Day 24 - Week 4 Day 3 Bad Yeast

Today's reading (Bible in 1 Year)

Genesis 35

Psalm 22

Isaiah 21:11 - end of 21

Matthew 16

Thought for the day

In Genesis 35, God tells Jacob to move to Bethel and make an alter to God.  I find it interesting that in verses 2-4 Jacob took all the foreign gods (Idols) and hid them under the oak at Shechem.  I question why he did not destroy them rather than hide them.  He had met with the creator God yet those foreign idols were still existing.  It seems odd that when you have the real God present why you would not destroy all the fake ones.  It's kind of like putting yeast in dough that was not supposed to rise.

In Matthew 16, we have a story of Jesus telling his disciples to be aware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and then he explains, when the disciples were confused, that he was talking about the teaching of the religious leaders.  Yeast, of course is a leavening agent and its purpose is to cause dough to rise.  If the dough does not rise, it's unleavened.  An example is crackers....they are unleavened.

Jacob, the religious people of Jesus' day and us have something in common.  We allow things (yeast) to come between us and God.  For Jacob, those idols still existed. For us, sometimes it's money, busyness, media distraction or many other reasons that distract us from God.

We are renovating our house.  It's been ongoing since we moved to Nova Scotia in May 2022.  We knew the house needed work but once we moved in, we realized that it needed more than we had hoped and that we were older than we were when we last renovated a house.  We still have one major renovation to do but we are getting there.

One day during our renovations, I said something to my wife.  "As soon as these renovations are done we'll be able to get involved in the ministry that God has called us to."  It didn't take her long to stop the conversation and say "What are you saying?"  It was like a brick had just hit me and I realized that the renovations had become a distraction between God and I.  We could say I added yeast.  Here's the thing: it's easy to allow something to come between us and God.  And, it can be sneaky.  I made renovations part of my vocation which really had the same affect as yeast.  It made the vocation "God plus renovations."  (I added yeast).

We have to test what we hear from the pulpit with what we read in God's word as well.  This is where Jesus is going in the reading in Matthew.  There are lots of well meaning preachers out there who add to the truth of Jesus.  In a previous church that we attended and that I was employed by, we often heard the statement "Put it through the Jesus filter".  When you hear anything from religious people, including those who are politicians and claim to follow Jesus, make sure it goes through the Jesus filter.

Remember, Jesus said in Mark 12:30,31 (we'll read this in our daily reading in a few weeks) "...you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength....You shall love your neighbour as yourself."  If what you hear from the religious people supports these guidelines, you're likely good to go.  If they say different, question it further.  Examples may come in the form of racism (ethnic bigotry as my brother calls it), it may be hatred against different people groups or different lifestyles.  It may simply be adding to what Jesus taught.    Beware: It's Bad Yeast!

Remember, living life as a Jesus follower is not necessarily easy considering sometimes you may need to stand strong to those you respect.  At the end of our Matthew reading today Jesus says "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?"  The world is easy but is it worth it when you forfeit your soul?  

Let me just say, listen to Jesus, follow Him, don't add the yeast.  It just makes your job bigger (leavened)!

Thanks for reading today

Steve