Bread of Heaven

  “Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.” Mathew 13:33

  For interest’s sake, three measures are roughly sixty pounds.

  There was an experimental archaeology program from Britain on TV a while back. It was about the history of bakeries in the medieval times right through to the industrial revolution. Machines made the job a whole lot easier. The focus was on bread because in the beginning that’s all bakeries baked. The sweets and pastries associated with a modern bakery only came into being because of machines. Bakers had more time and with the advent of the industrial revolution, average people had more money to spend on such treats.

  Prior to machines and once community bakeries came into being, a huge wooden box with slightly sloped sides was the “mixing bowl.” Yeast, gleaned from the dregs of beer (hmmm...that's worth thinking about!) along with flour and salt were mixed in massive quantities, similar to the three measures.

  It was hard work. When arms grew tired, feet were used to work the dough just like pressing grapes.

  Suffice it to say, the bread ended up having a lot of additional ingredients added. Ewww.

  At one point, chalk was added to keep the price of a loaf down. It also made the loaf whiter and therefore more desirable. Until you bit into it.

 

  “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread.” Mathew 13:33

  Only we tend to add a whole lot of other unwanted ingredients or add things to make it “whiter” and more palatable. Or maybe that is more about religion, not the Kingdom.

  So the Kingdom is not religion or religious practices although there are wonderful rituals that have the ability to draw us nearer to God in all faiths. Taking communion or raising our voices in worship for example is exercising obedience to Christ’s commands. Duty, another aspect of the Kingdom, will become joy as we grow in our faith. There are more “D” words involved in this: diligence, discernment, dedication, and desire.

  Many of us have personal ways of connecting, like the woman who added the yeast.

  Often our yeast is God’s Word.

 

  This has me thinking about being a partaker in the Kingdom as opposed to a passive observer.

  The Kingdom is for every day. I choose to be involved in learning, exploring and even questioning what the Kingdom is. Questions are yeast, too. There’s an anticipatory joy in waiting for answers and knowing they will come. That’s like waiting for the dough to rise if I’m going to stick with the bread metaphor. And there is nothing more fragrant than freshly baked bread!

  For me, the greatest part of God’s Kingdom is that all of us are called to be involved. God’s Kingdom is relational, it’s a community effort. So even though I can relate to the lone woman who added the yeast, there are many others in my life who are committed to the rest of the process.

  And one day there will be a feast beyond imagining!