He spoke another parable to them, "The kingdom of
heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until
it was all leavened."
Insights: Let me pick up where I left off
yesterday. We were discussing leaven as
an analogy. You don't take analogies and
make them an absolute theological term. Leaven
is only an illustration and you ought not to assign it an absolute theological
meaning so that every time you have leaven, you get sin. If you do assign leaven as an absolute for
evil and sin, then you get into real trouble in the O.T. with the feast of
Pentecost when the Jews were commanded by God to offer leavened bread to Him. Read 1 Corinthians 5:6, "Don't you know that
a little leaven leavens the whole lump?"
This statement is just a proverb.
To understand the proverb all depends on how you apply the analogy of
the leaven. Again, remember that the
point of leaven is that it has a permeating influence on other things. Now read 1 Corinthians 5:7, "Purge out
the old leaven that you may be a new lump." In this illustration what Paul is telling us
is you’re a Christian now, you're a new lump of dough. Don't put into that new lump old leaven. Again, remember, that the old leaven comes
from an old loaf. So here is what Paul
is telling us, “You're a new creature in Christ. Don't let any of that old
stuff from your former life influence your new life.” We could keep reading verse 7 and jump back
into the O.T. to Exodus chapter 12 and see further significance of this old and
new leaven, but I think you are getting the point. We are new creatures and we ought not let our
old life influence our new life in Christ Jesus. So, in this analogy of 1 Corinthians 5 the
leaven is not so much the definition of sin, but of the permeating influences
that come from your past life without Jesus.
Jesus knew that they understood the analogy of leaven as it related to
evil and that they perceived the massive moving spread of evil. So, Jesus gives this parable of leaven to
show in contrasting fashion the speed and unstoppable nature of His kingdom as
it begins to penetrate the world. Beloved,
be that leaven in the world for Jesus as you share the gospel with those
desperate for its life changing message of hope.
Questions:
- Are you allowing sins from your past to influence your
Christian walk today?
- Will you this day put those sins to death and walk in the newness of life you have in Christ Jesus?
Prayer: Father, I am
crucified with Christ, strengthen my heart and fill me full of Your Spirit as I
walk this faith out before a watching world. Amen.
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