Chapter by chapter 4

 4. Watch Out for the Yeast

 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast. . . .” Mark 8:14–15 “Halfway across the lake,” Emet began as he stood with his back resting against the countertop, “Jesus broke the stillness of the afternoon by sharing a most important lesson that many people miss.” Not wanting to miss it too, Hanan leaned forward and asked, “What did Jesus say?” Emet chuckled. “I’m getting there; be patient.” Hanan sighed and crossed his arms as Emet continued. “Here’s what Jesus said.” After a short pause, he looked at Hanan and asked, “Are you sure you’re ready for this lesson?” “Grandpa! Get on with it!” Hanan responded impatiently. “Okay, okay,” Emet teased. “As they were going across the lake, Jesus taught, ‘Be careful of the Yeast of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and that of Herod.’” A look of confusion—as well as a little disappointment—spread across Hanan’s face. “Be careful of the Yeast? That’s the most important lesson? Be careful of the Yeast?” Hanan’s brown eyes quickly scanned his family’s bakery, and then he asked, “What’s wrong with Yeast, Grandpa?” “Nothing,” answered Emet matter-of-factly. “We use it all the time, right?” “We don’t have a choice, Grandpa!” Hanan said confidently. “Sometimes, it gets into the dough without our even thinking about it. It’s in the air, right?” Hanan wondered how this new lesson could possibly be more important than the miracle of the multiplied loaves. “Exactly, Hanan,” Emet confirmed. “Other than Unleavened Bread—which we must prepare very quickly before airborne Yeast finds its way in—you can find Yeast in nearly every loaf we bake.” Hanan nodded slowly as Emet continued, “But, when it comes to the Scriptures and the word pictures God likes to use as He teaches us, Yeast is always negative.” “For real, Grandpa? Always?” Hanan said incredulously, raising an eyebrow. Emet sighed and looked around the bakery. “What’s the first thing we do when we observe the annual celebration of our people’s deliverance from the land of Egypt?” “You mean the Passover?” “Correct.” “Well,” Hanan paused and looked up as if he were reaching way back in his mind to recall, “every year as Passover begins, Grandma tells us to go through the entire house and—” the growing energy in Hanan’s voice showed he was starting to catch on, “—clean out all the Yeast! Wait a minute, Grandpa! Why do we do that?” Emet smiled. He knew the story was retold every year, but he also knew from his own experience that people don’t receive a Truth until they’re ready for it. Seeing that his grandson might be ready, he continued. “Well, Hanan, when our ancestors left Egypt as freed slaves, they had very little time—” “—because they had to leave the land of Egypt so quickly, right?” Hanan’s eyes grew wide. “That’s right, son. If they had taken the time needed to add Yeast—and then waited for the dough to rise—they would have missed out on God’s deliverance.” “Wow!” Hanan exclaimed. “That would have been terrible!” “This is the essence of obedience, Hanan,” Emet said. “We don’t stop and think. We simply obey His voice. In fact, Jesus once said, ‘My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.’ In other words, we don’t stop and think about whether or not to follow; we simply hear and obey.” Hanan pursed his lips as he let the thought sink in. “I think I get it, Grandpa. Yeast takes time to work, but we should never take time when we know God has spoken. Delayed obedience is like—” “—disobedience,” they said, finishing the sentence together. “Yes.” Emet smiled approvingly at his grandson. “And that’s one example of how Yeast is referred to negatively in the Scriptures. It represents delay.” “But then, I still don’t get why Jesus warned the disciples about the Yeast of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herod. Had they delayed in doing something?” “No, not quite,” Emet said. “Just their understanding was delayed—that’s all.” “Oh,” Hanan said thoughtfully. Then he burst out, “I know! Jesus was upset that they hadn’t brought any bread for the trip—right, Grandpa? Because if they’d brought some of the leftover Jesus-bread, they wouldn’t have had to eat the Pharisee-bread, right?” Emet slapped the countertop, sending a cloud of flour into the air of the small bakery. “That’s exactly what the disciples thought, Hanan!” Emet laughed heartily. “What’s so funny, Grandpa?” Hanan asked, bewildered. “They forgot to bring bread, right? And now Jesus is warning them about the Yeast of the Pharisees. He must be upset that they didn’t bring any bread!” “Oh, Hanan, you’re just like the guys on the boat!” Emet teased, wiping tears from his eyes. Composing himself, he continued. “Jesus wasn’t worried about the disciples eating the actual Bread of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herod.” “He wasn’t?” Hanan asked, still confused. “No, not at all,” Emet replied. “He was warning them and us not to consume their Yeast—not to be influenced by their destructive teaching. That’s the important lesson.” Hanan’s eyes grew wide. “What did they teach?” Emet leaned back and folded his arms over his chest. “Oh my. What didn’t they teach? Hmm, why don’t you take that bread out of the oven first?” “What br—” Hanan paused, remembering the loaf he put into the oven earlier. He quickly went over to the oven to remove the bread, wondering what destructive teaching and negative influence his grandpa was possibly talking about. “When you finish up with that,” Emet called out, “we can go for a walk while the bread cools. And Hanan?” “Yes, Grandpa?” “Bring a handful of some ground flour with you. We’re going to need it.”