Prof Zebulon No E159
Q) Teachings of Jesus (Leaven)
Leaven or bread yeast is a type of fungi
and it causes bread to rise by releasing carbon dioxide which gets trapped in
the dough; this is actually a fermentation, decaying
process. In the Bible, leaven is often
used to portray false doctrinal teaching but on one occasion, the Lord used it
as a demonstration to show how the kingdom of heaven is like. In Matthew 13:33, we read “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven,
which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was
leavened.” ; there is a similar text in Luke 13:21. The idea here was that the Gospel will spread
itself though the world by its piercing, penetrating, and spreading nature. The Gospel reaches the conscience, pierces
the heart, enlightens the understanding, informs of judgment, raises and sets
our affections on Christ, subdues the will, and brings down all towering thoughts. The spreading of the Gospel is not some
mystical manoeuvre that God lets happen without any control. Quite the contrary, God has given the privilege
of spreading the Gospel to believers who have experienced the inner peace and
joy that it brings to the soul. God is sovereign
in His universe and He knows, before
the foundation of the world, who will be in the kingdom and who will humble
themselves in front of Him upon realizing their lostness; but we don’t know. For this reason our task, while we still have
breath, is to spread the Gospel to the lost, regardless of who it is; it could
be Aunt Matilda; it could be the postman or it could be the very person we
believe would never humble him or
herself. The Lord has given some of His
saints a gift that Paul encouraged Timothy to practice “But watch thou in all things, endure
afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy
ministry.”(2 Timothy 4:5). And
although some have this gift, aren’t we all called to be evangelists in one way
or another? The Lord’s last words to His
Disciples before ascending to heaven were “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark