Scripture to Read: Luke 12:1–3
Jesus had thousands of people following Him at different times. In Luke 12:1–3, God had Luke record this for us, “Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 3 Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.’” The crowd was so massive that people were stepping on one another as they tried to get closer to Jesus. Jesus was always investing in those around Him, but at this point in Luke 12, He made sure to address His disciples directly, not that others could not hear Him, but He wanted His disciples to know what they would face. Jesus compared the hypocrisy of the Pharisees to leaven in the dough. It takes very little leaven to impact the entire lump of dough, and it only takes a little hypocrisy to impact a large group of people. Hypocrisy creeps in when people want to be popular and powerful, so, they’ll pretend to be something they’re not, but, as Jesus told His disciples, nothing stays in the dark with God. He knows the true heart of everyone, and He’ll be the One to reveal all lies and deception one day, as they are revealed through His light.
Challenge & Application
Why did Jesus warn His disciples to be aware of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees?
Why should we be aware of hypocrisy, and what kind of destruction does hypocrisy bring to those impacted by it?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!