Luke 6:1-5 [The Leaven of the Pharisees]

[Things to Meditate On]

1. The word “Pharisee” is said to mean “one who is separated.” They respected the law and the tradition of the elders (Mark 7:5), and they are said to have tried to keep the law precisely, even in small and ordinary matters of daily life. Because they were like this, they could not simply pass over the fact that the disciples of Jesus plucked the ears of corn on the sabbath, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them, but instead rebuked them. Not only in this matter, but also when Jesus healed a blind man on the sabbath, the Pharisees disputed among themselves as follows.

John 9:13-16 “13They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. 14And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. 15Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. 16Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.”

2. Thus, the Pharisees reacted strongly to things they regarded as violations of the law. And because they themselves tried to keep the law so thoroughly, they considered themselves righteous and were said to have refused to associate with sinners. For this reason, they thought it strange that Jesus was with sinners.

Luke 7:36-50 “36And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. 37And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. 39Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner... 48And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 49And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?...”

3. Jesus pointed out what was wrong with the Pharisees, who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, through the following words.

Luke 18:9-14 “9And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

[Decision and Application]

The Pharisees thought themselves righteous because they kept the law and the tradition of the elders precisely. However, they did not know that the only One who can truly justify a person is Jesus alone. No matter how much a person believes himself to be righteous, if Jesus does not acknowledge it, it is of no use at all (Matthew 7:22-23). Therefore, we must always humble ourselves before Jesus (James 4:10). In Luke 6:1-2 above, the Pharisees condemned Jesus and His disciples by the law (Exodus 31:13-16) because the disciples had plucked the ears of corn on the sabbath and rubbed them in their hands to eat. But they did this because they did not truly know the will of God, who had spoken that law. The true will of God, as Jesus taught, is as follows.

1 Samuel 21:3-6 “3Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present. 4And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women... 6So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.”

This is the passage Jesus quoted when He answered the Pharisees (verses 3-4). In this passage, the bread David ate with his young men was holy bread, that is, the shewbread. And as Jesus said, the law of God records that the “shewbread” was to be eaten only by the priests (Leviticus 24:8-9). Nevertheless, the priest gave that bread to the hungry David and his young men, and they ate it. Yet although they had broken the law of God, they did not die.

Some people say, concerning this, that the word of God has “two sides.” Perhaps they think this because in one passage God seems to say not to eat, while in another passage it seems acceptable to eat. However, it is not that the word of God has two opposing sides. Rather, when we discern the will of God through Scripture, we can understand why He spoke in each case as He did. Through the words of Jesus below, we can understand the true meaning of the sabbath.

Matthew 12:7 “But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.”

Thus, Jesus quoted the writing of the prophet Hosea in the Old Testament and explained to the Pharisees that God does not desire sacrifice, but mercy. In other words, because the sabbath was made for man (Mark 2:27), it is lawful to do good to a person on the sabbath. Because of this word, we can also understand why David and his young men were able to eat the holy shewbread, which only the priests were allowed to eat, and yet live. It was because this was an act of showing “mercy,” which God regards as right.

Matthew 12:11-12 “11And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 12How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.”

As Jesus, the Lord of the sabbath (verse 5), said, doing good on the sabbath was the true will of God. Yet the Pharisees did not properly discern this will of God, and therefore they merely tried to “do nothing” on the sabbath. If they had known that God desired “mercy,” they too would have shown kindness to others on the sabbath.

Thus, although the Pharisees claimed to keep the law thoroughly in their own way, because they did not properly discern the will of God, Jesus called their teaching “leaven.”

Matthew 16:6-12 “6Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees... 11How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? 12Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”

We today also must beware of this kind of leaven. Now, in order for us to become unleavened (1 Corinthians 5:6-7), just as it is written that none of the book of the LORD shall be without its mate (Isaiah 34:16), we must seek to understand the meaning of the words written in Scripture only through the words written in Scripture (Revelation 22:18-19). When we try to judge and understand the word of God through human thoughts, we end up committing the same error as the Pharisees. Therefore, when we approach the Scriptures, it is important for us to receive the word with readiness of mind and search the Scriptures daily to see whether these things are so (Acts 17:11). This is important for us because now we must discern what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God, and do according to that will. Only those who do the will of God the Father can enter the kingdom of heaven.

Romans 12:1-2 “1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Matthew 7:21 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

Amen.