Biblical Discipleship Pt. 11 Discipleship and avoiding Hypocrisy

Many Pastors voiced concern about a lack of good, fundamental discipleship programs for believers. We have been looking at discipleship in the Old and New Testaments in an effort to see what the Bible teaches about this subject. 

Presently, we have been sitting in the school of Jesus to learn how Christ discipled believers. 

Disciples warned against hypocrites.

Matthew 16:1-4  The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. 2)  He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. 3)  And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? 4)  A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

The scribes and Pharisees are often mentioned together as watching or attacking Jesus. This is the first time that we read of Pharisees combining with Sadducees for this purpose. The two sects were directly opposed to each other. However, they united in hostility toward Christ, because His teaching upended their beliefs.

The word "tempting" means that both groups had a malicious intent to trap Jesus with His words. They demanded a sign from heaven which we might think is a bit strange unless we knew what they believed about the supernatural. 

Most rabbis believed that demons could produce certain miracles on earth, but they held that only God could produce a miracle from heaven.

No doubt they heard about the feeding of the multitude by Jesus but that was a miracle done "on earth" and this seems to be why they asked for a miracle from heaven. They wanted a display like Elijah calling down fire upon the soldiers who came to arrest him (2 Kings 1:1-18). Thus, Jesus condemned them for their unbelief. 

Jesus condemned their hypocrisy because they dutifully exercised careful observation of weather patterns to plan their work according to what might occur. In like manner they could have been searching the scriptures to see the signs pointing to the coming of Messiah, but this they did not do. 

The disciples did not grasp what Jesus was saying.

Matthew 16:5-7 And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6) Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 7) And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. 

Jesus' disciples must have been witnesses to the exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus warned them about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 

Leaven is used to make bread dough rise. A small portion is mixed in with flour and other ingredients and then left to sit until the leaven permeates an entire lump of dough. 

Hypocrites pose a great danger to all disciples.  Most of us would readily detect heresy or false doctrine and keep our guard up. However, we might be fooled by those who are pretentious. 

Pharisees pretended to be righteous men by maintaining a good outward appearance. The Sadducees pretended to be objective searchers for truth but they were like lying politicians, saying whatever someone wanted to hear in order to gain their confidence, for their own advantage. 

The corrupt principles and practices of the Pharisees and Sadducees are compared to leaven that sours, swells, and spreads, until a whole lump is fermented. The main idea of leaven is that the teachings of Pharisees and Sadducees was corrupt and immoral, polluting all that it touched. 

The disciples missed this point entirely and assumed that Jesus meant they had not taken enough bread along for their journey.

The disciples underestimated Christ. 

Matthew 16:8-10  Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? 9) Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 10) Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 

Jesus reminded them of the two vast multitudes of people that He fed and of the abundant leftovers. If it was merely bread then did they not understand yet that He could just as easily take some crumbs and feed them? 

Leaven was a symbol for moral corruption. 

Matthew 16:11-12  How 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? 12) Then 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.

Finally, it sank into the disciples that Jesus spoke about the teaching and doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees as being a corrupting influence upon all who heard it.

The word "leaven" means something that is mentally and morally corrupt and infects everything it comes in contact with. 

Jesus probed the depth of their faith. 

Matthew 16:13-16  When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14) And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15) He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16) And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 

After the exchange with the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus and His disciples began to travel to another place. Here are two questions that every person needs to grapple with. 

First question is, "whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" This is the idea of asking someone in our family, neighborhood or workplace what they know about Christ. "Who is He?" was asked. Like Jesus we want to see what someone's understanding of spiritual things really is so we might engage them with the gospel. 

The second question is more direct and personal. "But whom say ye that I am?" Most people have opinions about everything and if we probe to see what they think about Christ we may get a variety of answers. Some may say He was a morally upright man. Others may say Jesus was just a teacher. 

The most important questions is at the individual level. "Who do I say that Jesus is?" or "Who do you say Jesus is?" Answers to these questions will show the spiritual condition of each person. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

Pastors, Parents and Parishioners receive some more discipleship training from the Lord Jesus Christ. 

First, Jesus alerts us to watch out for hypocrites. Pretentious people will say one thing to your face and then stab you in the back. They pretend to be righteous by hiding under a garment of religious activity. 

Proverbs 26:24-25  He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; 25) When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart. 

We must be on guard against those who speak like a Christian but are still spiritually dead on the inside. 

King Solomon wrote about hypocrites. The word "disembleth" means to disguise your intent so  the other person is unaware of what your are scheming to do. 

A hypocrite covers up his malicious character under layers of lies. Do not believe anything this person says. 

Second, Jesus cautions us not to underestimate what He is capable of doing. The disciples thoughtlessly worried about finding bread. They seemingly forgot the mighty miracles of Jesus feeding both crowds of 5,000 and 4,000 people plus women and children. 

Pastors can be overwhelmed by ministry obligations. 

Parents can become weary from correcting their children and bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 

Parishioners may slip into apathy or find that their hearts are cold toward the things of God. They may find that they do not want to obey God. 

The solution for Pastors, Parents and Parishioners is the same. Turn to the Lord of glory because with God all things are possible. 

Our faith will be tested by the Lord for He wants to show us where we are weak, so that we might seek His intervention in our soul. 
Bob