In the mean time, when there were gathered together
an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, He began to say unto his disciples first of all,
Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Luke 12:1
The Leaven of the Pharisees is Hypocrisy?
This is how Jesus described hypocrisy:
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye,
but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye;
and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye;
and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. Matthew 7:3-5
The Pharisees were always correcting Jesus
They gave him all sorts of reasons why He wasn’t doing things right:
Your disciples don’t wash their hands. (Matthew 15:2)
Why don’t your disciples fast? (Matthew 9:14)
Why do You eat with tax collectors and sinners? (Matthew 9:11)
Jesus casts out devils by the prince of devils. (Luke 11:15)
He calls himself the Son of God. (Matthew 26:64)
The Pharisees never got it and pressed for Jesus’ death. (Matthew 26:66)
And He said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God:
but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see,
and hearing they might not understand. Luke 8:10
Jesus almost always spoke in parables.
The parables were secrets for those who had ears to hear.
Jesus’ parables cannot be understood in the flesh, with human understanding.
The disciples had forgotten to bring bread with them.
The disciples listened to Jesus as He remined them
how many baskets were left over when they fed the people.
Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them,
O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves,
because ye have brought no bread?
Do ye not yet understand,
neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand,
and how many baskets ye took up?
Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread,
that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
Then understood they how that He bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. Matt. 16:8-12
Sometimes we have to ask Jesus for understanding.
That’s exactly what the disciples did when they didn’t understand something.
We can and should do the same thing.
The scriptures are multi-faceted. That is because they are alive.
Our God is a living God. The word of God is Jesus.
Jesus in written form.
We do not get the only answer from another person.
A person may know in part, but God knows in full.
God knows every single part of what He was saying to them
and what He was trying to teach them.
In the Old Testament, at certain times, the people were to eat unleavened bread.
The priests baked and served unleavened bread for different offerings unto the Lord.
The treasures of the Kingdom cannot be found by just anyone.
The understanding is for those who seek to worship God in Spirit and in Truth.
That seeing they may see, and not perceive;
and hearing they may hear, and not understand;
lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
Mark 4:12
Jesus tried to warn the disciples and us of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.
Herod was a Sadducee and a follower of their doctrine.
He was a king who was intimidated by Jesus as he wanted to keep his position
and Herod considered Jesus a threat to his position.
It’s the same idea when Paul was speaking of preaching another Jesus:
For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached,
or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel,
which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. 2 Corinthians 11:4
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. Galatians 1:6-7
We need to stay away from the Leaven of the Pharisees.
Seek the truth, love the truth, for God is always looking at our hearts.
He is not fooled by our fancy knowledge or all those feathers in our hats.
He is the one to be admired.
If we admire ourselves and wish for God to notice our accomplishments,
we are missing the point of His grace and mercy
which is exactly what the Pharisees failed to understand.