Luke 12:1 - 3
12 In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. Why did Jesus say this to His disciples?
2. When Jesus says that everything will be revealed, is He speaking of Judgement Day, or a time before that?
3. Will all our private conversations be revealed to all?
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2018/06/mark-814-21-14-disciples-had-forgotten.html says:
ReplyDeleteIn the New Testament world, yeast was often used as a symbol for corruption. Jesus cites two different indeed opposite religious attitudes and says that both of them, even in a small dose can effectively corrupt one’s whole Christian life.
The yeast of the Pharisees is narrow-minded religious exclusivism, it is sectarianism. It is the attitude that says only those who believe and behave like us are saved, everyone else is damned or at least of no consequence. (Of course it’s not only religious people who have those sorts of attitudes; the secular equivalent would be extreme tribalism or nationalism.) The yeast of the Pharisees makes people more concerned about who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’ that just trying to get on and do the will of God. It makes people continually define themselves over against others.
The yeast of the Sadducees is precisely the opposite tendency. They were big friend with the Romans since the Romans kept them in power. For them the important thing was to keep the status quo as it was – because of course it favoured them. In order to do this they were prepared to make any number of accommodations, they were prepared to water down their Jewish faith. For instance they allowed the pagan Romans to appoint the High Priest.
The Christian is called to be passionately committed to Christ while remaining open to others, and to be open to others without simply accepting anything and everything.
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We all share a common trait, we're sinners. We break the Holy Law of God in word, in heart, and in action; and regularly. But Pharisees are convinced on some level of their own righteousness, and they want people to know it.
When this yeast infects a person's heart, it puffs up the person, making them look and feel larger than they really are. What looks like larger-than-life zeal, holiness and righteousness is just a paint job (Matt 23:27,28).
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The leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod appear on the surface to be opposite dangers. Pharisees are religious; Herod is irreligious. Pharisees are legalistic; Herod is licentious. These are the two extremes we sinners often find ourselves swinging between on the great spiritual pendulum of life. Because this is true, it is true that our churches tend to swing between these poles as well.
But, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9). If we give either legalism or license an inch, they will take a mile. This is why Jesus says to “beware” of them both. And he also says to beware of them both so we won’t think that a dose of one is the antidote to the poison of the other.
The very nature of grace throws off all measurements of balance. You don’t balance out law with grace, or vice versa. They don’t keep each other in check. Thinking so reveals a misunderstanding of both. Trying to strike a balance between the two is to envision them as equal but opposite forces, as if they are synonymous with legalism and license.
When we seek the better way of the Bread of life, we begin to see that these polar opposites aren’t so opposite as they appear. Both irreligion and religion are fundamentally self-salvation projects. They are equally self-righteous, even though the former is predicated on being automatically righteous and the latter aims to earn righteousness. So there is no wisdom in seeking to balance “grace” and law this way.
No, the true wisdom is in abandoning the twin self-exalting impulses of worldliness and religiosity and instead fixing our eyes on Jesus.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-12-commentary says:
ReplyDeleteSteven Cole - He was drawing a line: people could follow the leadership of the Pharisees or they could follow Him. But they must make a choice and stick with it in the face of potential persecution and even death. To try to straddle the line will bring a person into ultimate and final judgment.
When you think about it, most churches are comprised of these four groups of people. Are you a spectator that just watches, a scorner that creates dissension and strife, a spy looking for faults, or are you surrendered, following Him? Jesus urges us to be His disciple when He tells us to put His yoke upon ourselves and to learn of Him.
Just as the leaven literally permeates the dough, the subtle (maybe not always so subtle) teachings of the Pharisees, would eventually "permeate" the thinking of those who listened to them. Jesus is saying, beware, take heed, protect yourselves from the permeating, fermenting influence of the Pharisees which will lead one straight to hell if followed! Their leaven must be avoided at all costs, lest it begin to exert its corrupting effect on one's mind and heart. Jesus also warned “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Mt 16:6) and the "leaven of Herod" (Mk 8:15). MacArthur explains "The leaven of the Sadducees was the leaven of liberalism. They denied the supernatural. The leaven of the Pharisees was the leaven of the corrupting influence of legalism, externalism. The leaven of Herod, the corrupting influence of being politically engaged. And they all rejected Christ...the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Herodians."
The practical application of Paul's warning (and Jesus') is crystal clear - "The reason association with evil people corrupts good morals is because of what they say. Don't expose yourself to a sermon, to a teaching, to a lecture, to communication through media, to a conversation that's going to give you evil, deceiving lies. It will corrupt you. That's why the psalmist said, "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!" (Ps 1:1)
Leaven throughout Scripture was used figuratively to describe permeating power or influence, usually the influence of evil, but also of good in Mt 13:33 and Lk 13:21 referring to the growth or expansion of the Kingdom of God.
ILLUSTRATION - The Hypocrites Appearance Outwardly is Fake (Matthew 23:28, Ezek 33:31-32, Mt 15:7-8): A man reared on a western Pennsylvania farm told how the best of dogs will sometimes be taken with the fever of sheep killing. The killing was always done at night. The guilty dog would always endeavor to tempt other dogs to go with him and, if possible, lay the blame at their door. When this madness of sheep killing is on him, the dog will assume during the day, at the house and around the barn, an unusually genial and friendly air. At night he goes into a fit of slaughter. His outward appearance was fake. Such is the behavior of the hypocrite. (Rod Mattoon)
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-12-commentary continued:
ReplyDelete1 Ti 5:24-25 The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after. 25 Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed.
Ro 2:6, 16 who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: (2:16) on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.
1 Cor 4:5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.
Numbers 32:23—But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out." Since one's spiritual life is an inner condition of the soul that no one can see, hypocrisy is always a spiritual danger. Hypocrites say and do different things in public than they do in private. Jesus warned that hypocrisy eventually gets exposed. People are not good enough at living a double life to fool everyone all the time, and they never fool God. Nothing can be hidden from the Lord. The lies of the hypocrite will be revealed one day whether it is here in this life or on Judgment Day....Concerning hypocrisy or deception, Abraham Lincoln put it this way, "You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." May we also add, "You cannot fool God any of the time!"
WHAT YOU SAY NOW WILL BE HEARD
Whispered is a Greek idiom "spoken in the ear."
Questions and findings:
ReplyDelete1. Why did Jesus say this to His disciples?
We something in our nature that tends to listen to people who are popular (as opposed to people who are experts or wise). Now, they were in a place where Jesus is currently popular, and Jesus telling His disciples now. I suspect that Jesus is reminding His disciples about hypocrisy because it tends to show up most when we have a lot of attention. I suspect that part of the message is "know what hypocrisy is, and fight against it in yourselves, for this is a ripe time for it".
2. When Jesus says that everything will be revealed, is He speaking of Judgement Day, or a time before that?
I think He is speaking mostly about Judgement Day. However, He may also be referring to those times when our secrets get spilled on earth.
3. Will all our private conversations be revealed to all?
I think this is a general principle. I suspect that if we are in Christ, all of our good deeds done in secret will be celebrated on Judgement Day. If we are not in Christ, all of our secret sins will no longer be secret on Judgement Day. There will be no doubt about our final Judgement. Besides that, life here has a way to reveal our secrets. I suspect that this may be part of the general principle Jesus is talking about.