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Woe unto You, Scribes and Pharisees – between 1886 and 1894 – James Tissot (1836–1902)
The idea of “leaven” is used in both good and bad ways in the New Testament, but it is most often used like it is in Matthew 16:5-12 where Jesus discusses the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
The two groups had formed a powerful and loud opposition to Jesus. Despite his miracles, teachings and the fulfilled, they were failing to recognize (or at least acknowledge) that Christ could possibly be the Messiah. They were making sure they kept doubt and denials fresh in the people’s minds. They attempted to discredit him by saying things like:
- Elijah had not come
- His signs were of the devil
- He sinned against Jewish traditions
- He violated the Sabbath
- He ate with sinners
- He was a glutton and drunk
This campaign against Jesus is a lot like what is still going on. People have placed themselves above following Christ’s simple gospel and are working overtime to get the masses to accept sin. They even approach it as if there is some moral imperative to be tolerant of even sinful behavior.
The points we can make from this event are a lot like what I posted in the No Longer Silent article – We have to be aware of those that are undermining the gospel. Just like the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, the leaven of the liberal and sinful world will slowly consume “the whole lump”. We cannot remain silent or fail to take action when we see it in action.
Here is how we defend Christ against this so called leaven entering into the attitudes of Christians:
- Know why certain behaviors are sinful
- Know how to properly reference the Bible context that make an action sinful
- Know the tricks they use to wrest the Scriptures’ meaning
What are some current issues for which you need to be better informed? (Both in scripture and the dissenting viewpoints)
January 24, 2014
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