Chapter by chapter 19

 19. Along the Ridge

But grow in the Grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. 2 Peter 3:18 The last portion of the walk home was pleasant. Situated along the edge of a small plateau, Emet and Hanan enjoyed a beautiful view of the village below. Having taken a short rest at the top, Emet now took the lead. “We have just enough time to review the Yeast of Herod, Hanan. So, what can you tell me about it?” Hanan lifted the lower-left corner of the cloth covering the basket. “It’s down here in the southwest corner, so that tells me it has little regard for Grace or Truth.” “Unfortunately, yes, that’s true,” Emet called over his shoulder as they walked along. “So, what sort of bread does this Yeast give rise to?” “The Yeast of Herod gives rise to the Bread of Lawlessness,” Hanan answered. “Tell me about this Bread of Lawlessness,” Emet said. “What does it taste like?” As Hanan covered the bread again, he answered, “Well, based on what you said after Uzziel left the shop, I’d say it depends.” “It depends?” Emet repeated. He stopped and turned around to look at Hanan. “Depends on what?” Hanan stopped and held up the basket with a knowing look. “It depends on who’s baking the bread.” Emet placed his hands over his walking stick and smiled. “Well said, Hanan,” he replied. “Tell me more,” he commented, turning to continue the walk home. “I figure no two Loaves of Lawlessness taste the same,” Hanan began as he motioned with his free hand toward all the homes in the village below. “Everyone has their own recipe. I mean, when people have the Yeast of Herod in their dough, they create a loaf using their own version of the Truth. They only add a little Grace if those eating the bread agree with the Truth they’ve created.” “I see,” Emet said as they continued to walk. “So, what happens if you don’t like their bread? That is to say, what happens if you don’t agree with their Truth?” “As I said, it depends,” Hanan began. “If it’s a religious context, they’ll call you a heretic. If you’re discussing politics, they’ll label you a conservative, a liberal, or a traitor. If the context is education, they’ll accuse you of being ignorant or misinformed.” Hanan joked, “After all, it is the Bread of Lawlessness, so it’s sort of hard to pin down.” “Suffice to say. . . .” Emet paused and turned around. “If you don’t like their personal recipe for the Bread of Lawlessness, they’ll do their best to silence you or maybe just threaten to stop being your friend. Would you agree?” “You learn quick, Grandpa,” Hanan teased. Emet shook his head and smiled as he turned and continued their walk. “So, great teacher, what do our Scriptures have to say about the Yeast of Herod and the Bread of Lawlessness? Hanan smiled at his grandad’s “great teacher” comment as he jogged a bit to catch up and walk next to him. “Well, I actually thought of another Herod that we didn’t talk about earlier—the one that Luke talked about in his second scroll.” Emet glanced at Hanan. “Herod Agrippa, yes. And what did Luke write about this Herod?” “He wrote to say that during the Feast of Unleavened Bread one year—which is pretty ironic, actually—” “Oh? How so?” Emet interrupted. Hanan shifted the basket from one hand to the other. “It’s just that during a time when he should have been celebrating Unleavened Bread, Herod chose to feast on his own bread instead.” Emet dropped the corners of his mouth and nodded while saying, “Excellent observation, young man.” “Yeah, I thought so too,” Hanan said with a grin as he tore himself a piece of the Unleavened Bread from the basket. “So anyway, during the feast of Unleavened Bread, Herod arrested some people from the church so he could persecute them—that’s when James was killed.” As Hanan bit into the piece of unleavened bread, Emet said, “Yes, our brother James was proclaiming the Truth—which conflicted with Herod’s Truth—so Herod silenced James permanently. Do you remember the response of the people?” Hanan nodded his head sadly as he swallowed the bite. “Yeah. The people loved it,” he said sorrowfully. “Unfortunately, yes,” Emet agreed. “When Herod saw his actions met with the crowd’s approval, he put Peter in prison too—which illustrates another element of the Yeast of Herod.” “What do you mean?” “The Bread of Lawlessness favors public opinion over Unchanging Truth—and it loves the favor of men more than the Grace of God. As the Yeast of Herod infects your dough,” Emet explained, “you gladly—or shall I say, sadly—exchange the Truth of God for a lie.” Hanan’s expression grew solemn, but then brightened as he remembered more of the story from Luke’s scroll. “I love the part of this story where an angel leads Peter out of prison. I bet that really surprised Herod.” “Indeed,” Emet agreed. “It’s a good reminder that when men offer us no Grace, God’s Grace often steps forward in miraculous ways.” Tearing off another piece of the Unleavened Bread, Hanan asked, “So, how do we know if Herod’s Yeast has made its way into our dough, Grandpa?” Emet walked in silence for several steps and then stopped. Turning to face Hanan, he answered, “If we find ourselves more concerned about what others think of us than what God thinks of us, we may have some of this Yeast in our dough. Or if we pin all our hopes on the promises of a political leader—who often says or does things simply to gain public approval—or if we outright reject anyone who doesn’t conform to our version of Grace and Truth, there’s a good chance our dough has been infected with Herod’s Yeast.” “Kind of like Uzziel in our shop today?” Hanan asked. “Like any of us, son.” Emet replied, then casually added, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.’’ Hanan laughed at the expression and shook his head while saying, “Say what?” “Herod’s Bread is dead, Hanan—there’s no Grace or Truth in it—and yet we flock to it like vultures.” With a deep sigh, Emet turned and continued walking. “As you said, it’s the Bread of Lawlessness, so a bit hard to pin down. But even so, I’ll try my best to give it a quick summary.” Hanan was still trying to process the vulture comment as he walked quickly to catch up with Emet. Emet continued his explanation as Hanan reached his side. “The Yeast of Herod claims that everyone can have their own Truth, so in the end . . . no one does. And while Herod’s bread promises love and acceptance for all, it instead creates a culture of Graceless judgment where people are Truth-starved, Grace-starved, and Love-starved.” Hanan swallowed another bite of the unleavened loaf and said sadly, “That’s awful.” “Indeed, it is,” Emet agreed as they came in sight of their home. “No one wins with this bread, Hanan—even though it makes everyone think they will.” Pausing one last time, he rested his hands on his walking stick and concluded, “As we bite into this loaf, hearts and promises are broken because the Bread of Lawlessness turns us into heartless animals.” Hanan sighed and looked out over the village. “So, what do we do, Grandpa?” Emet looked over the small city too, and rather than answer the question himself, he quoted a portion of Scripture. “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the Grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” “That’s from Peter’s second letter, right?” Hanan asked. “It is,” Emet replied, “so the answer is to just keep growing in the Grace and Truth of Jesus—because there is always room to grow.” Hanan took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “My brain is now officially full, Grandpa.” With a light laugh, he added, “I think I’ll sleep well tonight.” “That’s good, son.” Emet put his arm around Hanan for their last few steps to the house and added, “Because I’ll quiz you again about all this tomorrow morning on our way to the bakery.” Taking the last bite of the Unleavened Bread, Hanan inquired as he chewed, “And then you’ll tell me about this bread from the top right-hand corner?” “What did I say about talking with your mouth full?” Emet teased. Then he added with an air of mystery, “There’s actually a special name for that bread, but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out.”