Thoughts for the Day
Saturday, 12th December 2020: Beware the yeast of the Pharisees
Jesus Pharisees Sadducees Matthew 16
Reading : Verses from Matthew, Chapter 16
When the disciples had reached the other side they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, 'Watch out and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.' They said to one another, 'It is because we have brought no bread.' And becoming aware of it, Jesus said, 'You of little faith, why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many baskets you gathered? How could you fail to perceive that I was not speaking about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees! Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the yeast of bread but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
(Church in Wales Lectionary, from New Revised Standard Version)
Thoughts
You do have the feeling sometimes that the disciples are on a different wave-length to Jesus - in this case they're thinking about their stomachs! Jesus is concerned about the way the Pharisees and Sadducees, are stirring up feeling against him, while also laying a heavy burden on the people to keep the 40,000 laws, many of which make little sense. For example, it's ok to rescue your donkey from the well on the Sabbath, but you shouldn't heal someone.
In today's world we too have our 'Pharisees and Sadducees', those who stir things, cause confusion, or pass on rumours. We've probably all heard the best of these - the reason the Government wants you to be vaccinated against Covid is to put a microchip in your arm!
This may seem silly, but we can pass on gossip or false news from say, social media, which may damage others. A look on the world stage, wherever there are huge issues, can show us how this is exacerbated by what we say. The question is how free from gossip and rumour are we?
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
help us to be honest with ourselves
when we we pass on 'news',
and to ask whether there is a
necessity to tell others,
and whether we need to be a gossip.
Give us the ability to think
before we speak.
Amen.
Rumour and gossip can cause problems. Jesus warned his disciples to be aware of the way the Pharisees and Sadducees would incite trouble. Our equivalent is those who use rumour and gossip to spread false news, made all the more credible sometimes by social media posts. How can we stop falling into the trap of spreading rumour and gossip?
Maybe the following might help:
- Check out information given to you in another credible source.
- Ask yourself, "Would it help to pass this piece of news on to others?"
- Ask yourself, "Is this likely to cause difficulty for someone else?"