Jesus’ words to his disciples in Luke 12:1, “Meanwhile the people had come streaming towards Him by tens of thousands, so that they were trampling one another under foot. And now He proceeded to say to His disciples first, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is to say, beware of hypocrisy.” (WNT)
It is vital for us to understand that there are no members in Christianity, but only disciples of Jesus Christ. We may be members of a local church, but primarily we are disciples of Jesus, and that’s precisely why Jesus called each one of us. Though there were huge crowds that followed after Jesus, it was only a small group of twelve who became His disciples. The Lord used these twelve to take the message of the gospel to the ends of the world. That is why though there were thousands of people who thronged Jesus, in the above mentioned verse, He chose to first address his own disciples.
The warning that Jesus gave His disciples, was that they should take heed against the yeast of the Pharisees, which He elucidated was hypocrisy. We will study on the basis of the word of God, as to why Jesus referred to hypocrisy as the yeast of the Pharisees, and how we can be set free from this bondage to living a life of duplicity.
We live in a day and age where there are more artificial things, than there are natural. There is such a resemblance between the two that people find it is almost impossible to point out the difference. There are artificial flowers, artificial leather, artificial silk, artificial flavors, artificial intelligence, most of which may not be harmful to us. However, what could be perilous is when human beings put on artificial smiles (smile with our lips, but are upset and angry on the inside) or artificial talk (say one thing and mean something else). Artificial and natural are in complete contrast, as they totally differ in their fundamental nature. Regrettably, we even have believers in the church who look genuine, but are not.
Though technology has advanced to make the artificial seem almost like the natural, yet one can easily decipher one from the other. For example, fragrance, growth and life of natural flowers can never be reproduced in artificial flowers. Unfortunately, this duplicity is affecting every aspect of our society. Many huge industries struggle to contest this kind of deceit, when other smaller companies use their brand names or packing styles, with minor changes, and fake them to appear a lot like the original brand.
So also in the church, we are encountered with two groups of people; ones who are genuinely following Jesus as His true disciples, and the other who are not. It is important that we search ourselves to comprehend, whether we are true disciples or false disciples of Jesus. Jesus said that in the last day everyone will have to stand before the judgement seat of Christ, and He would separate them into two groups, one group which comprises of those who sincerely followed Jesus, and reflected His character, the other group who followed Jesus with wrong motives, not caring to live in obedience to His teaching, a false copy of the real ones. Paul mentions in his letter in 2 Corinthians 11:26 that he was in danger from false brothers. That is why Jesus also warned his disciples, that they should watch out against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy, as among the group of followers of Jesus, there were those who were not genuine.
One of the major reasons why our country has not been reached with the gospel of Jesus is because, among so called believers of Jesus, those who are counterfeit, almost cancel out those who are genuine.
How can we be sure that the faith that is in us is genuine, and not fake? Here are three ways in which we can assess ourselves, to see if we are true disciples of Jesus Christ.
1. Mismatch between words and deeds
When Jesus talked about the yeast of the Pharisees, he was referring to hypocrisy. The reason for this is, if one would want to leaven a whole bowl of dough, a little yeast would do the job perfectly. If we pour a little curd culture into a bowl of milk, we can turn the whole bowl into curds. So also we must firstly realize, that it is when one slips in those little things that they one day mount up to become huge issues.
We read in Matthew 23:3, “So obey everything they teach you, but don't do as they do. After all, they say one thing and do something else.”
Here Jesus was telling his disciples about the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, how they would teach one thing, but do the exact opposite. He therefore cautioned them to follow what they taught, but to refrain from following their actions, which was completely contradictory to their teachings.
It is good to analyze ourselves to see if what we think, and what we speak and do, are one and the same, or if there is some sort of insincerity in them. If we don’t watch it, these little deceptions like yeast, will begin to work their way in every other area of our lives.
Let me give you an example from our day to day life. A little child may get caught for stealing sugar, only because she did not know how to hide it from her mother. If left unchecked, and not disciplined for stealing, the child will grow up, do the same thing, but this time she will not get caught, as she would have learnt to cover up her mistakes. Many parents are misinformed, and think they are doing a favor when they don’t discipline their children, and some even take pride in the fact that their children are so clever, to not get caught when they do wrong. When this continues, there comes a point where the child from lack of discipline, will do something drastic or rebellious, like getting married without their parent’s knowledge, causing them much heartache. What seemed so insignificant when they were young, now becomes an insurmountable problem for the entire family.
When Jesus taught, everyone was filled with awe and wonder, for the scripture says He spoke with authority, and not like the Pharisees, and the teachers of the law. The authority of Jesus was evident because what He spoke, and how he lived was in perfect unison. Like Jesus our lives must be such that there is no contradiction between what we profess, and how we live.
2. Doing deeds to be seen by others
We read in Matthew 23:5-6, “They do everything so that people will see them. Look at the straps with scripture verses on them which they wear on their foreheads and arms, and notice how large they are! Notice also how long are the tassels on their cloaks! They love the best places at feasts and the reserved seats in the synagogues;” (GNB)
Here Jesus is again referring to the Pharisees and teachers of the law who did lots of things just to get noticed by others, and to impress others.
There are many believers, who have no relationship with God, but involve in various activities just to win men’s favor and approval. The saddest place a believer can come to is one where man’s endorsement takes priority over God’s. Government vehicles have boards that specify designations of those in authority, but if the same thing is followed by a person who is a follower of Jesus, wherein they take pride in their educational qualifications and positions, it is indeed pitiful. God knows us for who we truly are, and if we labor to wins men’s approval, we will soon be caught in a snare, and that is why the word of God admonishes us in Proverbs 29:25, “fearing any human being is a trap..”(ISV).
The word of God is categorical in Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.” (GNB)
Irrespective of what we do, the word of God exhorts us to do it with all our heart as unto the Lord alone, and not for any human being. A great example of this is Joseph, who had opportunities to compromise and please people, but took a stand to please God alone. When Potiphar’s wife tempted him to have an affair with her, he refused and ran simply because his only thought was that, he could never do anything that would displease or dishonor God in anyway. Joseph had his eyes fixed on God, and on no one else.
Whatever be the work we perform, simple tasks like sweeping or cleaning, all of it should be done as unto the Lord with sincerity of heart. God observes everything we do, and when we are faithful in little things that God entrusts to us, He will bless us with more.
Colossians 3:24 reminds us that, “In fact, the Lord Christ is the one you are really serving, and you know that He will reward you.” (CEV)
Paul reminds us that irrespective of what we do, we are serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Every little thing we do, must be done as unto the Lord alone, for He will truly reward those who are faithful.
3. Majoring on minors
In Matthew 23:24, Jesus said, “Blind guides! You strain a fly out of your drink, but swallow a camel!” (GNB)
What the Lord meant was that the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, paid no attention to the important things that needed to be attended to, but instead concentrated on those insignificant things that did not need their consideration. The comparison Jesus made was between a fly (which is extremely small) that one has to strain to see, and a Camel (which is really huge), that one can see it from afar. They were so hooked up on the insignificant, that they let go of the consequential.
The passage describes of how the Pharisees were so meticulous about their tithing, but missed out on the weightier matters that the Lord required like justice, mercy and faithfulness. We too must be encouraged that when giving to God, it should never be out of compulsion, but from a heart full of love and gratitude for God. When our giving is rightly motivated, and given with a cheerful heart as unto the Lord, only then will it be acceptable in the sight of the Lord.
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
We read in Luke 18:10-12, He said, “Two men went into the temple courtyard to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed, ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like other people! I’m not a robber or a dishonest person. I haven’t committed adultery. I’m not even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my entire income.’ (GW)
In Luke 18:14, we read, "I can guarantee that this tax collector went home with God's approval, but the Pharisee didn't.” (GW)
Both the Pharisee and the Tax Collector went to the temple with the intention to pray, which was a good thing. The issue however was for the Pharisee his heart was not right with God. The Pharisee listed out to God all the things that he did not do, and also highlighted all that he did, like fasting and tithing. What he forgot to do was to not pass judgement on his neighbor, who had come into the temple seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness. The Pharisee went back home, just the way he came in, with no change whatsoever, for his prayers were unacceptable to God. It was the Tax Collector, who came with a penitent heart who went home justified, and with God’s stamp of approval on him.
We too should not go to church to please men, but with the sincere motive to seek after God. It is so important that we come prayerfully to church, and not carelessly. If we genuinely desire to hear the Lord speak to us, we will definitely hear Him minister to our point of need. We too must be cautioned that if we fast regularly, tithe precisely, but have no change of heart, it is of no value or worth in God’s sight.
So also, when Cain and Abel presented their offerings to the Lord, both of them did a good thing, but the Lord only accepted Abel’s sacrifice, but rejected what Cain offered. Let us not be misled and deceive ourselves to think that the Lord will accept anything, and everything we offer to him.
The obedience that the Lord expects from us is that which was evident in the disciples of Jesus. When they had the great catch of fish and Jesus commanded them to leave it all to follow Him, they did so with no hesitation whatsoever. That’s the kind of implicit obedience the Lord desires from each one of us, where we are willing to let go of all those things that are displeasing to the Lord, and not in keeping with His will.
Let us sincerely and genuinely seek the Lord from the depths of our heart with no deceit whatsoever. In the early church everyone recognized the disciples, though they were unschooled, as those who had been with Jesus, because the transformation they saw in them was so remarkable. May we come to the Lord with a repentant heart like the Tax Collector instead of a self-righteous attitude that the Pharisee had, that the Lord disapproved of.
When the Israelites crossed over the Jordan and encountered the mighty city of Jericho, all they were instructed to do was to follow the simple instruction of the Lord to walk around the city. Joshua who was a warrior himself, believed God, the result of which was the astounding destruction of the walls of Jericho, and a great victory to the people of Israel. On that very same wall of Jericho was Rahab and her family, who by faith obeyed the men of God, and tied the scarlet chord on her window, which kept her and her entire family safe from destruction.
Often the commands of the Lord seem elementary, and not rational, but all that He requires of us to do is to have the faith to obey, and we will surely experience triumph in every area of our lives. Instead of analyzing every situation, let us simply obey the Lord, and do what He says be it repenting of a sin, forgiving someone or whatever else He prompts us to do. Only then will our lives be a blessing to others, and we will become those who will lead people into the kingdom of God. It is those who truly follow the Lord Jesus, who will be transformed to becoming fishers of men.
May we be rid of every form of hypocrisy from our lives. There should be no room for mismatch between our thought and our deeds, our goal must be to please God and not people, and be those who will not major on minors, thereby missing out on God’s great plans for our lives. Daily let us ask the Lord to grant us His grace, to live consistent lives, with no hint of hypocrisy or insincerity in any area of our lives.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
