I have already written briefly about the three leavens in the article [The Christian’s Freedom, or Three Leavens]: their meaning, and also the movements in modern Christianity that set a Christian free from these leavens. Now I would like to look at them from the angle of Christ’s temptations. In the wilderness the devil tempted Jesus with three different temptations. Each temptation represents one of the three leavens.

In the first temptation the devil suggested that Jesus turn stones into bread to eat. Stones symbolise the law, so he was tempting Jesus to feed on the law. This is the leaven of the Sadducees, false teaching built on the Torah, the law. Such teaching always aims to make a believer feed on the law. Jesus’ answer was this: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” [Mat.4:4] We feed not on the law but on the Word [Jesus].

In the next temptation the devil took Jesus up to the pinnacle of the temple and suggested that He throw Himself down. The essence of the leaven of the Pharisees is hypocrisy. Hypocrites always tempt God. [Mat.22:18] Their goal is to throw a believer down from his high position in Christ. When the hypocrites came to Galatia, using the Scriptures [just as the devil did in this temptation], they tempted the Galatians to fall from grace by imposing the law and the keeping of biblical feasts on them. Our answer to hypocrites is the same as Jesus’: “Do not tempt the Lord!” Peter, moved by the spirit, gave the same answer to the heretical Pharisees: “Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” [Act.15:10]

In the last, third temptation, the devil took Jesus up on a high mountain and, showing Him all the kingdoms of the earth, said that he would give Him everything if Jesus would worship him. The third leaven is the leaven of Herod, which is built on money and power. That is exactly what the devil tempted Jesus with. What was Jesus’ answer? “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” [Mat.4:10] Jesus said: “You cannot serve God and mammon.” [Luk.16:13] And Paul also warned: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” [1 Tim.6:10] There is no problem if a person has a lot of money; it is a different matter when money becomes the goal instead of the Lord. The end result will be, as Paul writes in the same verse, “many sorrows”. The Lord loves us far too much to see us suffer, so He wants us to be free from this leaven too. For it is written: “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” [Heb.13:5]