In Not Of

In and Not Of . . .?

“He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."- Matthew 13:33 NIV

Ok.  I have been wrestling with this scripture for the past few weeks.  God keeps bringing this up to me in random spaces throughout my day.  Maybe I’m getting dressed or eating or even in the middle of having a conversation, I keep hearing this.  I think that after a few weeks now I am starting to understand what it means.  At least what is might mean for me and where I am at this point in my life.  The kingdom of heaven is like yeast. . .

What is yeast?  Most people nowadays probably don’t know what yeast is or what it does.  Who makes bread from scratch anymore?  Who has time?  I can remember a few times as a kid when my mom made bread or at least dough and I got to see yeast at work.  I keep saying that when I get some more time (yeah right) I’m going to make bread from scratch.  That’s right up there on my list with gardening, yoga and all of the other things I constantly say I’m going to learn.  But I like to try to connect better with biblical references if I can.  If I am going to use this book as an integral part of my faith and my life then I should be able to connect with some of the things that are possible.  Yeast is one of those things.  It’s still available and still does the same thing. It makes dough rise.  But it only works if you work it into the dough.  Having yeast apart from the dough leaves the dough flat. 

Jesus is saying that the kingdom of heaven is like yeast.  It’s like that thing that is mixed in with the rest of the dough to make it rise.  It’s like the stuff you cannot see but has a huge impact on where it is mixed in.  It’s like the invisible force in the middle of the dough that causes the dough to go higher than it would without the yeast. 

I’ve been struggling with this scripture because I have been trying to become more concrete on my own calling and purpose in this world.  I know that I am called as a believer to represent the kingdom of heaven here on earth.  But it’s hard to know exactly what that always means when there are always so many people who think they have it right.  I go back to scripture and prayer and see something that makes me thing that the way I was going about it in the past was all wrong.  This leads me to think that the kingdom of heaven is about a kind of integration without losing your power or purpose.  I think most Christians think about separation from society. 

I work in one of the most corrupt industries possible: Money.  And being a Christian and working in this industry will test your faith on many occasions.  I have often wondered if I was to come out of it in order to demonstrate my commitment to my God and the kingdom of heaven.  Can I be a Christian and be in a corrupt industry like this?  But recently I have begun to see that the entire world is corrupt.  There is no such thing as a pure industry.  Not even the church!  So where would I go?  I would have to probably be like the Amish and completely separate from society if I wanted to even come close, and even they cannot completely separate.  I can recall going out to Amish country for a client meeting and staying at a hotel where I met a man who was preparing for a sales meeting with a group of Amish farmers who sell tobacco to his company.  So they make a living selling tobacco to big corporations.  Nobody is completely separate.  And we are not called to be completely separate.  We are called to be in the mix and cause things to rise.  But in order to do that, we have to maintain our properties as leavening agents and not forget why we are here. 

I’m not in the financial industry to make money for my own consumption purposes.  There is a bigger purpose.  Sometimes it’s hard to be here and watch so much corruption and see the systemic evil that exists in this world manifested in the world markets.  But after 12 years in this industry, I can honestly say that I do not feel called to leave.  There is something that I am called to do in it, but not become a victim of its seduction.  They lure you in early with flexible schedules, high incomes and a lifestyle that most people envy. And if you are not grounded in who you are and whose you are, it is easy to become just another financial professional, selling the lies of the industry.  But in order to remain as yeast, I have to stay connected to my source.  And if I do, I cause everything around me to rise.  So even in the midst of corruption, the kingdom of heaven is still at work.

Maybe the answer is not to live your life trying to separate yourself, but maybe the answer is to live your life for God and allow God to separate you for His purposes. People will notice the difference and you will bring an aroma that is the sweet smell that is so desperately needed in this world of all of what the kingdom of heaven is on earth.  Jesus called himself the bread of life. He is what we are able to feed people if we would allow ourselves to be used in the midst of a dying and corrupt world.  But if we always choose to try to separate ourselves, we miss the opportunity to influence in the way that the kingdom is supposed to work.  It’s not about you.  It’s not about me.  It’s about God and His kingdom.  We bring the kingdom with us wherever we go.  We bring the yeast because God gave it to us to spread around. We are called to be in the world and not of the world.  As hard as it is, I think I will continue to do just that.