“Jesus said to them, ‘Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’” – Matthew 16:6
Yeast, leaven, is invisible to the naked eye but radically transforms ordinary flour into dough. Even a tiny amount has a profound effect. In baking, this is generally a good thing. In matters of faith, Jesus warns that it isn’t. He warns His followers that even a small dose of the legalistic rules and traditions of the established religious authorities can damage the faith of His followers.
If this sounds harsh, it is. However, the message of Jesus – that we’re saved purely by God’s grace toward us when we believe in Jesus – is radically different from the message of the religious establishment. Jesus came to set us free from the burden of trying to save ourselves by obedience to the Law and the many man-made rules that had been piled on top of it by the Pharisees and Sadducees. What God had originally given Israel as a blessing had become a burden that couldn’t be carried by anyone.
Jesus came to lift that burden. He removed it through His own perfect obedience, perfect sacrifice, death, and resurrection. Jesus made it so we are reconciled to God by grace because God is gracious in Himself. Our right standing with God is based on His love and mercy rather than our rule-following. This glorious truth sets us free to live lives overflowing with grace and gratitude rather than lives of grim, grudging, grinding, self-discipline.
Nonetheless, Jesus knew that people would try to put those burdens back on our newly freed souls. It was true then, it remains true. As amazing as grace is, we struggle with it. We desperately want to add something to it. God’s grace makes us uncomfortable because we can’t control it. So, we want to add legalities and man-made rules back to our worship and joyous following of Jesus. That’s the leaven of the Pharisees and Scribes. That’s the temptation that religion easily falls into. The creation of man-made rules. The enforcement of those rules. The elevation of those rules. It remains a danger to our enjoyment of God’s grace. Obey Jesus, not man-made rules. Live by God’s grace, not by the permission and approval of people. Beware the leaven of modern day Pharisees and Sadducees! #FollowJesus