Thoughts for the Day

Meanwhile, when the crowd gathered in thousands, so that they trampled on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, 'Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops.'

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

The media takes great delight in criticising anyone and everyone. The more famous and more public-spirited someone is, the journalists seem to enjoy digging down to see what lies underneath and if they can find any dirt. Having helped to build up someone and place them on a pedestal, they seem to have a need to pull them down. So texts and phone calls are searched to find what was said behind closed doors and in secret.

Jesus is teaching his disciples about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees; about the fact that while they are attacking him for teaching and his way of life, they are not as white as white themselves. He calls their attitude 'leaven'. Just as leaven (that is yeast) can change material, turning flour and water into dough when we make bread, so the Pharisees are having a huge negative effect on the people. They seem so holy in their demand for the people to keep to the Law of Moses, but Jesus says that God sees into their souls, and He does not like hypocrisy.

Perhaps we should take ourselves to task when we are critical of others, remembering that God knows what we say and think in secret, and we will be taken to task one day.

Lord God,
we too are hypocrites like the Pharisees
when we think ourselves
better than other people,
and when we make negative judgements
about them.
Help us to be honest with ourselves,
and acknowledge our own shortcomings,
rather than seek those in other people.
Amen.