Jesus warned his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The leaven is both their teaching (Matthew 16:1-12) and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1-3). Leaven is a metaphor for influence. Hypocrisy is the evil influence of self-righteousness and pretense. Hypocrites do not practice what they preach; or they may preach their boasts in religion. Their priority on the outward marks of adherence, appearance and achievement distorts how they interpret and teach the word of God.
The religion of the Sadducees centered in the institution, rule and rituals of the Jewish temple according to the Law of Moses. The Pharisees sought to preserve the sanctity of the temple and of the Jewish people by separating themselves through a vow of obedience to the traditions of the elders of the Jews. These scribes and teachers of the Law, over many years taught, debated and formalized traditions for observing the Law and Prophets. In spite of their faults it seems they valued and sought to preserve the distinctiveness of the Jews as a people who live by God’s laws and thus are faithful to the covenant. Unlike the Sadducees, the Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead, angels and spirits; for they considered whether an angel or spirit had spoken to Paul (Acts 23:8-10). These two parties had many other disagreements, but they both agreed that Jesus was a threat to their established patterns of religion. Consequently, the Gospel provides evidence of the controversies between Jesus and teachers of both the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Jesus corrected the Sadducees for interpreting the Law of Moses in a way which denied the power of the living God to impart to His covenant people life that survives and overcomes death (Matthew 22:23-33). Think about the leaven of those who disable the living God from fulfilling His own promises and own purpose to bless and to impart life and joy now and forever. That is exactly what happened to me, when once upon a time my teachers interpreted scripture in a way to assert that the Holy Spirit did not personally indwell the Christian, but exclusively exercised His influence through the Bible. I believe that such false teaching has mostly been corrected in content; but leaven has the power to spread throughout the dough and prevent realization in practice until hearts are swept clean.
We must sweep away the leaven that keeps us from realizing Christ in us, the continual fullness of his Holy Spirit, and Christ’s resurrection power and rule in these times which belong to the coming ages (See Ephesians; e.g. Ephesians 1:13-2:7 and 5:15-20). It was and is God’s intent that we enjoy a taste, not only of the goodness of the word of God, but of the powers of the life to come (Hebrews 6). Does the pattern of teaching that you received lead you to seek the fullness of this taste; or does it divert your attention to the defense of sectarian doctrines that have the appearance of godliness, but the power of true godliness is denied.
The Apostle John told a story that is recorded in John 5 and referenced again in John 7 that created a controversy between Jesus and the Jews at the Temple. By Jews John means the Jewish leadership at the Temple, which consisted of Pharisees and chief priests, who were most often Sadducees (John 7:32). So it seems both parties teamed together to attack Jesus about claiming to do His Father’s work by healing on the Sabbath just as God also works, even on the Sabbath. To them this kind of claim implied equality with God, because he claimed a privilege that the Law prohibited according to their teachings (John 5:1-18). The pattern of teaching they had understood about the Sabbath, Jesus now challenged.
Jesus then proceeded to challenge the whole premise of their thinking that they had correctly understood the scriptures (John 5:19-47). From Jesus we see their typical approach to Scripture, as exemplified in the development of the do’s and don’ts of Sabbath day laws, caused them to miss God’s own revelation of Himself, His voice and saving works in Jesus His Anointed One. The leaven of their own teachings had paralyzed themselves within the confines of a written code that prevented them from rejoicing that God had worked on the Sabbath through Jesus, healing a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.
Invalid describes the state of many churches that are too sickly, disabled and weak to move. She grumbles too much, wearing out her kindhearted leaders, and preferring overbearing sectarians who know the power of a religious system, not of the Lord. Alas, the church is a flock of sheep also, and the wild animals routinely harass her and cultivate suspicion and grumbling against her shepherds and stewards. The church needs healing from Jesus; the church needs to enter its Sabbath rest and be restored by the ministry of her High Priest (Hebrews 3 and 4). Pray that the church may enter and enjoy her Sabbath rest by confidence in her Lord.
You have noticed haven’t you that Jesus often healed on the Sabbath. He wasn’t just looking for a fight, but he was by his works announcing the rest that the Sabbath foreshadowed. These are the kind of patterns that should be noticed, understood and embraced by the church. Jesus can take this wilderness experience and make the bitter water sweet, and then lead us to the oasis of Elim where we are refreshed by a rest. Jesus is also the Rock which was struck once when blood and water came forth providing redemption and cleansing. Now the Rock only needs to be spoken to in faith, so that the refreshment of his Holy Spirit will continue to well up from within us. God’s Sabbath rest is meant to be experienced now so that we will anticipate the eternal rest and joy of heaven; and so that we, the church, will take up our bed and walk. But I must ask to provoke thought and action: How will we know we can take up our bed and walk if we do not sweep out of God’s house the leaven of unbelief, worldliness, hypocrisy, self-righteousness, pretense, sectarianism, grumbling, pleasing self and self-will, harassing and rejecting men who really speak God’s word, and all other forms of invalidism? Pray that the church may enter and enjoy her Sabbath rest by encouraging one another daily so we will keep our confidence in our Lord, and move forward.
Cite: Buttram, Bryan. Hermeneutics: In Search of Pattern or Reality? (Part III). Bryanbuttram.wordpress.com: 2008/02/12.
2 Comments
February 18, 2008 at Monday, February 18, 2008
While most Christians in the Churches of Christ now reject the view of the Holy Spirit as operating only in and through scripture, the effectual consequences of this erronious view still linger in some mighty ways. The church in the book of Acts was a Spirit empowered and Spirit led church that accomplished amazing things for the sake of the kingdom. Today, I meet many Christians who act as though God is unable to accomplish anything beyond what our mind can fathom. Thus, faith is limited to what is seen and understood (though few would dare admit such a notion). I believe the erronious view of the Holy Spirit’s work was as much a product of modernism as the traditional Restoration hermeneutic. Of course, the Churches of Christ and the entire Restoration Movement are not the only congregations to suffer this problem.
It will take a lot of work to restore a faith (Heb 11 faith) that is filled with a vision so big that it can only be accomplished by God working through the power of his Holy Spirit in his people. For such to happen, we must learn to let go of the control.
Rex
Ithaca Church of Christ
Ithaca, NY
March 14, 2008 at Friday, March 14, 2008
Thanks for your thoughts, Rex. Always insightful and instructive.