The Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Gabriel; Venerable Father Stephen the Sabbaite (9th c.); Holy Father Julian, Bishop of Kenomane
1 Corinthians 10:5-12; Matthew 16:6-12
Read Matthew 16:6-12
Baking bread can be tricky. How a baker’s bread turns out depends on the yeast, a living organism. If water is too hot, the yeast dies. If water is too cold, the yeast does not activate. If you have bad yeast, then your bread will not rise.
In today’s reading, Jesus warns His disciples to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees, that is, their teachings. The Pharisees and Sadducees seemed like holy, well-educated men of their day who common people could trust. However, Jesus knew that their teachings were corrupt; their “leaven” was bad. Since their teachings were spoiled, following them could be like trying to bake bread using only dead or inactivated yeast. On the other hand, Jesus’ teachings are like lively yeast, causing the entire dough to be transformed. Healthy, activated yeast makes dough rise and grow, and likewise, Jesus’ teachings incorporated within us transform us and make us spiritually rise and grow.
We Christians need to constantly seek to learn, understand, and follow the teachings of Christ. We may no longer run into Pharisees and Sadducees on our streets today, but we often run into people with more experience and knowledge than us. They might try to argue with us that they are right and orthodox Christianity is wrong. Beware of their leaven! We need to use our reason (logos) and listen to the Holy Spirit to make sure we incorporate the leaven of Christ into our souls and not any false teachings that might drive us away from God.