The leaven of the Pharisees I think we know about: the sense that our works or our position make us holier that other people. The effect isn't limited to Christians or Jews, I can easily name atheists who are holier-than-thou--for their definition of holy. It is an easy sense to acquire--we have to try to be holy, and be alert about problems, and you notice pretty quickly that some people aren't.
I looked around for what people though the leaven of Herod might be.
Mark 6:20 "Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him."
Luke 23:8 "Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him." (Jesus refused to say a word to him.)
Ezekiel 33:32 "Behold, you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words but they do not practice them."
Jesus referred to Herod as a fox, and I gather that the fox was not a symbol of cunning in that place and era. One thinks of Laodacea.
The descriptions aren't very detailed, but I get the impression of a man who liked to hear the word of God. Maybe even loved it, but didn't love it enough to do anything about it.
So, maybe He meant the leaven of connoisseur-ship?
2 comments:
Interesting thought. I had never considered that.
This reminds me of the story about the rich young man. He wanted to know what he should do to be worthy of eternal life, and Jesus told him, "Observe the commandments, respect your parents, and be generous to the poor." He replied that he did all this and had since childhood, whereupon Jesus invited him to give away all he had and follow him. And the young man went away sad.
Maybe he had dreamed about this, being invited to become a disciple... until it happened, and he realized that maybe he didn't want it as much as he'd thought.
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