Thursday, September 9, 2010

Yeast

“Then Jesus told them, ‘Watch out and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ And they discussed among themselves, ‘We didn’t bring any bread.’” (Matthew 16:6-7)

As a test, the Pharisees asked Jesus to give them a “sign from heaven.” He had fed the 5,000 and then the 4,000 by that time. And they wanted a sign? Amazing. They missed the signs altogether. They saw but didn’t see.

Jesus responded. He pointed out that they can see the sky and understand what the weather is going to do, but they could not read the signs of the times. He told them they would only receive the sign of Jonah. We know now that He was referring to His resurrection.

Then, a curious thing happened. Jesus and His disciples departed and went back to the other side of the lake. In His contemplations over what just happened He said, “Watch out and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” By this time, given all they had witnessed, Jesus apparently figured they would get it. Their response was, “We didn’t bring any bread,” and that told Jesus they still were not where He wanted them to be in their understanding. So with a mild rebuke He explained to them further that He was talking about the influence of the Pharisees and Sadducees, not bread. It was after this that He took them to Caesarea Philippi to teach them and to test them by asking, “Who do you say that I am?”

While we may be tempted to look down on the disciples for their slowness at “getting it,” we should probably first recognize that we ourselves may not have the level of comprehension that the Lord has of us at this point in our own lives. We may feel somewhat satisfied at our progress, but the possibility exists that the Lord has a higher expectation we may not be perceiving. So, maybe the question we need to ask of the Lord is, “Where am I in my walk with You at this point in my life, and where do You expect me to be? If I am not where You want me to be, please help me move toward Your expectations as soon as possible.”

Indeed, so may it be, Lord. Amen.

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