He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” Matthew 13:33
Have you ever made homemade bread? My father used to, the old fashion way before bread makers were invented. He always used yeast – the same brand each time because he trusted it to be the best. It had it’s special place in the fridge on the butter shelf in the door, always handy, waiting to be used in the next batch whenever Dad decided it was time to bake some more bread. Then, the day would come. Maybe a rainy Saturday. I remember the excitement throughout the house would build as he puttered around the kitchen flouring pans, mixing, kneading, letting the dough rise, kneading it again. Sometimes he’d let us kids help with the menial stuff, but mostly he did it all – he was the master baker. It seemed as if it took forever, but eventually the house would be filled with that mouthwatering aroma. I can still taste that hot, fresh out of the oven bread with a pat of melting butter in the back of my mouth. Heavenly.
Yeast is leaven. It is what makes the bread rise. Actually, it is a mold. We may think of mold as a bad thing. But under the right circumstances, and in the right use, it can produce tasty results. It can become a little bit of Heaven here on earth given to us by our Lord. It can turn into His blessings, though sometimes they are tucked away waiting for just the right time, like that yeast in the fridge door.
Even then, while the Master is working in our lives, we can’t see that blessing to it’s fullest. It seems to take forever for Him to turn it into something- an answered prayer, a special moment of renewed faith, a ray of hope. Maybe He let’s us help in making it come to fruition, but mostly He is the one in charge of the process. And we must wait. Wait for the leaven to do it’s work. Wait for that sweet, tantalizing aroma of grace, with a pat of mercy.
