Mark: 8:15 And he cautioned them, saying,“Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”


One thing about yeast and other leavening agents, they change what they are mixed in with. You can prevent the activity of the leaven. Sometimes cold will do it, or you might withhold the sugar. The leaven creates bubbles of Carbon dioxide which inflate the surrounding, like the causing of bread to rise, and also produces alcohol.

It is interesting as a priest that Jesus says to beware of the changes that can happen because of the church and the government. I think we have ample evidence that both can create problems as well as solve them. I don't think that was just a risk in Jesus time. I met God through the church and would never avoid being part of the work of Christ in people through His body the church, but I must admit I have seen people abuse others in the name of Christ in and through a church. Just think of those hateful examples of Christians who go from funeral to funeral proclaiming hate in one form or another every place they go. You don't have to look far, even in the world today, to see government leaders who corrupt instead of lead.

I hope however we don't settle for the big and obvious and neglect the personal. I suggest that we all have the potential to be a part of the problem Jesus describes. I think the leaven not only represents the church and the government, they represent the self-righteous and the self-centered. We too need to beware of those difficulties in our own lives and how they effect others.