THE GOSPEL IS POWERFUL BUT SHARING IT IS HARD WORK
Matthew 13:33-35 He told them still another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about thirty kilograms of flour until it worked all through the dough.' Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: 'I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.' (NIVUK)
Yeast is often used in the Bible as a picture of sin, because it so easily contaminates everything. But here, Jesus uses the little mould to represent the gospel. In the same way that yeast is ineffective if it stays away from the dough, so the gospel has no power unless it is mixed into the world. 30kg for flour is a large batch and Jesus wanted His hearers to imagine the energy expended in kneading the yeast into it. The woman would have worked very hard as she stretched and pounded the moist dough. Inadequate effort at that stage would result in an inconsistent texture to the bread.
However the rising of the dough was not due to the strength or skill of the woman but the inherent power of the yeast to expand the whole batch of dough. The biochemistry of fermentation is not under the control of the baker, but comes from how God has designed yeast to function as a living organism.
In the same way, the gospel's power is in the Word of God which has intrinsic power to change people's lives by its self-replicating truth. Yet the baker (first the apostles and now us in the 21st Century church) has to work very hard to get the yeast to the right place. When it is there, the yeast takes over: it multiplies and ferments until the loaf is well risen and ready for the oven. The gospel is like that. It is our job to get it to the right people, and God's job to awaken their hearts to its truth.
But it is not easy. Kneading the seeds of gospel truth into a society is hard work. But do not abandon the task because of that. Once the gospel is placed into people, it becomes known and understood, because it is also hard at work. We cannot see that, any more than we can see with the naked eye how the bread rises; but we see its effects in changed lived and families and communities. So do not be afraid or ashamed to work hard in gospel ministry because the power that God releases is far greater than anything we can put in.
Prayer: God of power. Thank You for those who laboured to enable me to hear and understand the gospel. Thank You more than that for the power by which You have liberated my heart to love and serve You. I am sorry for my reluctance to place the gospel in the right places. Please give me a fresh desire to do that work for Your sake, knowing that Your power to change lives is infinitely greater. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Yeast is often used in the Bible as a picture of sin, because it so easily contaminates everything. But here, Jesus uses the little mould to represent the gospel. In the same way that yeast is ineffective if it stays away from the dough, so the gospel has no power unless it is mixed into the world. 30kg for flour is a large batch and Jesus wanted His hearers to imagine the energy expended in kneading the yeast into it. The woman would have worked very hard as she stretched and pounded the moist dough. Inadequate effort at that stage would result in an inconsistent texture to the bread.
However the rising of the dough was not due to the strength or skill of the woman but the inherent power of the yeast to expand the whole batch of dough. The biochemistry of fermentation is not under the control of the baker, but comes from how God has designed yeast to function as a living organism.
In the same way, the gospel's power is in the Word of God which has intrinsic power to change people's lives by its self-replicating truth. Yet the baker (first the apostles and now us in the 21st Century church) has to work very hard to get the yeast to the right place. When it is there, the yeast takes over: it multiplies and ferments until the loaf is well risen and ready for the oven. The gospel is like that. It is our job to get it to the right people, and God's job to awaken their hearts to its truth.
But it is not easy. Kneading the seeds of gospel truth into a society is hard work. But do not abandon the task because of that. Once the gospel is placed into people, it becomes known and understood, because it is also hard at work. We cannot see that, any more than we can see with the naked eye how the bread rises; but we see its effects in changed lived and families and communities. So do not be afraid or ashamed to work hard in gospel ministry because the power that God releases is far greater than anything we can put in.
Prayer: God of power. Thank You for those who laboured to enable me to hear and understand the gospel. Thank You more than that for the power by which You have liberated my heart to love and serve You. I am sorry for my reluctance to place the gospel in the right places. Please give me a fresh desire to do that work for Your sake, knowing that Your power to change lives is infinitely greater. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment