Chapter by chapter 17

 17. Walk to the River 

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:18–25 Emet grabbed his walking stick while Hanan repacked the loaves from the workbench into a large, flat basket, including what was left of the Unleavened Bread. As they exited the shop, rays from the late afternoon sun caused them to squint. Hanan shielded his eyes, looked at Emet, and joked, “Well, I hope our family enjoys these Breads of Legalism, License, and Lawlessness.” Emet blocked the sun with his hand to look at Hanan and said with a grin, “Perhaps we’ll pray a longer blessing than usual over these loaves tonight. We don’t want the Yeasts of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herod getting up in their dough now, do we?” “Definitely not, Grandpa,” Hanan smiled back. “But, speaking of Yeasts and Breads,” Emet began as he raised an eyebrow, “on our walk home, I’d like us to review what we’ve learned today. How does that sound?” “Sure, Grandpa. I kind of thought you might want to do that.” “Good. Let’s start with The Yeast of the Pharisees,” Emet suggested. “What can you tell me about it?” Hanan stared down at the basket where the loaves were laid out just as they had been on the counter. Pointing at the top left one, he began, “Well, it’s up in this corner, which means it emphasizes the Truth but disregards Grace.” “Yes, and what does the Yeast of the Pharisees give rise to?” Hanan grabbed the upper left-hand loaf from the basket and held it up. “The Yeast of the Pharisees gives rise to the Bread of Legalism.” Bringing it to his nose, he added, “And it smells pretty good, I must say.” Emet reached over and tousled Hanan’s curly locks as they walked. “Perhaps it smells good—but what does it taste like?” Placing the loaf back in the basket, Hanan answered, “Based on our interaction with Yosef today, I’d say Legalism tastes like hypocrisy and unrealistic expectations.” “I agree with that assessment,” Emet said, waving to some friends passing by. “Tell me more.” “It tastes like unrealistic expectations,” Hanan continued, “because it not only expects us to know the Scriptures perfectly but also to obey the Scriptures perfectly.” “Can we do that?” Emet interrupted. “No one but Jesus can do that.” “Very good,” Emet said. “Why do you say it tastes like hypocrisy?” “Legalism tastes like hypocrisy because there’s no empowering Grace to help me know and obey God’s will, nor is there any forgiving Grace to restore me when I fall.” “Well said, son,” Emet said with a nod. “So, where can we learn more about the Yeast of the Pharisees?” “Apostle Paul talks about it in his letter to the Galatians, I believe.” “You are correct, Hanan—oh, watch out!” Emet exclaimed as the two nearly tripped over some bricks that had fallen into the path from nearby construction. “I’m glad we weren’t here when those bricks fell.” “Yeah,” Hanan agreed as he covered the basket with a cloth to protect the bread from the dust of the construction site, “or we might have been crushed!” Brushing some of the dust from his clothes, Emet continued. “But as I was saying, the Apostle reminded the Galatians that ‘a little Yeast works through the whole batch of dough.’ And by Yeast, I do believe Paul was talking about the Yeast of the Pharisees. Do you know why?” Brushing some of the dust from his shirt, Hanan replied, “Yes, Paul said their bread was alienating them from Christ and pushing them away from Grace—which is exactly what the Bread of Legalism does.” As he uncovered the top left corner of the basket and looked at the Bread of Legalism, he asked, “So, how do we know if the Yeast of the Pharisees has made its way into our dough?” “I think if we discover that we’re quick to speak yet slow to listen,” Emet began, “rather than being quick to listen and slow to speak—that’s a pretty good indicator.” “Or if we discover that we’re quick to judge—both ourselves and others—before we’ve had a chance to consider the context?” “Yes,” Emet agreed, “that’s also a good indicator of the Yeast of the Pharisees. In the absence of Grace, context is never considered. But in the presence of Grace, Truth considers the whole person. It seeks to understand their history and culture, and then applies itself as a gentle hand which gradually and patiently shapes—not a fist that crushes.” “So, what do we do, Grandpa?” Hanan asked as he pointed at the loaf in the northwest corner. “The Bread of Legalism looks and smells amazing.” “Ah,” Emet began. “We don’t do. That’s the trap of legalism, son. It focuses on the do.” Then, winking at Hanan he said, “But, there are a couple of ways you can choose to be.” “We can choose to be?” Hanan repeated. “Yes, first, we can choose to be people who truly love our neighbors as ourselves. In fact, if we do this one thing—” “You mean,” Hanan interrupted, “if we love people deeply in the same way we show concern for our own selves?” “Yes,” Emet replied. “If we love our neighbors as we love ourselves, we find that the entire Law is fulfilled. In other words, the Law is fulfilled as we love, not the other way around.” Emet thought for a moment as they walked, “So, it’s not so much about doing—it’s about being a person who chooses to see that others need Grace and Truth just as much as we do.” “I see,” Hanan said. “So, what’s the other way we can choose to be?” “Second,” Emet continued, “we can choose to be people who walk in the Spirit. Every day.” “Walk in the Spirit?” Hanan repeated, sounding very intrigued. “Yes,” Emet confirmed. “Tell me something: Are you thinking about walking right now?” Hanan looked down at his feet as they continued to walk, then answered, “Not really. I’m just walking.” “Exactly. Walking isn’t something we have to think about,” Emet said with a smile. “Sure, we make the choice to get up and walk, but after that, it becomes quite natural, wouldn’t you say?” Hanan continued to look at his feet as they walked. “I guess you’re right.” Emet teased, “God made it that way so you don’t have to stare at your feet. You can focus on where you’re going instead—which you’d better do right now so you don’t trip or hit your head!” Hanan looked up, laughed, and dodged a low tree limb as Emet continued. “In the same way, we can make the choice to walk in the Spirit, but after a time, it becomes quite natural.” “So,” Hanan began, “it sounds like walking in the Spirit allows us to focus on where God is taking us rather than focusing on the things that might trip us up.” “Precisely, son,” Emet said with a broad smile. “I love the way you put that. Now here’s the way Apostle Paul put it.” “I suppose you have that in your dough, too?” Hanan wondered. “Of course.” Emet’s expression grew thoughtful as he searched his mind for how the passage began. “But if you are led by the Spirit,” he quoted, “you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Hanan marveled at his grandad’s memory of the scrolls. “So, it seems that the Yeast of the Pharisees would have us focus on all the things we should or shouldn’t do, but walking in the Spirit enables us to be the person God intended us to be.” The two paused to rest at a bridge where a small stream flowed down from the mountains through the village. Hanan smiled to himself, and then shared: “It’s kind of like the right doing flows naturally from the right person we’re becoming.” “As the Spirit enables us by God’s Grace, yes,” Emet said with approval as he laid his hand on Hanan’s shoulder. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.” Emet felt satisfied with their review of the Yeast of the Pharisees and the Bread of Legalism and even more satisfied that his grandson was beginning to understand how to avoid them.