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THE YEAST
He told them
another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a
woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all
of it was leavened.”
The short little parable
of the yeast was hard for me to understand at first. Why did I
not get it? Probably because I do not use yeast. For me, bread
is purchased in a bag, biscuits in a package and rolls in
a refrigerated can. So what’s yeast good for?
Any self-respecting baker knows that yeast causes unbaked dough
to rise, to expand. But I am not a baker, and so yeast is a
mystery to me.
The woman in the story adds a small amount
of yeast to a very large amount of flour. The yeast causes the
dough to grow, to rise to an unbelievable size, able to feed
many. If we, as Christians, are going to include “yeast” in our
lives, we must be prepared to let our faith grow. We must add
the yeast of the Word to our lives, so we can share the Good
News, so we can give to the community by tending the sick, the
poor, the hungry, the imprisoned.
One kind word, one small deed, can be
multiplied by the people we touch, just as the yeast multiplies
the dough. Thinking of this particular parable reminded me of
the movie “Pay it Forward.” The movie prompted talk show hosts
and reporters to find people who were paying it forward. People
of all walks of life realized that a small gesture, a tiny bit
of “yeast,” would grow and lead to many receiving kind actions
and small gestures.
An interesting aspect of this parable is
that in some translations (not including the NRSV quoted above)
the woman in the parable “hid” the yeast in the flour,
suggesting that for some, the kingdom of heaven is hidden. It is
our responsibility as Christians to “unhide” the power of the
Gospel, the Good News, by revealing the true Word.
Having been a teacher for many years, I
believe that my actions, my morals, my beliefs, my feelings ― in
addition to my knowledge of my subject matter ― are the “yeasts”
that inspire my students to grow, to rise, to use their own
“yeast” in their abilities, morals and actions.
I don’t bake. But this parable has opened
my eyes to the fact that we all have our own “yeast,” and we
must not hide it; we must share it and let it rise so that we
can touch, inspire and encourage others.
Dear Jesus, help us to use the yeast in
each of us, so that the kingdom of heaven is not hidden, but
revealed and shared. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen
Barbara Orsak
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