“The Leaven of the Pharisees” by Melanie Rigney (@melanierigney)
So the LORD said: “I will wipe out from the earth the men whom I have created, and not only the men but also the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air, for I am sorry that I made them.” But Noah found favor with the LORD. (Genesis 6:7-8)
The Lord will bless his people with peace. (Psalm 29:11b)
He enjoined them, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”They concluded among themselves that it was because they had no bread. When he became aware of this he said to them, “Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?” They answered him, “Twelve.” “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?” They answered him, “Seven.” He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” (Mark 8:15-21)
Piety
Lord, help me to cast aside the leaven that the world offers me.
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| Rembrandt, Public Domain |
Study
They were judgmental and fearful, the Pharisees and Herod. The last thing they wanted was for Jesus’s message of the kingdom of God being at hand to take hold among the people. Jesus threatened the status quo, threatened their positions, threatened what they had been told all their lives was right and true.
And so it is today. Our political leaders and more than a few of those who would call themselves our spiritual leaders are judgmental and fearful. Focusing on Jesus’s teachings runs counter to their agendas. It casts light on their very human failings, failings that surely we are called to forgive but that threaten their positions and standings.
You might feel powerless. You might feel discouraged. You might feel that there is nothing you can do personally to set the world aright. And you would be right—if it were not for the fact that the Lord is always there, hand extended, offering to join you in the struggle.
Spoiler alert: The leaven of the Pharisees and Herod didn’t win the day in AD 33. It will not win the day in 2019. Fill your heart and soul and mind and body with the leaven that lasts. Listen to Him, and you will understand.
Action
Resolve not to spend a single moment today beating your breast or gnashing your teeth about failures of the Church or politicians.
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