“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened” (Matthew 13:33).

“A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9; 1 Corinthians 5:6).

What is leaven? “Leaven is a substance – such as yeast, baking powder, or baking soda – used in doughs and batters to produce gas (usually carbon dioxide) that makes baked goods rise, lightens their texture, and softens them” (Google AI overview). “A small piece of fermenting dough put aside for producing fermentation in a fresh batch of dough… A substance as yeast or baking powder that causes fermentation and expansion of dough or batter (collinsdictionary.com).

A small amount can have a great effect. Consider these words, “I received a copy of Michael Ruhlman’s new book, Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. According to Ruhlman, baking bread is a simple as four ingredients (flour, water, salt and yeast) and two numbers, 5 and 3. That’s the ration of flour to water than will create a basic bread dough. How much yeast and salt you need is less precise, but he recommends at least one teaspoon of each in a batch based on 20 ounces of flour” (Ratio-based Bread Baking by Amanda Fiegl, May 19, 2009, smithsonianmag.com). This would be a ration of flour to yeast of 120 to 1. A small amount has a great effect.

The passages above have to do with influence. The first has to do with good influence. The second has to do with bad influence. What effect are we having on others?

Consider these thoughts: (1) Leaven is active. So should every Christian be (Acts 8:4; Titus 2:14; 3:1, 8, 14). (2) Leaven influences what it contacts. We should seek to be a godly influence in this world (Mathew 5:13-16). (3) Our influence may be greater than we realize.