Beware
There are things that seem invisible, but they really aren’t. Yeast is one of those things that is an ingredient in bread, among other things and you can’t really see it. Yeast works by serving as one of the leavening agents in the process of fermentation, which is essential in the making of bread. … Yeast does this by feeding on the sugars in flour and expelling carbon dioxide in the process. As the yeast feeds on the sugar, it produces carbon dioxide. As bread dough is mixed and kneaded, millions of air bubbles are trapped and dispersed throughout the dough. Meanwhile, the yeast in the dough metabolizes the starches and sugars in the flour, turning them into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas. This gas inflates the network of air bubbles, causing the bread to rise. (If I sound well read on this subject – google gets the credit!)
Jesus is quoted inside one sentence in the book of Mark speaking to the corruption of the religious leadership and He refers to them as yeast. Check this out….
15 As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.” (Mark 8:15 NLT)
As I understand yeast, once it goes into the bread mixture, there’s no way to separate it out. I think Jesus is speaking of the Pharisees and Herod in a negative perspective. Herod and the Pharisees were the face of organized religion in Jesus’ day. They taxed the people to fund their positions and their lifestyles. Jesus saw their motives and called them out on multiple occasions. They end up ultimately being responsible for His death through the Roman leadership.
It’s vital to understand motives.
What is the angle being worked?
If I understand another person’s motive, it brings great clarity to the situation. There are times when I’m trying to understand, but there are multiple “pieces of the puzzle” missing. Jesus had not problems cutting through the fluff of appearances.
I need to check the “yeast” in my heart. What about my motives? The Lord knows all the details of my heart. He can help my heart grow and expand. He can clean out the “yeast” in my heart and purify me.
I don’t want to be known as a “religious leader”. I want to simply be known as a follower of Jesus with all the scars and scratches on my heart. I want my heart and my motives to be pure and clean before Him. What everyone else might think, just doesn’t matter.
Pressing On!
Dwayne