The Yeast of the Religious Leaders

Hello:

I can’t tell you just how excited I am this morning.  I preached a message entitled “Believe” yesterday at church and I could literally feel God ministering to me personally as I preached.   Lately, I have been studying scriptures concerning “Believe” and “According to your Faith” and I am just blown away at what I am discovering in the scriptures.  It’s like I’m reading them for the first time yet it has always been there.    Ohhhh!!!!!  That is what I love about God’s word.  It’s always fresh and always on timely.

Okay, let’s move on to today’s study.  Our text for today is:

Matthew 16:5 When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6 ”Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.” 8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9 Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11 How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Our text opens with Jesus warning the disciples about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.    Jesus was using a metaphor to make a point about the dangerous doctrines and teachings of the “religious leaders” and because the disciples had forgot to bring bread on their journey; they immediately thought that Jesus was commenting concerning their failure to bring the bread. 

Jesus instantly says to them; “ O ye of little faith”, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you brought no bread.   Don’t you get it yet?   Do you still fail to understand?   How quickly had they forget about the feeding of the five thousand with five loaves of bread and the feeding of the four thousand with seven loaves of bread and how much they had to gather after they were fed.   I was asked when we did the story on the feeding of the four thousand with the seven loaves of bread concerning how they had always heard that it was five loaves and five thousand people.  It actually was both.  The feeding of the multitude with the loaves of bread happened on two separate occasions in the scripture.   Actually, this is one of the miracles where Jesus had to withdraw from the people because they desired to make him king not because they believed that he was necessarily the Messiah but because of his ability to take care of their physical needs. 

As I am sitting here writing this devotional, I think about me personally and my journey with God.  How often have I  seen God move time and time and time again in my  life and yet when a matter arises, I have had moments where I still feel that God may not come through for me.   I have learned that sometimes my fear has not necessarily been that God will not come through but that God will not do it the way I want it to be done and I was scared of what I might how to go through. 

We say that we trust God, but I am learning for the first time in my life to really trust him.   Whatever happens, I must accept that it is the sovereign will of God and that God really does know best and I can rest in any situation because I really am learning to trust him.  The Apostle Paul puts it best when he penned:  Philippians 4: 11b.. for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

This text closes with them finally understanding that he was not talking about the yeast in bread but the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Let me encourage all of us that whatever word we get no matter who it is from including me.  Let’s search the scriptures to see if it be so as Paul commended the Berean church for doing.   We must take responsiblity for our own spiritual walk and we have an obligation to verify all things that are being taught to us.  

Any leader who is responsible and serious about the welfare of thier members would encourage as the Apostle Paul did to verify and search the scriptures  for yourself to make sure you are being taught correctly. 

Stay encouraged!!!!!!! 

Don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily. 

This entry was posted on 26. January 2009 at 14:40 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.