Leaven, or Heaven?

Based on Exodus 12-13, Matthew 16

Here I go on the sourdough again! I did not realize I'd be able to gain so many Spiritual lessons from it, but many Scriptures I've found kind of compare to it in an interesting way!

I already mentioned about how sourdough starter is a process which captures yeast from the air to be able to bake bread when we were talking about Jesus as our true Bread of Life, but let's delve a little bit more into the yeast aspect...

"Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel." Exodus 12:15.

"Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread."
Exodus 12:20.

The yeast captured in sourdough leavens bread, and during the time of the Passover, the Israelites were not supposed to have it or consume it. They were just supposed to have unleavened bread. There would not be enough time to let it rise & be "picture-perfect." They had to leave Egypt fast! Ever since, Jews have eaten unleavened bread at Passover according to Scripture to remember this point in time when God miraculously brought them out of Egypt!

There is also another leaven-the leaven of pride-which causes people to rise & be "puffed up, picture-perfect" just like bread! Jesus warns us about this!

"How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."

Matthew 16:11‭-‬12.

It's up to Jesus to raise us up, just like He raised Himself up from the dead! We have to be unleavened bread! God can't work with us if we have already tried to puff ourselves up with a prideful leavening agent...He has to do the work!

When asked by Jesus who He was, Peter looked beyond Jesus' earthly appearance, and knew that He was more than flesh...Jesus was & is divine; HE IS GOD! Peter didn't choose leaven, he chose heaven! So Jesus said to him:

"And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:19.

Although I'm thankful for the leaven my sourdough starter brings, I'm even more thankful for the Spiritual things!