Ben Fourie

“The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with forty litres of flour until the whole batch of dough rises.” Matthew 13:33

There are times when one becomes absolutely dejected by what is happening in the world. The daily papers and television draw a depressing picture of violence, corruption and no love for each other. In many parts of the world there is famine and people dying of epidemic illnesses. In the Middle-East and other places we hear of war and atrocities against people that one can hardly imagine. Can I do anything about this world in turmoil and where do I begin?

In the time of Jesus it was no better. Corruption was so widespread that it even happened right in God's house, the temple. Jesus was forced to use force himself to remove the merchants and currency mongers from the temple. The Roman Empire that covered huge areas of the known world ruled by the sword and sexual orgies were part of many religious rituals. One can go on and on to name these bad things in the time of Jesus and also in our present era.

Should we hide in our safe little corners? Jesus did not hide anywhere. He spoke out against all these evils frequently and used the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast to let us see how these evils can be counteracted. He again used the Kingdom of God as a starting point. Where the Kingdom of God is established, evil is pushed back. How can we help to bring about the coming of his Kingdom to make this world a better place?

When one bakes bread one needs different ingredients of which flour and water make up the bulk of your dough. But to bake good bread you also need yeast and although it is only a small amount of yeast it is indispensible. God’s kingdom is like the yeast that permeates the whole mixture and we as his children are part of his kingdom, part of the yeast. Where we are really involved in the world, we do make a difference, but if we keep our distance, the dough will not rise and the bread will be bad.

Payer: Please show me where I can make a difference in my neighbourhood, workplace and places of recreation. Amen