Every kid who made it through Sunday School knows John 11.35 , "Jesus wept." It's the shortest verse in the Bible, and a favorite for ease of memorization.
It's brief, but rife with emotion. Jesus is mourning the death of his friend Lazarus. The Bible points to a wide range of emotions in Jesus, including anger and rage, joy and sadness, hunger and loneliness. In Mark 8 we read this lengthier verse that describes a pain in Jesus equal to his grief over Lazarus:
He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it."
Take another look. He "sighed deeply." His sigh teems with disappointment and frustration with the Pharisees. They'd asked for a sign of his power, but Jesus refused to reduced to a religious puppet or plaything. Mark makes it plain that Jesus is interested in healing people in dire straits. In miracle feedings that nourish his followers. In explaining the kingdom through parables. But he doesn't want his buttons pushed by some power hungry religious officials who only want to cage him, or worse yet, manipulate his power for their gain.
And so he warns his disciples to watch out for the "yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod." The statement confused the disciples, they thought he was still talking about bread, and not the destructive things that burrow in to inhibit true belief. Jesus refused to be a genie for the Pharisees, but we are equally dense and get "fleeced by the yeast" of life each time we try to force God's hand.
"Fleeced by the Yeast" is the title of the message this Sunday, and we'll discuss how Christians of good faith can avoid the plight of the Pharisees. If you're in the suburban DC area this weekend, join us at 10:30a.m. for worship at FBC Gaithersburg. We'll observe communion this week and all believers are welcome.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Gary
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