“Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
– Jesus, to the disciples (Mark 8:15)
The leaven used to make bread rise conveyed a strong religious message for the Jews of the first century. During the Passover celebration, all Israel would eat unleavened bread, to remind them of their quick flight from Egypt, when their bread hadn’t had time to rise. By Jesus’ day, leaven had become a powerful symbol that indicated impurity. It represented an ingredient that watered down something that had originally been pure.
Jesus warned His disciples to watch out for the “leaven” of the Pharisees and of Herod. He saw how both parties were dangerously corrupting God’s message. The Pharisees had added so many regulations to God’s Law that its original intent had been blocked. Herod, the puppet king hoisted up by the Romans to rule the Jews, was notoriously violent and immoral, and although he hoped to set up a future dynasty of kings, he represented anything but what the true king of the Jews should be.
Even today, Christians must watch out for potential “leaven” in our Gospel proclamation. A preoccupation with minor doctrinal details or biblical intricacies can trap us in a legalistic mindset that leads away from the message of love that stands at the heart of the Bible. Turning the Gospel message in on ourselves conceals God’s light under a bowl instead of allowing it to shine from a lampstand.
Others try to make the Gospel more palatable for a modern-day audience by diluting Jesus’ message of repentance and faith. In these cases, listeners often become enamored with the messenger instead of the message. The end result is a corrupt church system that parodies what a true community of believers should be.
Jesus warns us against joining either camp. The more we add to Jesus’ Gospel message, the more we subtract from its original purpose. The more we dumb down the message to tickle listeners’ ears, the greater the impurity grows. Jesus’ warning is clear. Watch out for those who are altering God’s message and leading others astray.
written by Trevin Wax. © 2007 Kingdom People Blog
