Beware of the Leaven

[Michael:D]

Earlier today I was drawn to Matthew 16:18 wherein Jesus says to Peter "... upon this rock I will build my church ..." In searching for this verse I was inspired to do an investigation of the many instances where the word "rock" is used and perhaps see how those passages compare with verses that mention "water" (recalling where water was caused to flow from the rock upon Moses' command.) Although it is not my desire here to focus on that study, I did want to share the idea in the context of this article in case anyone else would see fit to explore the idea.

What prompted me to create this post today is what I perceive to be a very important message conveyed in the text of Matthew 16:1-20...




The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand Signs

Mat 16:1  The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
Mat 16:2  He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
Mat 16:3  And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
Mat 16:4  A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

Mat 16:5  And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
Mat 16:6  Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Mat 16:7  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.
Mat 16:8  Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
Mat 16:9  Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
Mat 16:10  Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
Mat 16:11  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?
Mat 16:12  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.

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

Mat 16:13  When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
Mat 16:14  And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
Mat 16:15  He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Mat 16:16  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Mat 16:17  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Mat 16:20  Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.




In these verses we see Christ facing the temptations offered by the Pharisees and Sadducees that he should give them a sign. Then we find that when His disciples join Him, Jesus (obviously concerned about the wrongness of the beliefs of Pharisees and Sadducees) issues a warning about not allowing those dominate ideas to get in the way of what Jesus was trying to teach them (only to discover that not only did they not get his meaning they demonstrated their lack of faith even so closely following the feeding of the multitude [Matthew 15:32-38]). The Obvious message is that even in the face of misunderstanding (both on the part of the Pharisees and Sadducees and even his disciples) God can and will reveal the truth of his Son.

The question that arises of concern to me now becomes: What is it about the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees that Jesus feared would corrupt his teachings.

In a search of the internet I found a very excellent, concise treatise on these powerful Jewish sects.   

What follows is an excerpt from "The Popular Commentary of the Bible by Paul E. Kretzmann, Ph. D., D. D." as located on the http://www.kretzmannproject.org/ website - specifically: http://www.kretzmannproject.org/MAT/pharisees_and_sadducees.htm (permission to reprint has been freely given)




THE PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES.
by Paul E. Kretzmann

Although there were a number of parties or sects among the Jews, all of which had their adherents among the common people, such as the Herodians, the Essenes, and the political parties of various times, yet none were so influential nor exerted their sway over the people for a longer period of time than the Pharisees and Sadducees.

The most powerful of the Jewish sects was that of the Pharisees, the representatives of extreme Hebraism, the orthodoxists among the Jews.. Their members were selected only from the richer and more distinguished ranks of society. They adhered strictly to the literal sense of the Mosaic Law. To the authority of Scriptures they added that of tradition, the rules and regulations of the elders. But they introduced also some of the speculative tenets from the philosophy or religion of the Eastern nations. These ideas had been adopted by the Jews during the exile, and were founded upon the Persian dualism. The doctrine of fate or predestination, of angels and demons, and of a future state of rewards and punishments, were among the newly formulated articles of belief. The Pharisees tried to compromise between the revealed religion and these obscure tenets, adopting those parts which were not expressly condemned in the Old Testament. Since they believed in fate, they maintained that it cooperated in every action of man, and stated that to act what is right or the contrary, is principally in the power of man. They moderated the doctrine of the transmigration of souls in so far as to say that all souls are incorruptible, but the souls of good men only are removed into other bodies, while the souls of bad men are subject to eternal punishment. 181)

Their doctrine is repeatedly referred to in the New Testament, since Christ was often obliged to expose the falseness of their claims, to warn against the leaven of their false doctrine. Matt. 16, 12; Mark 8, 15. They adhered with the greatest severity to the 613 precepts of the Great Synagog, thereby making their own lives and those of their followers an intolerable burden. Incidentally they disregarded entirely the evil condition and the wicked desires of the heart, priding themselves only on their external show of holiness. They lived meanly and fasted oftener than the Law required; they despised delicacies in diet, Luke 18, 12. They forbade even the most necessary works and deeds of mercy on the Sabbath, Matt. 12, 1-8. 9-13; Luke 13,14-16; Mark 2, 27; John 7, 23. Christ calls their slavish adhering to the traditions of the elders a vain worship, Mark 7, 2-7. 9.

These doctrines were continually revealed in the feigned virtue of the Pharisees' lives; in fact, the two were so closely related that a sharp division is hardly possible. The passage above. Matt. 23, is a complete denunciation of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They managed to cast sand into the eyes of the people to such an extent that whatsoever they did about divine worship, prayers, and sacrifices was accepted without question, and many cities gave great attestation to them on account of their entire virtuous conduct. 182) Since they interpreted all the prophecies referring to the greatness of the Messiah's kingdom as foretelling a temporal empire, they never ceased in their attempts to regain political influence, succeeding, at times, for a brief period. They appeared before the multitude with their fasting. Mark 2, 18. To eat with unwashen hands was in their eyes a transgression equal to the vilest sins, Mark 7, 2-7. They feared defilement by the touch of a great sinner, Luke 7, 36-50, and always strove to carry out the Law in its full strictness, John 8, 2-11.

Since they thus both in their doctrine and in their religious practices held a position which was directly opposed to Christ, it is not surprising that they were filled with venomous hatred toward the Nazarene. They tempted Him, Matt. 16, 1; Mark 8, 11; they tried to entangle Him in His talk, Matt. 22, 15; Mark 12. 13; Luke 20, 20; they took counsel to destroy Him, Mark 3, 6; John 11, 47-53. And after having succeeded in removing the Master, they persecuted the disciples in the same way, Matt. 23, 34; Acts 7, 58; 8, 3; 9, 1. 2; Gal. 1, 13. 14. 23; Acts 23, 6-9. It is the world-old story of righteousness and truth being hated by unrighteousness and hypocrisy.

The bitter enemies of the Pharisees and their opponents in doctrine, but united with them in their hatred of Christ, were the Sadducees, the representatives of the extreme ultra-development of Hellenism, with Greek characteristics. They were recruited only from the richest people, with leanings toward pagan culture. They were the rationalists among the Jews, with modern tenets of philosophy. They denied the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the body. Matt. 22, 23-33; Mark 12, 18-27. They maintained that there is no angel or spirit, Acts 23, 8. They accepted the books of Moses only and rejected all traditions, saying that the Jews were to esteem those observances to be obligatory which are in the written Word, but are not to, observe what is derived from the tradition of the forefathers. 183) Since they did not believe in an after life, they rejected the idea of future rewards or punishments. On account of the small number of their followers and the narrow scope of their influence, they are not alluded to so often in Scriptures as are the Pharisees.

Christ was obliged, for the sake of the truth, to warn against their false doctrines, Matt. 16, 6. 12. He confuted them and their doctrine of marriage, a problem which they had invented to mock Him, Matt. 22, 32. Upon other occasions, also, the Sadducees were exposed and their arguments overthrown with the same decisive frankness, Matt. 16, 4; 3, 7. And therefore their relation toward the Prophet of Nazareth was anything but friendly. To be termed a wicked and adulterous generation, Matt. 16, 3. 4, and be told that they knew not the Scriptures nor the power of God, Matt. 22, 29; Mark 12, 24, roused their anger in such a measure that they gladly joined with the Pharisees in the council, the Synedrion, consulting how they might take Jesus by subtilty and kill Him, Matt. 26, 3. 4. And after the death of Jesus they persecuted His disciples. Acts 4, 12; 5, 18, since the most influential in the nation belonged to their sect, Acts 5, 17. But the Word of God remained victorious.



I have to wonder now, how successful were the disciples at avoiding that dreaded leavening? And will now hearken to the words of Christ as I ponder how such leavening might still exist in the doctrines of the modern Churches of today?

[GregD]

Very interesting article. The main thing that jumped out at me was the fact that the more they claimed to "follow the law" the further they strayed from it. They (the Pharisees) were more concerned with tradition and "looking religious" than with what God actually told them. Pride and seeking power made them worse than the "infidels" they persecuted.

And then there's the Sadducee's. Talk about politics making strange bedfellows. They couldn't be further from the beliefs of the Pharisees if they tried but yet they conspired with them to kill the Messiah. From what I've seen and read about them, they at least tried to be faithful to God. They had firm beliefs (wrong as they were) and stuck to them. They didn't seem to be guided by pride and power like the Pharisees. But, they too strayed from the truth.

That brings me to the church today. How far have we strayed from the truth of the Gospel? How many denominations does it take to understand the whole truth that the bible teaches? The truth is, all of them have fallen short. The leaven has infected every single denomination, to one degree or another. Some are so far from the truth that they can't see past their own noses.

We need a revival in this world today but a revival that digs into what the bible actually says... about every subject. We need to stop taking the word of our teachers and preachers as gospel truth and look it up for ourselves (I say this as a Sunday school teacher myself). We need to be Bereans (ACT.17:11) and make sure what we're being taught lines up with what God has said.

I don't know if I've strayed from the main point Mike:D was trying to make but this is what kept going thru my mind as I read the post. We need to stop being "Catholics" and "Methodists" and yes, even "Baptists" and get back into the Word and find out for ourselves what it really says. Pastor Mike and the adult ministry team is working on putting together bible study groups that meet outside the church walls and hopefully bring in non-church members as well. This is a great opportunity to get into God's word and find out, for yourself, what God wants to tell you.

Good post Mike:D, keep em coming.