Leaven Free
It seems that every year there is a new health product that occupies the attention of the media and the health gurus. There are the “sugar free”, “fat free” and “cholesterol free” products that have had their time in the lime-light. Then came the warnings against coffee and chocolate, which were later reversed to be pro-coffee and pro-chocolate, (in moderation, of course). Vitamins, natural herbs and a variety of teas have also been promoted, in their time, to fortify the immune system and enhance one’s quality of life. There seems to be an obsession in going to the gym and in keeping fit. It is all good, but there is one area that many have neglected and that is the danger of “leaven”.
Leaven is the substance used to produce fermentation in dough or liquid. It modifies and lightens the baking material. Although it can be beneficial in food products, it can be disastrous in one’s spiritual life. This leaven causes one to seem “bigger” spiritually than he really is; to appear “all together” on the outside, but empty on the inside. Since the time of Moses, leaven has been compared to insincerity and hidden sin. Paul told the Galatians to be wary of those who would try to influence them with teachings that were not in agreement with that which they had already received. Just a little of this “leaven” can affect the whole church. Jesus warned His disciples about leaven, especially that of the Sadducees and the Pharisees. (Mat. 16.6)
The leaven of the Sadducees was that of assimilation and selfish ambition. They denied the existence of heaven and hell, thus avoiding any eternal consequences for their actions. They lived for the moment; for what was advantageous for them personally. They assimilated into the culture of the Greeks and the Romans and sided with these alien influences, when their own position and status were threatened. Jesus had very little good to say about the Sadducees, knowing that their influence would distance His disciples from the culture of the Kingdom of God.
The Pharisees’ leaven was that of hypocrisy. (Luke 12.1) Hypocrisy is easy to see in others, but hard to recognize in ourselves. The Pharisees thought that by giving attention to the details of the law they could achieve holiness and approval from God. Their zeal for the perfection, caused them to add to the law their many interpretations and traditions. This caused them to distort God’s purposes and intentions. They lost sight of the best in their pursuit of the good. Jesus said they were the blind leading the blind. They had the people’s ear, but were leading them astray by their legalism and hypocrisy. They easily judged others, but couldn’t see how off the tract they had become.
Although the Sadducees and the Pharisees have disappeared into history, their leaven is still with us today. As the church became predominately gentile, the Sadducees and the Pharisees lost their influence, but the leaven kept growing. It became the Nicolaitans on the one hand and the Judaizers on the other. Today it is the humanists, with their relative, post-modern ethics, versus the legal traditionalists. The leaven is the same and we must rid ourselves of all of it. Paul told the Corinthians to be “unleavened”; to be leaven-free. We are to celebrate Jesus, our Passover Lamb, as an unleavened church; totally free from all malice and evil.
Scriptures to meditate on:
Mat. 16.6; Luke 12.1; Gal. 5.9; I Cor. 5.6-8; Titus 1.14