"The Leavening"

"Simple Ingredients" fine art print

"He spoke another parable to them: The kingdom of the heavens is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until it had been all leavened" (Matthew 13:33, DARBY).

A little leaven [a slight inclination to error, or a few false teachers] leavens the whole batch [it perverts the concept of faith and misleads the church]" (Galatians 5:9, AMP).

"Your boasting [is] not good. Do ye not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, according as ye are unleavened. For also our passover, Christ, has been sacrificed; So that let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with leaven of malice and wickedness, but with unleavened [bread] of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:6-8, DARBY).

As we can see, Scripture uses the metaphor "to leaven" more than once to teach His disciples a practical lesson on outcome. Whether the result is found to be fruitful or destructive, the reality is, this little single cell microorganism changes the composition of its entirety. 

Moreover what I found to be even more profound, is how Scripture illustrates the process of leavening to be used for both good or evil. Only time will tell however, what fruit springs forth."Ye shall know them by their fruits" (Matt. 7:16, KJV). This is why the body of believers need to be so grounded in the Word: So that they may be able to test and approve what is truth, against a backdrop of deceit. For even a little compromise will corrupt the sum of its parts. Just as Paul had warned, "Do ye not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?" 

Holy Spirit, I ask that you would help your people discern. That those who are known by you would grow in the knowledge of your truth, and will not fall prey to the lies of the accuser. May we be used mightily for your Kingdom and bring glory to your name. You are worthy.

~ written by Tanya MCCormack