马太福音 13:33-35 他又对他们讲个比喻说：“天国好像面酵，有妇人拿来，藏在三斗面里，直等全团都发起来。”这都是耶稣用比喻对众人说的话；若不用比喻，就不对他们说什么。 这是要应验先知的话，说：我要开口用比喻，把创世以来所隐藏的事发明出来。
今天大多数人都不再使用耶稣所说的那种面酵了。现在使用的都是那种快速发酵的酵母粉，我们只需要打开一包，把它和面粉混合在一起就可以了。在古代，女人们通常会保留一把上次烘焙所剩的生面团，因为酵母会在面团中存活，然后把它与新的面团混合，直到融为一体。如果面团重六十磅，那么她一定是个面包师，胳膊也很强壮。然后，她会让它静置几个小时，甚至一天，酵母会慢慢地作用于整个面团中。
为什么说天国像面酵呢？福音和圣灵在我们心中运行作工，就好像酵母，充满我们心的每一个角落。福音改变了一切，改变了我们与上帝的关系，从一个罪人变成了一个圣徒。改变了我们与他人之间的关系，将焦点不放在我们自己身上，而是关注他人，也就是耶稣所说要爱人如己。福音改变了我与配偶、孩子和老板的关系，也改变了我对金钱、成功和事业的看法。这并不是一下子发生的，是随着时间的推移，福音不断在影响着我们的心灵。
那么，你和你的孩子可以来做一个实验。取几杯面粉，少许盐和糖，把它们搅拌成面糊。然后再加入少许酵母，搅拌均匀后，把它放置一天，看看会发生什么。一天之后，你会看到里面充满了泡沫，这时候你就可以用它做一些煎饼或者面包了。通过这个实验，我们可以看出这就是福音在我们心中的工作方式。
祷告: 主耶稣，让你的福音在我心里作工，使我生命的每一部分都愿意顺服你的旨意，而不是随从我自己的意愿! 当我看到福音在我的家人、朋友、甚至是陌生人的心里和生活中运行时，让我为你的国降临而欢呼吧! 奉主耶稣基督的名求。阿们！
Matthew 13:33-35: 33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”
Most people don’t use the kind of yeast that Jesus was talking about. We open up a package of quick rising yeast and mix it into the flour. In ancient times, a woman would keep a handful of dough from the previous baking. The yeast would stay alive in that dough until it was mixed with a large batch of flour. If it was sixty pounds, she must have been a baker and had really strong arms! Then she would let it sit for hours or even a day, and the yeast would slowly work it’s way through the whole batch of dough.
Why is that like the kingdom of heaven? The gospel and the Holy Spirit working in our hearts is like yeast. It wants to take over every corner, every fiber of our heart. The gospel changes everything. It changes our relationship with God, from a sinner to a saint. It changes our relationship with each other, because it is not about me, but about my neighbor. It changes the way I relate to my spouse and children and my boss. It changes the way I think about money and success and business. It doesn’t happen all at once, but over time the gospel continues to work into our whole heart.
So do an experiment with your children. Take a few cups of flour and a little salt and sugar and make a batter with it. Add just a pinch of yeast and mix it in. Then let it set on the counter for a day and watch what happens. When it’s all bubbly and foamy, make some pancakes with it or some bread. That’s how the gospel works in our heart.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, let your gospel work throughout my heart so that every part of my life becomes subject to your will and not my own! And when I see that gospel work in the the hearts and lives of others, my family and my friends and even strangers that I’ve me, then let me rejoice that your kingdom has come! I ask this in your name. Amen.