Topical Bible: Leaven used in Making Bread

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Topical Encyclopedia

Leaven, commonly known as yeast, is a substance used in the process of fermentation to cause dough to rise, resulting in light and airy bread. In biblical times, leaven was a small portion of fermented dough retained from a previous batch, which was then mixed into new dough to initiate the fermentation process. This practice is deeply rooted in the daily life and culture of ancient Israel and holds significant symbolic meaning throughout the Scriptures.

Old Testament References

In the Old Testament, leaven is often associated with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which commemorates the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. During this feast, the Israelites were commanded to remove all leaven from their homes and eat unleavened bread for seven days. This practice is described in Exodus 12:15 : "For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day, you are to remove the leaven from your houses, for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day must be cut off from Israel."

The removal of leaven symbolizes the haste with which the Israelites left Egypt, as they did not have time to let their bread rise. It also represents purity and the removal of sin, as leaven is often seen as a metaphor for corruption and impurity.

New Testament References

In the New Testament, leaven continues to carry symbolic weight. Jesus uses leaven metaphorically to describe the pervasive nature of sin and false teaching. In Matthew 16:6 , Jesus warns His disciples, "Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Here, leaven represents the corrupting influence of the Pharisees' and Sadducees' teachings.

Similarly, the Apostle Paul uses leaven as a metaphor for sin within the church. In 1 Corinthians 5:6-7 , he writes, "Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed."

Symbolism and Spiritual Lessons

Leaven's ability to permeate and transform dough serves as a powerful symbol in biblical teaching. It illustrates how a small amount of influence, whether good or bad, can affect an entire community or individual. The biblical injunctions to remove leaven during the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the warnings against the "leaven" of false teachings underscore the importance of vigilance in maintaining spiritual purity and integrity.

In contrast, Jesus also uses leaven positively in the Parable of the Leaven, found in Matthew 13:33 : "He told them still another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.'" Here, leaven symbolizes the transformative power of the Kingdom of God, which, though starting small, grows and influences the world profoundly.

Cultural and Historical Context

In the ancient Near East, bread was a staple food, and the process of leavening was well understood. The use of leaven in bread-making was a daily practice, and its symbolic meanings would have been readily grasped by the original biblical audiences. The dual symbolism of leaven—both as a representation of sin and as a metaphor for the Kingdom of God—reflects the complexity and depth of biblical teaching, inviting believers to discern and apply these lessons in their spiritual lives.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Hosea 7:4
They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceases from raising after he has kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Matthew xxvi. 45, 46
... evils of a neglected past, nor yet making those evils ... think of spiritual good and
evil, he neither used, as to ... had said to them, "Beware of the leaven of the ...
/.../arnold/the christian life/lecture xxxv matthew xxvi 45.htm

Of the Power of Making Laws. The Cruelty of the Pope and his ...
... the name of science or knowledge is used; so, when ... we are much more strictly prohibited
from making any addition to ... that we were to beware of the leaven of the ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 10 of the power.htm

How the Abbot Ceolfrid Sent Master-Builders to the King of the ...
... Seven days shall there be no leaven, found in your ... all the Churches throughout the
world, making one Catholic ... system; insomuch that what till then used to be ...
/.../bede/bedes ecclesiastical history of england/chap xxi how the abbot.htm

1 Cor. v. 1, 2
... for his son." Now where it is a king making a marriage ... become old in evil days."
So also the "Leaven" is often ... But in that place it is used with one aspect, and ...
/.../homilies on the epistles of paul to the corinthians/homily xv 1 cor v.htm

The Communion of Saints.
... He also declared that it would work as leaven, secretly, by ... God's good-will concerning
them, and making of none ... and the Epistles it is continually used in the ...
/.../burbidge/the kingdom of heaven what is it/chapter x the communion of.htm

1 Cor. x. 13
... to the hearer's reverence, when thou art making mention of ... imperfect state, the blood
which they used to offer ... say, another sort of dough and leaven, His own ...
/.../homilies on the epistles of paul to the corinthians/homily xxiv 1 cor x.htm

How a Man's Conduct Comes Home to Him
... The evil leaven in the backslider leavens his entire being and ... chastisement, and
that from a rod of his own making. ... than a living voice, though it used to be a ...
/.../spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/how a mans conduct comes.htm

Conversion
... bread, and in the spreading of the leaven every housekeeper ... used his stick in the
same fashion, used his legs ... He read through two chapters without making a mark ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chapman/and judas iscariot/conversion.htm

Psalm XL.
... You are still making promises; I have already received! ... The sacrifices, however,
which used to be performed there ... the feast; not with old leaven, neither with ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm xl.htm

Matt. xiii. 24-30.
... enough for ten thousand worlds, and to become leaven to them ... And Himself too, when
He was making laws for His own ... So He Himself used to teach: for, "Learn of me ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily xlvi matt xiii 24-30.htm