We Are What We Eat

David Francis

Some years ago, I had an amazing revelation when attempting to make my own yeast to raise my bread.

Many different methods are advocated but I was most interested in something that aligned with my Christian faith in Jesus. So I took equal quantities of whole wheat, flour and water, mixed them together. I then left it covered in the dark recess of a kitchen cupboard for 3 days and 3 nights. (Grave like?)

Incredibly, after 3 days and 3 nights, it had risen! There really was life in the cup!

Small bubbles of gas had appeared and all of the mix was aerated, as if it had ‘cold’ boiled. (See Strongs #2219 /2204 definition of zume/yeast). I later realised these were the products of God-given wild yeasts and lactobacilli present in the grain, air and even my own hands!

I was joyfully dumbstruck for a moment or two. I witnessed the genesis of my bread leaven being akin to the resurrection of Christ. After 3 days it was risen! I repeated the experiment with one single grain of wheat and though it took more precision, the same result occurred.

With many years baking experience behind me I then realised that it was theoretically possible for the leaven from one grain to leaven ALL the ground grains in all the whole world, given time and the right conditions and the guiding hands of a baker.

In the parable of the leaven this person is a women who many take as a similitude for God (Matthew 13:33). The purpose of God in Christ also ‘hidden’ like leaven!

Leavened bread is more palatable than unleavened and modern research nowadays confirms that natural leaven wholegrain bread is better for us than the traditional so called ‘white sliced wonder products’ available today. Good bread should be a staff of life and it is this simple wholemeal leavening process that we try and demonstrate in the ‘Good news. Good bread.’ events over the past few months locally.

Jesus’s resurrection is the essence of this process. It is the single most important event in Christian history and gives me the opportunity to compare the spiritual with the physical especially when we have fresh baked, whole meal bread to taste.

For the bread of God is He (Jesus) who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
John 6: 33

He says ‘If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever
John 6: 51

The work of God is that we believe in Him whom He (the Father) sent.
John 6:29

Just take, eat and believe! It is the only truly free gift in life.

Of course we do not live by physical bread alone but by every word of God so there is a growth process which to some extent relies on us to keep feeding.

When we do, we ‘grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ’.
Ephesians 4: 15

We then become Christ-like, like what we eat.