“Insidious influences”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Wednesday, June 12, 2024
Matthew 16: 1-12 (Forward, p. 45) CEV p. 1003
It is important always to realize that even ordinary, common words can have differing, and even contradictory meanings. For example, ‘to cleave’ can mean both to ‘cut apart’ (as in cleaving apart a piece of meat) or ‘to bind together’ (as with husband and wife cleaving to one another in marriage). Likewise, ‘finished’ can mean both ‘completed’ (as in a finished piece of embroidery) or ‘destroyed’ (as in ‘your opponent’s career was finished when such and such a scandal came to light).
The Bible has examples of this as well. For instance, the interchangeable words ‘leaven’ or ‘yeast’ can have both positive and negative connotations. In Jesus’ parable of the baker woman (Matthew 13:33) these words have a somewhat positive sense, relating to the fact that even a little bit of yeast or leaven went a long way and had an influence far beyond its miniscule size.
However, elsewhere the words ‘yeast’ or ‘leaven’ are used with a negative sense. The apostle Paul uses it in two places in his various letters. In Galatians 5:9 he says, ‘A little leaven leavens the whole lump.’ What one Bible scholar suggested from this is that “he’s saying that a little bit of ‘untruth,’ a little bit of ‘false teaching,’ a little bit of ‘impure thoughts’ is leaven that can affect and transform the whole person.”
1 Corinthians 5: 6-8 is even more explicit on this point. There Paul suggests that the leaven consists of their false pride and boosting and their malice and wickedness, which can impact and degrade the entire batch of dough. Ridding yourself of such things is essential to being the new persons that we are to be in Christ Jesus.
So then, what about Jesus’ use of these words in today’s text. Here, it would seem, He is using them to relate to the unbelief and deceitful teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees, which, just like the things that Paul has mentioned, have the impact of permeating and sullying all of one’s spiritual life.
This then raises a question for me: what ‘influences’ might there be in my life individually, and in our lives together, that might have this kind of insidious and pervasive influence, one that is far too often hidden and
unknowingly present? I would suggest that our public news media and our social media platforms can certainly act in this way. They can ‘work their magic’ without us even being aware of it. So, my suggestion for all of us is to be careful and vigilant about the possibility of such unseen and ever-present insidious influences, and through prayer and the Holy Scriptures—which can act as a mirror in our lives to show us what we really are like (see James 1:22-25) to try to be aware of these, and with the Spirit’s help be able to root them out. After all, our health and performance as God’s children depend on it.
Forward notes: “They asked him to show them a sign from heaven” (verse 1b).
“Pharisees and Sadducees witness Jesus healing the sick, feeding the multitudes, and raising the dead. Still, they demand Jesus show them a visible sign from heaven. They test Jesus, as the devil did in the wilderness, ‘If you are the Messiah, then show us.’ They could not see Jesus, the miraculous, living sign from heaven, standing before them.
“I confess: I test Jesus. I want quick miracles, quick fixes to life’s challenges. I fail to see Jesus before me.
“As I was jogging one morning, my mind was heavy on work issues. I became aware of a bird just singing its heart out. I looked up to see a cardinal and beyond, a magnificent sunrise. It hit me, ‘Here is a bird singing praises to God in the sunrise that I was too self-involved to see.’ God makes surprise visits, and this was one. A sacred surprise, a cardinal’s song awakened me to God’s radiant presence in the here and now. I was humbled. Then came gratitude. Then praise.
“I pray to be spiritually awake and curious about everyday, holy, surprise visits that Jesus makes in my life.”
Moving Forward: “Today, become aware of the everyday signs of Jesus in your life.”