Devotion - Tuesday, February 23

Most of us have never baked a loaf of bread, so we fail to understand Paul's reference to leaven in I Corinthians 5.  He is worried that a bit of tolerance for unacceptable behavior will infect and infest the whole community.

There was a time when we made all the bread we ate in our home.  Now, we make bread only on unique occasions.  Two of those are Thanksgiving and Christmas when my wife makes her mother's recipe for yeast rolls.  She even has her mother's bowl.  The dough is left in the refrigerator overnight.  By the next morning the leaven has done its work - the lid is raised from the bowl and bread dough is spilling over the sides!

Paul's image reminds us that a small amount can affect the whole.  He challenges the followers of Jesus to make sure we are not affected by the wrong thing or things.  This is not a call to become monks or hermits, but it is a reminder to be aware of how the small things begin to expand and infect the rest of our lives.