Last week I wrote how misunderstandings about love permeate
all our relationships.
That got me pondering about yeast infections. Don't get scared!
You see, a proverb that was used a lot among the ancient
Jews went like this: "a little yeast works its way through the whole lump
of dough." The proverb was so
effective that it found its way into the Bible in several places. In most places it is generally used as a
metaphor for sin or evil influences. Here's a couple of references if you're
interested: 1 Cor 5:6, Mark 8:15.
The reason the saying was so powerful is because of how
yeast works. Yeast is a fungus microorganism. When it's placed in bread dough
it multiplies very rapidly and spreads itself evenly throughout the whole
volume of dough. As it infects the dough, it produces gas as a byproduct of
this process. That gas is what makes the dough rise to something larger than it
would ordinarily be. In effect, it puffs the dough up. When you cut into a loaf of bread, or some
other baked item, you'll notice lots of tiny "holes" or pockets. These pockets, or holes, are where the yeast has
made tiny gas bubbles throughout the entire loaf. In a very short time, the
yeast makes its presence felt everywhere.
Sin, like yeast, reproduces rapidly, and infects whatever
body it's in.
And so that got me thinking again. What else infects our
culture like yeast? Idol worship does. Those
who are NOT Christians worship everything but God. Too often, we Christians
worship many things before God - in violation
of the very first commandment! When idol
worship permeates our lives, it also impacts all of our relationships - just
like our misunderstandings about love. And I'll talk about that in this week's sermon.
Mike Hosey
Elder, Fellowship Church
