Have you ever actually watched a loaf of bread rise?  After you mix the leaven in warm water, it looks rather cloudy and unappealing.  Adding it to a bowl of sifted flour only seems to make matters worse.  The result is a gooey, stretchy mess.  But the yeast bonds to the gluten of the wheat while it is being kneaded, and after the malleable ball of dough has been left sitting for about an hour, it's almost doubled in size!  I am sure there's a wonderful scientific explanation for this, but I don't know it!  What fascinates me about this process is how quickly the bread rises and how much the yeast causes the dough to expand.
   
         In Luke 13, after Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed, He uses another unlikely example to illustrate God's kingdom- a lump of yeast (Lk. 13:18-21)!  It is a picture from everyday life, but this time, it has a twist.  Scripture almost always uses yeast as a negative image (1 Cor. 5:6-8 for example).  But in this case, Jesus uses yeast to symbolize the way the Gospel would expand and affect an unsuspecting world.  This time yeast is seen as a positive influence.
 
           So, what does the yeast in Jesus' parable do?  When it is placed in the dough, it changes the dough (Lk. 13:21).  Like the yeast which a baker places into a ball of dough which in turn causes it to rise, the Lord has placed the Gospel into the world in order for it to expand.  The Gospel, or Kingdom, works like yeast in two ways:  1) it changes individuals until their whole being has been transformed.  2) It changes society as a whole.  When it affects individuals, they in turn affect the culture in which they live.
     
       Yeast changes and transforms bread.  Bread made from water and wheat alone, is hard, dry, and not too nourishing; but yeast, mixed into the dough, changes and transforms it.  When yeast has been added to bread there are four results which represent the effect the Gospel has on people:  1) yeast makes bread soft and no longer hard.  The Gospel does the same.  It penetrates hearts of people and softens the hardness of their life.  As a result we become softened toward God too.  We become a more caring and giving person (Ezek. 11:19-20; Col. 3:12-15).  Softness is one of the trademarks of a transformed person.  2) Yeast makes bread porous and moist, no longer dry.  The Gospel does the same.  It penetrates the dryness of a person's heart and life.  The Gospel moistens our hearts so that we can grow into a moist or fruitful person (Lk. 8:4-15; Jn. 15:8; Col. 1:10).  3)  Yeast makes bread satisfying.  The Gospel changes a life with no purpose or meaning and gives a person purpose, joy and hope.  4)  Yeast makes bread nourishing.  The Gospel not only gives purpose, but it inspires, commissions, and cultivates.  A person transformed by the Gospel is able to bring truth to the world.  The Gospel is able to explain the reasons for the emptiness and loneliness of the human heart and to replace them with love and fellowship (Prov. 15:30; 25:25; Is. 52:7; Rom. 10:14-15; Eph. 4:15-25).
     
       It should be noted that yeast works quietly and silently.  You don't hear it fizzing or crackling like milk poured on Rice Krispies.  But you know it's working because you can see the difference in the dough.  This says something about the way we should be living as transformed people in this world.  As part of the "yeast of the kingdom" we are to be making an impact in the world that we live in.  Yeast changes the whole lump.  It permeates every pore of the dough's being.  And so it should be with the kingdom.  As "yeast" in this world, we should be impacting every pore of society.  As a disciple of the King of Kings, how will you be an effective lump of yeast this week?  How will you expand the kingdom?  Jesus is challenging you to make a difference.
 
Ann LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com; [email protected]; https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre; https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre
 

            Nain was a small town in Lower Galilee. It doesn’t look like much today because nothing of its ancient buildings has survived.  In fact Luke 6:11-17 is the only time this little town is ever mentioned in the Bible (which should always clue you in to the fact that something significant is going to happen there).  It was situated on a small hill a few miles southwest of Nazareth.  One rather important miracle of the Old Testament also occurred near Nain- Elisha raised a son from the dead in Shunem (2 Ki. 4:18-37) which was also located in this region.  So then, it is no coincidence that Jesus encounters a funeral procession for an only son just outside of this slightly obscure town.

            Luke's wonderful writing highlights several important aspects of this story.  First and foremost was the fact that this woman was a widow and this man was his mother's ONLY son.  She had no other means of support.  In Jesus' day women did not have the vast resources and opportunities available to them that many of us have today.  If they lost the income of their husband or children, and there was no extended family to take them in, they had two options.  The first was begging; the second was prostitution.  So when Jesus and His disciples approached this funeral, led by its professional mourners and accompanied by the townsfolk, they were coming upon a scene of desperation.

            Luke emphasizes that Jesus SEES the widow.  This word, esplagchinisthe (just try and pronounce that one!), means to see physically as well as to be moved inwardly; to yearn with tender mercy, affection, pity, empathy and compassion. It is the deepest movement of emotions from the deepest part of one's being.  There is no stronger word in the Greek language and it is used time and time again concerning Jesus.  When Christ saw this woman He was moved in the deepest part of His heart.  This caused Him to touch the funeral bier (generally a wicker pallet used to carry the body to the grave), a complete no-no according to the Torah.  

            Luke records that Christ spoke directly to the man.  You can imagine what thoughts were entering the minds of those in attendance!  (This guy must be crazy comes to mind.)  However, to their surprise, the man responds by anakthizein, a special medical word which describes a person who gets up after a long illness.  The immediate understanding among the on-lookers is that only God can make this happen.  Because of their location the people are familiar with the story of Elisha and immediately connect Jesus with the prophet.  Luke even uses a phrase right out of the Elijah story (1 Ki. 17: 8-24) in saying that Jesus gave the man "back to his mother" (1 Ki. 17:23).   The reaction of the crowd is similar to the stillness that falls over sports fans when an athlete is severely injured on the playing field.  Everything is quiet as the medical personal attend to the athlete’s needs.  But when the player gets up and is able to walk off the field an enthusiastic round of applause breaks out.  The funeral crowd is deeply in awe and although they misidentify Christ as a prophet, they nonetheless give credit to God.

            It would be easy to let this story go at face value and store the information in a mental file named "Cool Things I Learned About Luke 7" and a month or two later forget what was in the file.   Disciples (which you and I are) don't do that.  We must move the information into application by looking at Jesus and doing what He did.  To truly be a disciple, it means more than compassion, it means touch.  Although considered "unclean" Jesus was willing to touch the bier and speak the words of life into a dark and desperate situation.  We also speak for Christ.   We are His hands, feet and body.  An effective disciple not only speaks the words of life to a dead world, he or she reaches out and touches it as well.  Our compassion must be coupled with actions, otherwise, as James would say, our faith is dead (Js. 2:17) and useless.  What or who will move you to respond as Jesus did?  Be willing to move when you see "the widow of Nain" in your world.

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com; [email protected]; https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre; https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre

   Ready for the Road Ahead is taking a brief detour while I recooparate from my recent knee surgery.  We're delving into the archives which never appeared on the website and revisiting some of my favorite posts.  This particular piece originally appeared as the bulletin insert on March 27, 2011.

         Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink!  That little ditty ran through my head several times during the first full week of March 2011.   Not only did we see record rainfall in my area of the Northeast, but an earthquake in Japan set off a tsunami which destroyed property and beaches in the Northwest.  The rainfall coupled with melting snow caused rivers and creeks to overflow their banks and commuters to detour around the more troublesome areas of flooding.  Thanks to the fact that I had to drive up Route 209 more than once that week, I was able to see the rising waters first hand.  One Saturday afternoon found me stopping at the Bushkill Access on the Delaware River to take a rather comical picture of the Stop sign submerged in four feet of water with debris caught on the One Way sign below it.   There was lots of water, but not much of it was worthy to drink.
   
         Sometimes I marvel at people who build houses along the coast or next to a river.  They must know about the risks, but the setting is so appealing, it's worth the risk I suppose.  I have to confess I've daydreamed about living near the ocean.  I love the vast horizon, the sound of the waves, and the shells!  In the past I did wish I could live there.  I also thought living on a farm in one of the Plains states would be just as nice because they too have wonderfully flat horizons and wide open skies.  One season of Storm Stories cured both of those desires!  Hurricanes and tornadoes are not that appealing to me even though the landscape might be.  There are appealing places to live like this in Israel too.   One such place is mentioned in Psalm 23:2.  We often translate the word as "green pastures", but this Hebrew word actually relates to the well-watered and green area at the bottom of a wadi.
   
         "What's a wadi?" you ask.  Wadiis are like gorges, but not as wide.  They were carved out of the limestone in the wilderness area in the same way the Colorado River carved out the Grand Canyon.  Shepherds who raise their flocks in these areas of Israel must know the layout of a wadi inside and out, because although they are a great water source, they are also dangerous.  Rain can cause flash flooding in a wadi, so it is wiser to get your water and leave, rather than make yourself comfortable and stay.
         
        Jesus had this geographical characteristic in mind in Luke 6:46-49.  Maybe you remember singing this as a child:  "The wise man built his house upon the rock...".  It's not necessarily convenient to build on the top of those rock walls; most of them are quite high.  In ancient times when there were no pumping stations to bring the water to you it was far more pleasant and so much easier to build down in the gorge, next to the water source.   When you build next to the water, you don't have to lug those big water urns up and down the path.  It's convenient.  It's comfortable.  But Jesus warns his listeners that building in the sand, is unsafe!  When the rains come down, and they will, your house will wash away just like a flash flood in a wadi washes away everything in its path.

            It's tempting for us to "build our lives" in the conveniences of the world.  We think life should be easy, comfortable and advertisers are all too happy to convince us this is true. The trouble is, putting trust in the comforts of this world, is like building a house in the bottom of a wadi.   So, when storms come rushing into our little world, its sandy foundation is washed away with the water.

            What should disciples build on?  Jesus says in verse 47 that those who come to Him, hear His words, and act on them have built their life on the rock.  If we are letting the Bible guide us in the way we live and what we believe, when the storms of life come (and they will come), we will be able to withstand the tempest.  It is certainly more popular to build on worldly things.  It's easier, more comfortable.  But it's unstable.  Today's fads are tomorrow's history lessons.  The latest trends are forgotten tomorrow when the "next big thing" becomes news.  So, why build on this shifting sand?  Build your life on God's Word so that you will stand firm when storms come your way (Proverbs 3:1-8; Colossians 3:2).

Ann LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com; [email protected]; https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre; https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre