The Yeast We Can Do
Dylan Pahman on Two Kinds of Leaven & Three Spiritual Disciplines
The metaphor of leaven has two opposite but related uses in Scripture. Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which, when mixed with (or "hid in") flour, works its way through a whole lump of dough (Matt. 13:33). St. Paul, on the other hand, twice uses the metaphor of yeast as a warning. In one instance, he exhorts the Corinthians to cast out a sexually immoral man from among them, since he will corrupt (or has corrupted) the whole community (1 Cor. 5:4–6). Similarly, he cautions the Galatians against putting their faith in circumcision rather than in Christ (Gal. 5:3–9), for embracing this one error may hinder them from obeying the truth. Despite the opposite points made by Jesus and Paul, the basic meaning of the metaphor of the leaven is clear: little things often have big consequences.
Among Christians today, there is often shock when an elder, pastor, or prominent member of a congregation is exposed as an embezzler, adulterer, drug addict, or worse. Indeed, such a revelation is rightly called a scandal, because it creates a stumbling block in the way of the Christian life: those who are Christians become disheartened; those who are not dismiss Christianity on its basis.
"How could this happen?" we often ask when a scandal erupts. I propose that the metaphor of the leaven provides the answer. How can we prevent such scandals in the future? Again, I propose that the answer lies in the same metaphor: a little leaven works its way through the whole lump.
Bad Yeast
According to Evagrios the Solitary, one of the early Christian hermits of the Egyptian desert, our spiritual struggle can be summarized quite simply: it is because we have first failed to resist little temptations that we eventually fall to greater ones. Following John the Evangelist's warnings against succumbing to "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16), Evagrios identifies three "frontline demons" in particular: gluttony, avarice, and seeking the esteem of others.
"All the other demons," he writes, "follow behind and in their turn attack those already wounded by the first three groups." Sexual promiscuity follows gluttony; anger follows a failed attempt to impress someone; and pride follows greed, since poverty, Solomon tells us, produces its opposite, humility. "In short," Evagrios concludes, "no one can fall into the power of any demon, unless he has been wounded by those of the frontline."
Whether or not we agree with Evagrios's delineation of the progression of sin in our lives, we can see that there is sense to the presumption that those who have succumbed to big temptations probably fell first to little ones. The sexually promiscuous person is likely someone who could never refrain from snacking every time he walked through the kitchen. The person with violent fits of temper has likely always been concerned to have everything his own way. The one who slanders others has probably dealt poorly with criticism of himself.
Parents can see the nature of this problem in their children. How often do phrases like "I'm starving!" or "Mine!" or "She called me a bad name!" lead to "He hit me!" or "She broke it!" or "I didn't get any!"
As adults, we often assume that we learned our lessons when we were young, but we may simply have become better at hiding our faults behind an aura of maturity. Well-written pretension is still seeking the esteem of others. Cutting in line on "Black Friday" is still avarice. Compulsive late-night snacking is still gluttony.
Dylan Pahman is a research fellow at the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion & Liberty, where he serves as executive editor of the Journal of Markets & Morality. He is the author of Foundations of a Free & Virtuous Society (Acton Institute, 2017).
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