Gospel in Art: Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod

3-hour Sculptural installation by Søren Dahlgaard, 2006, 100 kg lump of dough with extra yeast in aquarium, © Søren Dahlgaard artist

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 15th February 2022 - Mark 8:14-21

The disciples had forgotten to take any food and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. Then he gave them this warning, 'Keep your eyes open; be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.' And they said to one another, 'It is because we have no bread.' And Jesus knew it, and he said to them, 'Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you not yet understand? Have you no perception? Are your minds closed? Have you eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear? Or do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves among the five thousand, how many baskets full of scraps did you collect?' They answered, 'Twelve.' 'And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of scraps did you collect?' And they answered, 'Seven.' Then he said to them, 'Are you still without perception?'

Reflection on the Contemporary Art Installation

I can hear some of you say about today's work, 'Oh, is this art?' Søren Dahlgaard is a Danish artist who creates 'action sculptures' which start off one way, and then end up being completely different by the end of their installation. He lets nature take over when creating his artworks, as is the case in today's piece. Made in 2006, the artwork is titled 3-hour sculpture. As the title suggests, the sculpture takes shape over time. The yeast makes the dough rise and rise some more inside a glass aquarium. The 'sculptural' process gets recorded into a series of photographs, witnessing the change and the rising of the dough.

Our sculpture reflects the power of yeast. Without yeast, the dough would simply sit at the bottom of the glass receptacle. But with the yeast, the dough has reached overflowing qualities, bursting out of the glass. Jesus mentions yeast twice in today's reading. He knows that yeast symbolises great growth. But it is growth that we need to use wisely. We need to grow in the right things, and decrease in the wrong things.

A small amount of yeast can make bread double or triple in size. Positive yeast will make us help grow God's kingdom on earth. Negative yeast, as Jesus is implying by mentioning Herod and the Pharisees, may impact us in a bad way. Sin can be like yeast and be deceptive, creeping into our dough, starting small but then creating much bigger issues inside us. An awareness of the yeast of sin can keep us in check and make sure we seek only the yeast of the kingdom of God.

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/1085
Christian Art - www.christian.art