COMMANDS36 (Yeast): Goodbook 09-29-15

One of our challenges for 2015 is to learn and live all 50 commands of Jesus. Jesus told us that following his commandments is a way to love him and a way for his love and his joy to fill our lives (John 15:9-12). In his Great Commission, Jesus tells his followers to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything he commanded us (Matthew 28:19-20). So each week in this year we are learning and living one command of Jesus. Here is our command for this week...

Week 36:

“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees,” (Matthew 16:6).

Application:

Yeast, or leaven, is a powerful fungus that can cause a lump of dough to rise, ferment liquids into alcohol, or cause painful infections. Because a small piece of leaven was able to cause a relatively large amount of dough to rise, the term was often used figuratively to represent any kind of influence. In some cases, yeast was used to describe a positive influence. Jesus described the kingdom of God like yeast (Matthew 13:33) because of its power to spread and permeate the entire world. But in this verse Jesus is talking about a negative influence that can also spread rapidly through our lives.

The Pharisees and Sadducees were religious teachers in Jesus time. They were teachers of God’s law and could have had a very positive influence. Their practice of religion, however, was not always in line with God’s ways. If Jesus’ followers were not careful, the negative influences of the Pharisees and Sadducees had the potential of spreading like yeast throughout the life of a believer. Christians today need to be on guard against of many of the same negative influences in our lives.

So what was the “yeast” of the Pharisees and Sadducees? Below are a few possibilities…

1. Pride – They thought they were better than others and looked down on others (Luke 18:11-12).
2. Disobedience – They created loopholes to get around following God’s commands (Matthew 15:3-6).
3. Greed – They were concerned with getting more for themselves, even when it involved neglecting others or taking advantage of others (Matthew 23:13).
4. Hypocrisy – They put on a good religious show, but they lived a different kind of life when no one was looking. They acted like they were close to God, but their hearts were far from him (Matthew 15:7-8)
5. Doubt – They refused to believe and continued asking for signs from God, even after all Jesus had done.

Can you recognize any of these forms of yeast in your life? Do you think more highly of yourself than others and judge others? Are you creating loopholes to avoid living the way God desires? Are you pursuing more for yourself at the expense of others? Are you living one way around others and another way when no one is watching? Are you allowing doubts to discourage you and distract you from what God has already showed you in your life?

Jesus said to be on guard against this kind of yeast. If we can recognize any of these forms of yeast, we should prayerfully lift them up to God and get another person to hold us accountable before they spread further. Then, we need to be on guard against these creeping back into our life.

What do you need to be on guard against? Who can hold you accountable and pray with you?

Share your comments and application ideas…