Hell's Kitchen - Pt 4 (Again)

I have to say this was really a great series to study for.  It was fun, thought provoking and I hope challenging.  I love the passage from Matthew 13 on the Kingdom and yeast and how the Lord used this passage to turn the tables a bit on the normal way of thinking in that day and age.  

Yeast, throughout scripture, always carried a negative connotation.  It was almost always connected to evil and the effects of evil in a person's life.  But in Mt. 13, Jesus uses the analogy of yeast in a more positive light, reflecting on just how a little bit of  yeast influences a batch of dough, so righteousness influences both the individual and the church.

The power of yeast wants to create an inner transformation of the heart.  Transformation cannot take place corporately until it happens inwardly.  Inward transformation is a direct result of an individual experiencing or seeing the holiness of God and recognizing their shortfall. 

When Jesus spoke of yeast as “evil” he was referring to the ability of sin to permeate our lives and so he called us to get rid of the yeast.  Paul understood the same concept and called the Corinthian church to get rid of the yeast.

6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.
1 Corinthians 5:6-8 (NIV)

But in Mt. 13, Christ is speaking of the permeating affects of yeast for “good” in our lives – a transformation of the heart. I think Ezekiel understood.

19 And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart,
Ezekiel 11:19 (NLT) 

I find it very difficult to comprehend at times how someone can be of faith with no apparent change in their life.  I was speaking to a friend recently about friends that I have that have "faith" in Christ, but with no apparent change in their personal lives, no "yeast" activity.  Maybe they didn't have enough yeast in the first place?  Maybe our function as a church body is to plant yeast like we were planting seed.  Hmmm!  Interesting concept!  Tell me what you think.

Randy