I am about to spit you out of my mouth (Rev. 3:15‑16)."
We are to be hot with the fire of God's Spirit and cold toward the world and its sin. But we must beware of extreme claims of "self-rightness" that often end in hate. We must always seek the Lord in every action and activity. We must brutally enforce the command of God in our own lives-- the command to love one another.
Bottom line? You and I have complete license to hate anyone that Jesus did not die for. You and I also have full license to love everyone Jesus DID die for. (Review John 3:16 when assembling your lists.)

Lord, protect me from the yeast of extremes. Guard my heart and soul against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Herodians-- the rhetoric that inflames and leads to religious acts of the flesh. I surrender wholly to Your law and command of love. I submit to Your Spirit to love and serve through me. 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, 2023 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.