Luke 12:1-12
Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees

Jesus has spoken to the crowds, and he has “given the business” (as Pastor Dave said) to the Pharisees in the form of six “woe to you” statements. Now he speaks to his disciples, to the people who were his followers … to us.

Jesus first warns us against hypocrisy, which he calls the leaven of the Pharisees. Hypocrisy is insincerity, falseness, being one way on the outside and the opposite on the inside. We usually think of the type of hypocrisy of which the Pharisees were guilty: looking godly in the externals but brimming with ungodliness inside. We Christians can do that. A person can go to church, talk knowledgeably about justification and propitiation, and abstain from drunkenness and obscenity but be full of pride and bitterness and a critical spirit. It occurs to me, though, that perhaps Jesus was also warning his first-century followers about falling into hypocrisy to save their skins, keeping up the appearance of a good Jew while being a secret Christian. (See Galatians 2:11-13) We can do the same thing. We try to live as private Christians, blending in with the culture when not at church to avoid controversy or ridicule. Holy Spirit, examine me and convict me of either kind of hypocrisy, and strengthen me to live wholeheartedly as a follower of Jesus, inside and out.

Jesus also warns us to fear God, not man. Some of those listening to Jesus that day would face persecution that ended in death, a risk many followers of Jesus today in other parts of the world also face. Today in America, we do not. And yet, we are tempted to fear man – to fear rejection or embarrassment – more than we fear and honor God. Dave restated that temptation as caring more about pleasing a human being than about pleasing God. He gave as examples a husband abdicating leadership to avoid conflict with his wife and parents remaining silent about sin in a child’s life to avoid alienating them. Pray daily: Heavenly Father, I want to please You today as my highest priority. Show me, in the moment, when I am compromising my obedience to you to appease a mere human being.

Dave summarized Jesus’ third warning this way: Confess Jesus and avoid blaspheming the Spirit. Jesus tells us, “Acknowledge me before men,” trusting the Holy Spirit to give us the words. Acknowledge Jesus as the Christ at every opportunity – whether in a friendly or a hostile setting. Be who you are in him, all the time. Jesus underlines the seriousness of this command in verse 10 by saying that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Dave explained this confusing verse using Hebrews 6:4-6 as a cross-reference. He considered the example of Judas, who “tasted” the heavenly gift of the Son over three years but who stubbornly and repeatedly rejected Jesus. Lord, don’t let us shed these warnings like water off a duck’s back. Help us sit with them, absorb them, and heed them.

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert

* This is an abbreviated version of our weekly prayer blog. For the full version, including congregation prayer requests, subscribe  .