The Leaven of the Pharisees: A Trivial Pursuit
- Raymond Melendez
- 12 hours ago
- 5 min read
At TheGoodNewsCast.com, we believe that worrying over trivial matters is like eating bread with yeast—it leaves you feeling unfulfilled and longing for something genuinely satisfying.
In the Bible, Jesus gave a famous warning about something called the “leaven of the Pharisees.” He used this as a metaphor: just as yeast causes a loaf of bread to appear full when it's mostly air, it also makes minor issues seem important. He was teaching the crowd that sometimes what may seem important doesn't actually matter much to the Heavenly Father.
Fast forward to the 1920s, and you see this happening on a massive scale. After the misery of World War I, people were desperate to forget the past. They turned to consumerism, buying the first cars and radios and chasing the high of celebrity culture. On the surface, everyone seemed to be having the time of their lives.
However, a group of writers referred to as the "Lost Generation," including F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, identified the superficiality hidden behind the glamour, revealing a profound sense of loneliness ("Lost Generation").
The best example of this disconnect is the book The Great Gatsby. It tells the story of people with massive mansions, expensive clothes, and non-stop parties ("Modernism"). Despite it all, the characters were careless and miserable. They lived in what the authors described as a "wasteland." Despite having everything money could buy, they were deprived of the things that make life meaningful.
Whether it's ancient history or the Roaring Twenties, worrying over trivial matters is like eating bread made of air. They may seem important at first, but eventually they leave you feeling unfulfilled and longing for something genuinely satisfying.
The Joneses: Fitting In
Yeast is tiny and works in secret, but eventually, it fills the whole batch of dough. Hypocrisy works the same way. It gives the impression of importance to those nearby, yet it deprives the mind and soul. Although people admired the Pharisees, they offered nothing genuinely meaningful, leaving individuals unfulfilled. So don’t waste your strength worrying about how you appear to the neighbors, friends, or the crowds. Jesus teaches that their opinions are fleeting, and building your life around them is a trivial pursuit. What matters is the substance you offer, not the image you project. They may try to manipulate your mind, but they cannot control your soul, so don't be afraid of them. Instead, fear God, who safeguards and directs both.
Take the 1950s, for example. After the chaos of World War II, everyone wanted safety and stability. This fear led to a world of conformity where people moved into suburban neighborhoods where every house, lawn, and family looked exactly the same. Life became a game of "fitting in." Social experts at the time noticed that people were primarily guided by external influences ("The 1950s"). Instead of following their hearts, they were constantly watching their neighbors to figure out what to buy next. It was a lifestyle filled with "leaven," where keeping up with the Joneses meant sacrificing individuality for the ease of fitting in.
Over time, people began to realize that emulating the Joneses wasn't very satisfying. A collective of poets and writers known as the "Beats" started to challenge this copycat lifestyle. A renowned poet, Allen Ginsberg, crafted a poem that resonated as a powerful outcry against the "soul-crushing" pressure to conform. To these poets and writers, the ideal suburban life resembled a den of thieves, provoking its victims to cry out, "Stop stealing what is mine!”
The Wisdom of Birds and Flowers
Jesus pointed to the simplest parts of nature—the ravens and the lilies—to show how silly our worries often are. If a tiny sparrow can find everything it needs to survive, our worries about survival become irrational—especially when we consider how the Heavenly Father has equipped us with far greater abilities. It is a trivial pursuit that steals a wealth of time and energy.
The Book of Mormon teaches this sentiment with a call to re-evaluate our spending habits:
"Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy." 2 Nephi 9:51
This is more than a lesson in financial literacy; it's a critique of how society spends its time and energy. Becoming overly concerned with minor issues is just a waste.
This "miscalculation of value" became the main theme of the 1980s, often called the "Me" Decade. Many people were focused on big social movements and helping their communities, but by the 1980s, the focus began to shift. It became the era of the Yuppie, the young professional who believed that success was measured by their net worth and the brand names on their clothes ("The 1980s").
Allan Bloom, among other social critics, observed a concerning trend during this shift. He contended that it was destroying the nation and that educational institutions were not effectively teaching students to think critically ("Allan Bloom"). Bloom believed that instead of engaging with classic literature and learning important lessons about life, students were content with a superficial perspective of the world.
Make America Strong Again
We often treat our lives like a loaf of bread, focusing so much on the "yeast"—those tiny, trivial worries, things the Pharisees could not overlook. Jesus cautioned that if we invest our time and energy in pursuits that weaken us mentally and spiritually, we will ultimately lose the things we cherish most. The most haunting part of this reality is that the mind and soul have needs of their own, and if they continue to be ignored, they will eventually demand to be fed and will cost the world everything they once thought was precious—things of little value—to save what Jesus calls "greater worth."
Looking back at history, we've been blind to this repeated behavior for a long time. Whether it was the wild parties of the 1920s, the strict social rules of the 1950s, or the massive business greed of the 1980s, we see it over and over again: not knowing the difference between having something valuable and being worthy of it. A strong economy and a full garage are not enough to make this country great again. What the world needs are people who have learned to release the ‘yeast’—the trivial, insignificant things that provide no real value—and who are united in both mind and spirit.
The Voice of Truth
As more people come to understand that the Heavenly Father searches both the heart and the mind, the hand that once clung to the yeast of lesser concerns begins to release its grip, shifting its energy inward—toward the voice of truth. Jesus’ words remind us of this reorientation:
“But rather seek ye the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.” Luke 12:31
The urge to worry over trivial matters is just as present now as it was in the 1920s or 1980s. Nowadays, this urge is just dressed differently—manifesting as endless scrolling and the pressure to stay current with the latest trends. Materialism and conformity haven’t disappeared; they’ve just become more subtle. Neither does our Heavenly Father change: He remains the voice of truth, calling each generation into the "wilderness" to know and understand the One who truly makes America great.
Works Cited
"Allan Bloom." Britannica, 11 Oct. 2023, www.britannica.com/biography/Allan-Bloom.
"Lost Generation." Britannica, 22 Jan. 2024, www.britannica.com/topic/Lost-Generation.
"Modernism." The Literature Network, 2024, www.online-literature.com/periods/modernism.php.
"The 1950s." History.com, A&E Television Networks, 23 Apr. 2024, www.history.com/topics/1950s/1950s-1950s.
"The 1980s." History.com, A&E Television Networks, 11 May 2024, www.history.com/topics/1980s/1980s-1.
