“….The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.” Matt. 13:33(NKJV)
“Then Jesus said to them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” Matt. 16:6(NKJV)
“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” Gal. 5:9(NKJV)
All of these verses are talking about the same thing, but what are they talking about? Most people think they are talking about moral and ethical issues. Although they may ultimately affect this area of live they are talking about doctrinal beliefs. The first verse says that exposure to the leaven of heaven results in everything becoming like heaven. The second verse says beware of the doctrines of the Pharisee and Sadducees. Verse three says that exposure to leaven will affect the whole loaf of bread.
Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Jesus said He is the bread of life so we eat of Him and live. Every productive thing is in harmony with God’s Word. Paul was warning the Galatians not to introduce the Jewish law into their gospel of grace.
One of the most deadly religious practices of the church is our method of understanding the Bible. We are too prone to using our experiences to interpret scripture rather than allowing the Bible to change our experiences. For example, someone somewhere prayed for healing and it did not come. Attitudes then took over resulting in something like this, “I am the most righteous person I know. If God won’t heal me, He must not be healing anyone anymore.” Then the search begins to make the Word of God agree with his experiences. From this arises the religious doctrine that healing is past away along with the gifts of the Spirit. Although the bulk of Scripture teaches they haven’t, the party picks through obscure and unclear verses that seem to support his experience.
Anytime I interpret a scripture based on my experience , I am using the wrong “leaven.” It will grow until it destroys the life I am trying to build. We cannot allow our experiences to affect our belief in the truth and everlastingness of God’s Word. Remember, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes were the most “holy” and learned religious leaders of their day and MOST OF THEM WERE WRONG!! What about today’s religious leaders? Watch out for the leaven of “education.”