In Mark 8:13-16 I read, “Then Jesus left the Pharisees and went in the boat to the other side of the lake. His followers had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat; they had forgotten to bring more. Jesus warned them, ‘Be careful! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.’ His followers discussed the meaning of this, saying, ‘He said this because we have no bread.’” (NCV)
In the Bible, yeast is often a metaphor for pride and arrogance. Why? Because both pride and yeast make things puff up.
When you put yeast in dough, the yeast puffs up the dough. It only takes a small amount for this to happen.
Pride in people is similar. Just a little pride can puff me up and quickly take over my life, getting me in all kinds of trouble.
A while back, my wife Kay and I had what you might call an argument. We call it a “love match.” After that argument, I wrote in my journal, “When I’m filled with pride, I blow things out of proportion.”
We all do this. When I’m filled with pride, I blow things out of proportion. All of a sudden, little things get me really upset. When that happens, I know I’m dealing with pride. Wherever I find conflict anywhere in the world, pride is always involved.
When I’m filled with pride, when I have the “yeast of the Pharisees”, guess what? I can’t see life clearly. Pride even blocks me from seeing what God is doing in my life.
Beware the “yeast of the Pharisees” so that I can more closely follow God. As I clear the pride from my life, I’ll start to see how God is working. I may even realize he’s working a miracle in my life.
In summary, Jesus warns me to be careful and beware of pride and arrogance. In the Bible, yeast is often a metaphor for pride and arrogance. Both make things puff up. When put into dough, the yeast puffs it up. It only takes a small amount for this to happen. Pride is similar. Just a little pride can puff me up and quickly take over my life. When I’m filled with pride, I blow things out of proportion. All of a sudden, little things get me really upset. When I’m filled with pride, I’m not able to see life clearly. Pride even blocks me from seeing what God is doing in my life. So, beware of this “yeast of the Pharisees”, so that I can more closely follow God. As I clear the pride from my life, I’ll start to see how God is working and may even realize he’s working a miracle.
Pride in my life shows up when I think I’m better than everyone else. I’m not being humble and teachable or lovable. This affects how I interact with others, holds me back from doing what God wants me to do. I pray that with the help of the Holy Spirit in my life, that I can recognize the signs of pride and arrogance in my life, and allow me to be humble and teachable. Father, I ask for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my future job role and for leading the small group. These things I pray through your Son Jesus’ name, Amen.
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