Leaven of the Pharisees
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Leaven has long been used to ferment dough in order for it to rise. Yeast and baking powder are examples of leaven. Dough already treated with leaven has also been used to create the same effect in a fresh batch of dough. Because it is a form of corruption, the ancient people Israel were to symbolize purity during Passover by the eating of unleavened bread and the removal of leaven from their homes. That same unleavened bread was on the Passover table when the Savior appointed it to be used in Communion as representative of His sacrificed body. The absence of leaven during Passover also indicates the use of unfermented fruit of the vine to symbolize the sacrificed blood of Christ. Paul encouraged personal spiritual purity by the warning that a little leaven will leaven much, while the Savior admonished His disciples to beware of the hypocritical leaven of the Pharisees.
Written and voiced by David Hayes Prophater