By Martin Morrison
In Jewish society at the time of Jesus, there was a common form of teaching called “haraz” or “a string of pearls”. Luke 12 would be a very good example of this teaching method, where pearls of teaching are strung together like a string of pearls. There are nine such “pearls” in Luke 12, and we will explore each pearl individually over the next two weeks, starting today with Luke 12:1 – 3. It will be most helpful if you can have that passage open in front of you.
You will notice in vs. 1, that Jesus is preaching to a crowd of many thousands. Perhaps the Orlando Pirates Stadium in Soweto comes to mind! What made it somewhat chaotic is that because there was no sound system or loudspeakers, everyone tried to get as close to Jesus as possible. In fact, there were so many that they were trampling on each other.
Jesus is teaching his disciples in the midst of this crowd. No doubt, what he says to his disciples, will be overheard by the outsiders. The dual purpose of Jesus’s teaching meant that many would hear and obey. Many outsiders in turn would become insiders.obvious purpose being that when they hear and obey, the outsiders in turn may become insiders. Which, incidentally, is a very good reason to invite your non-Christian friends to church or send them a Christian article, inviting their comments. Let’s never forget thatLike you and me, we were at one time outsiders who became insiders, when we were exposed to the words of Jesus, by a kind and patient friend.
Jesus starts this string of pearls with a stunning warning.
In vs. 1, he says, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy”. Most of us know that the Pharisees, were a strict religious movement within Judaism. They were regarded as the custodians or interpreters of the law of Moses. They would have been regarded as the most religious, most moral upstanding members of Jewish society. Perhaps today, many in our culture would consider priests and ministers and rabbis in this category. Perhaps, someone like myself. However, most unexpectedly, Jesus was very often in conflict with them. He very often used them and their teaching as a foil to his own teaching. Almost always they were at loggerheads.
Jesus identifies the real problem he has with the Pharisees and likens their problem to leaven or yeast. Let me explain. The holy grail in breadmaking is Sourdough. Sourdough bread is unique, because it does not require commercial yeast in order to rise. It’s made with a live culture of wild yeast and bacteria, a sourdough starter which acts as a natural leavening agent. This culture or leaven permeates the entire dough and makes the bread dough rise. The key, is the sourdough starter. Trust me, we have a sourdough starter in the kitchen which needs to be kept alive with regular feedings like a pet! I have huge experience, watching my wife!
The problem with the Pharisees, is that their sourdough starter worked perfectly. Too well in fact. It permeated everything. Jesus called their sourdough starter “hypocrisy”. I think C S Lewis gets close to the heart of hypocrisy when he says, “How difficult it is to avoid having a special standard for oneself”. I think in recent days, the ex-Health Minister of Scotland or the special advisor to UK Prime Minister, Dominic Cummings would bear witness to the accuracy of Lewis! And that’s not even mentioning you or me!
For Jesus, it was much worse and significantly more serious. For instance in Luke 11:42 Jesus says, “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God”. I think in recent days, this would be someone, who is an upstanding member and lay-leader in their Bible-believing church, never misses a Sunday or a prayer meeting, but happily practises racism and profiling in their daily lives. So toxic is this hypocrisy, that Jesus pronounces an eternal judgement from God. They have majored on externals and simply ignored the two greatest commandments, to love God and love your neighbour. William Barclay correctly said, “No man is a Christian when he meticulously observes the conventions of religion and forgets the realities”. Jesus speaks eternal damnation on such behaviour.
In ancient Greek theatre, all actors wore masks. The purpose was to conceal the real person and take on the persona of someone else. The Greek word for actor was hypokrites, from which we get our word hypocrite. Meaning, someone who is play acting or assuming a counterfeit persona. The hypocrite is never genuine, always play-acting a part. Applying this to our church member and lay-leader, their religious life is simply a role they play. It bears no relation to the kind of person they really are off-stage.
Alexander the Great was born in Greece and lived around 350 BC. As King of the Greek Kingdom of Macedon, he conquered much of the ancient world. In one battle, he was disciplining a soldier who had turned away in fear from facing the advancing enemy. Condemned to death, the soldier was led away, until Alexander noticed that he was still only a young boy. Reversing his sentence, he asked the young boy, “And what is your name?” “Alexander, Sir” he timidly replied. Alexander stood up in surprise and then dismissed him by saying, “Change your name or change your conduct”.
Nowhere in all four Gospels do you find Jesus showing greater fury than towards the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. There is time and teaching for the woman caught in adultery; there is patience and kindness for Thomas and his doubts; there is even forgiveness for the spinelessness of Peter who denies his Saviour. But for habitual, hard- hearted, brazen- faced hypocrisy, there is only eternal damnation.
Jesus knows full well our weaknesses and failures. He knows full well our besetting sins. He knows full well our mixed motives, at best. There is grace for all of those who call on him for mercy and repentance. But play-acting to be a follower of Jesus, yet knowing full well that you aren’t, will unleash God’s full wrath upon your shoulders, with no mercy.
Change your name or change your conduct. Infinitely better not to call yourself a Christian, than to play the part! Believe me, the judgement will be lighter and possibly more bearable.