What does the leaven represent, which must be cast out?

[Rival]

I've noticed that some Christians, or perhaps many, think that the Pharisees were a group of leaders, rather than a sect of Judaism with leaders and laymen like any other. I think that explains this type of statement.

This is how the NT portrays them. IIRC it never seems to differentiate between Scribes, Pharisees and Saducees. Probably the authors just assumed familiarity. Also Paul speaks of being 'A Pharisee the son of a Pharisee' which makes it sound like some kind of special position.

 

[metis]

I've noticed that some Christians, or perhaps many, think that the Pharisees were a group of leaders, rather than a sect of Judaism with leaders and laymen like any other. I think that explains this type of statement.

Exactly, plus the historical evidence suggests that the Pharisees really were not monolithic. One of my archaeology books says that they've determined that there were at least four different "sects" but that there could be more. I think even the Wikipedia article on the Pharisees mentions something like that as well.

 

[metis]

This is how the NT portrays them. IIRC it never seems to differentiate between Scribes, Pharisees and Saducees. Probably the authors just assumed familiarity. Also Paul speaks of being 'A Pharisee the son of a Pharisee' which makes it sound like some kind of special position.

IMO, based on what we read in the "N.T.", both Jesus and Paul were operating from a very liberal Pharisee paradigm, which shows up in the repeated questioning of him in regards to the Law.

 

[omega2xx]

In Preparation for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, one is to cast out the leaven from the household. What does the leaven spiritually represent.

Matthew 16:11 NAS "How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread ? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

If the unleavened bread represents the "Word of God", what does the leaven represent, which must be removed from the house?

It simply refers to the traditions of men, and particularly to that of the Sadducees and the Pharisees. The bread of life, must be consumed without the leaven (hypocrisy) of the Pharisee.

Matthew 23:15-28 NAS "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,.....So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Basically leaven symbolizes false teaching.

The leaven of the Pharisees is legalism---you must obey the law to become righteous.

The leaven of the Sadducces is liberalism. They did not believe in a resurrection. That is why they were sad u see

There is also the leaven of Herod, which is secularism. Religion is not important.

Bread symbolizes God's word, Unleavened bread would be God's word with no false teaching in it.

 

[Muffled]

Dear Muffled,
Actually I baked some leaven bread the day before yesterday, and the process under ideal conditions, took less than 4 hours. Although if I had been on the road, I would have not have been able to replicate the procedure, but I used leaven in a jar, and the Israelites probably used a starter. I would think the problem would be one of timing and the method of baking and not the leaven itself.

Bread - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
There were multiple sources of leavening available for early bread. Airborne yeasts could be harnessed by leaving uncooked dough exposed to air for some time before cooking. Pliny the Elder reported that the Gauls and Iberians used the foam skimmed from beer to produce "a lighter kind of bread than other peoples." Parts of the ancient world that drank wine instead of beer used a paste composed of grape juice and flour that was allowed to begin fermenting, or wheat bran steeped in wine, as a source for yeast. The most common source of leavening was to retain a piece of dough from the previous day to use as a form of sourdough starter.[7]

The Israelis probably had wine and grape juice, so that could also be a good source of new leaven. The yeast grows on the skin of a grape.

The use of leaven was similar to that of the use of parables, in which is explained by Isaiah 6:10,"You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;" The feast days are lessons based on past events, put focused on the future of Israel, such as nations in the millenium, will keep the feast of booths. (Ze 14:18) The judges of Israel (traditions of men) will be replaced with a judge who judges not by what he sees or hears, but by righteousness. (Isaiah 11:4)

I believe the problem is that yeast causes the bread to spoil more quickly. Unleavened bread will keep for a longer time. It is akin to taking jerky and hard cheese on a long trip.

 

[Muffled]

Actually both Jesus and Paul were indeed working from the Pharisee paradigm, although it's not possible to know whether Jesus considered himself to actually be a Pharisee. Jesus' basic teachings are Pharisee, especially liberal Pharisee, if you take them one at a time and compare them. Even the Wikipedia page on the Pharisees provides enough information to allow you to compare, and let me encourage you to look especially on what it says about the more liberal elements within that movement.

Secondly, most Pharisees were not rich nor powerful, so it seems that you may be confusing them with some of the Sadducees. The Pharisee movement especially appealed to a more grass-roots approach that was not reliant on Temple sacrifices. Jesus attending a synagogue and speaking there is just one piece of evidence that he was indeed a Pharisee.

The latter two sentences above appear to be correct based on our limited information.

I believe I doubt very much that God (Jesus) supports any particular group but rather that He keeps His own counsel.

 

[Muffled]

Why then did Jesus come to the earth?? Jesus told his listeners to repent and get saved from that wicked generation. There was only one WAY in the first century, there is only one WAY today, Ephesians 4:3-6. Any time you have divisions, one is not right, so there is no reason to have more that one religion, 1Corinthians 1:10. God only accepts truth, John 4:23,24, 2Thessalonians 2:7-14. The first century Christians followed The WAY, which was ONE way, no other way is acceptable to God, Acts 4:12,13. Only the followers of Jesus and the APostles received the free gift of the Holy Spirit, Acts 5:32. There is only one way today that is being blessed by God, Ephesians 4:3-6, 1Corinthians 1:10.

I have several house keys but only one unlocks the door. I don't believe all the useless keys are a problem as long as I have the one that unlocks the door.

I believe it is like that. There is one way to get into the Kingdom of God and as long as the person has that then all the false keys to understanding scripture ae just useless baggage but not really harmful.

 

[metis]

I believe I doubt very much that God (Jesus) supports any particular group but rather that He keeps His own counsel.

Assuming there is a God, which I don't assume btw, I would tend to agree with the above as being more logical.

 

[whirlingmerc]

In Corinthians it represents sin

 

[2ndpillar]

Basically leaven symbolizes false teaching.

The leaven of the Pharisees is legalism---you must obey the law to become righteous.

The leaven of the Sadducces is liberalism. They did not believe in a resurrection. That is why they were sad u see

There is also the leaven of Herod, which is secularism. Religion is not important.

Bread symbolizes God's word, Unleavened bread would be God's word with no false teaching in it.

Dear 2xx,
The "leaven" was defined by Yeshua as "hypocrisy". The Pharisee of Pharisee, was the epitome of "hypocrisy" (Romans 7:25). The question is how the leaven was introduced into the "kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 13:25), which was done by the "enemy, by introducing the tare seed into the same field, and how and when it will be taken out of "the son of man's" "kingdom" (Matthew 13:41). It will be "gathered out" of "his kingdom" at the "end of the age" (Matthew 13:39) by "his angels", and will be bundled and "burn them up" "first", and then the wheat will be put into the barn (Matthew 13:30). The "good seed", which composes the wheat flour, of the unleavened bread, is described as the "word of the kingdom" per Matthew 13:19.