The Yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees

I have been reading the book of Matthew, so my last couple of blogs have been thoughts that have opened up during those times... This one is also from the Book of Matthew.  I got stuck on the leftovers after Jesus had fed the five thousand (Matthew, chapter 14) and the four thousand (Matthew, chapter 15). When feeding the five thousand, Jesus had five loaves of bread and two fishes, and when feeding the four thousand, he had seven loaves and few small fishes. The total number fed did not include the women and children. Each time, Jesus, his disciples and the masses were far away from town as the bible mentions the concern of the disciples when Jesus asked them to feed the masses. They were in a desolate place the first time and the second time they were in the wilderness, each time far away from town.  After the five thousand were fed, twelve baskets of leftovers were collected and following the feeding of the four thousand, there were seven large baskets of leftovers that were collected. Jesus performed this miracle of feeding the masses twice and each time he had the disciples gather the leftovers - twelve baskets, the first time and the second time, seven large baskets.

I wondered what happened to the food that was gathered up; was it still edible, because the bible mentions they were scraps, leftovers, after the masses had their fill. Each time following these events, the Bible mentions that Jesus and his disciples got in to a boat and left. Did Jesus and his twelve disciples need to lug around heavy baskets of food for their own provision? I think not, after all the man who multiplied scarce rations to feed the masses not once, but twice, was quite capable of taking care of his disciples and himself.  I have heard preachers mention that this was God's way of teaching us about the principle of "waste not what you want not." I don't want to second guess this line of thought, but that was not doing it for me.  While the baskets full of leftovers stayed on my mind, I had come to Matthew chapter 16.

In this and preceding chapters, we read of Jesus performing fantastic miracles: A vast crowd brought him the lame, blind, crippled, mute, and many others with physical difficulties, and they laid them before Jesus.  And he healed them all.  The crowd was amazed!  Those who hadn't been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking around, and those who had been blind could see again! And they praised the God of Israel!  Not only was he healing physical ailments, but he also cast out evil spirits. There was the woman who approached Jesus and his disciples, pleading with him to heal her daughter who had a demon in her and was severely tormenting her. Seeing her persistence and great faith, Jesus granted her request and healed her daughter instantly. (Matthew 15:21-31). In the preceding chapter we read, after Jesus had fed the five thousand, they crossed the lake and landed at Gennesaret. The news of their arrival spread quickly throughout the whole surrounding area, and soon people were bringing all their sick to be healed.  The sick begged him to let them touch even the fringe of his robe, and all who touched it were healed. (Matthew 14:34-36).  I will leave out the miracle of Jesus walking on water as the audience to this were his disciples and not the masses.

One thing that stands out in these chapters is that following these amazing feats of miracles, there was a group of people who continuously tested Jesus - the Pharisees and the Sadducees - asking for one more sign from heaven! While Jesus was performing boat loads of miracles among the masses - the common man, the Pharisees and the Sadducees were the high society, the learned, and the elite of the Jewish community. They were the keepers and the interpreters of the Jewish and the Mosaic laws, steeped in age old traditions.  It was they who set and interpreted the law for the rest of the Jews. This  group was hard to convince of the divine nature of all that was happening around the man they knew by the name of Jesus as it seemed contrary to their knowledge, experience and traditions. Jesus found it easier to convince the common man than the ones who were learned.

We read of a prayer Jesus prayed in Matthew 11:25-26, "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise and clever, and for revealing it to the childlike.  Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!" The masses approached Christ with childlike faith in his ability to heal and cast out demons for they didn't need proofs beyond what they had heard and seen. The Pharisees and the Sadducees on the other hand could not rationalize what they had heard and seen and wanted more proof. And so they approached Jesus, we read in Matthew 16, to test his claims asking him to perform for them one more miraculous sign from heaven. He replied, "You know the saying, 'Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow, red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.' You are good at reading the weather signs in the sky, but you can't read the obvious signs of the times! Only an evil, faithless generation would ask for a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah." (Matthew 16:1-4).  By the sign of Jonah, Jesus was referring to his own crucifixion, death and resurrection.

Following this incident Jesus warns his disciples, "Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." His disciples thought he was complaining because they had not brought any bread with them. Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he said, "You have so little faith! Why are you worried about having no food? Won't you ever understand? Don't you remember the five thousand I fed with five loaves and the baskets of food that were left over? Don't you remember the four thousand  fed with seven loaves, with baskets of food left over? How could you even think I was talking about food? So again I say, 'Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." The disciples at last understood that he was not speaking about yeast or bread, but about the false teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:5-12).  The hypocrisy in their lives.

There was something very similar to these events in the old testament book of Numbers, chapter 11.  We read of an incident with the Israelites as they were being led by Moses through the wilderness. After having traveled for quite some time, the Israelites started complaining for meat to eat as they got tired of eating the same old mannah that God had provided for them each day of their march from captivity to the Promised Land. Lord heard their complaint and answered to Moses that he was going to provide meat; meat to eat until they were sick of it. Moses was amazed at God's answer. We read 'But Moses said to God, "There are 600,000 foot soldiers here with me, and yet you promise them meat for a whole month. Even if we butchered all our flocks and herds, would that satisfy them? Even if we caught all the fish in the sea, would that be enough?" Then the Lord answered to Moses, "Is there any limit to my power?  Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!"' (Numbers 11:21-23) We read later in the chapter that God sent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall into the Israelite camp and all around it! For many miles in every direction from the camp there were quail three feet deep on the ground." All the Israelites had to do was pick quails up from the ground, butcher them, cook them and eat.

How did the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the religious experts who knew the history of the Israelites, miss the signs during the time of Christ? Oh, they could explain the wind from the sea and even rationalize the resulting quails on the ground (in unheard of numbers!), but couldn't rationalize the blind see, the lepers cured, the lame walk, the mute healed, and the demons flee at a command from Jesus.  We are experts at predictions when we are able to rationalize the cause and its effects.  Isn't that so in our christian walk?  We are heroes of faith when we know the end result of exercising that faith whether good or bad.  We have a less questioning mind in God's ability to heal the common cold, than if it was something more critical. We may profess faith in an all capable God, but quite often our actions betray us. When we try to rationalize the all powerful, all capable creator of heaven and earth with our earth bound experiences and knowledge, we quite often run into hurdles. How could the limitless be rationalized by the limited? In the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, we read that "it is impossible to please God without faith.  Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him."

As a christian, do you exercise your faith in Christ or is your faith life a life of hypocrisy? Doubt resulting from a mind that cannot rationalize God's doing is like that yeast which though in small quantity does it's work of permeating a much larger quantity of dough, and its work is hidden away from plain sight. I am not against knowledge or the pursuit of truth. I am all for people pursuing knowledge and truth, asking the questions that need answers.  Though I pray your educated brilliant mind does not dismiss the beauty of God's work when you are not able to explain away, but keep looking for the answers remembering our earth bound experiences and knowledge may not always provide us a rational answer for the doings of an infinite God.  Christ teaches that child like faith is required to see the glory of God in your life.  (Matthew 11:25-26). As children, we totally trusted our parents to provide all our needs - for food, clothing, shelter and protection. Are you as a Christian able to do so with your heavenly father - God? Is your faith in Christ complete?

Now about those leftovers, we know the disciples didn't carry them back with them to where they were going. (Matthew 16:5).  Yet Jesus had them collect the leftovers each time. First, there were twelve baskets of leftovers after feeding the five thousand (discounting all the women and children). These were leftovers resulting from five loaves and two fishes. The second time around there were seven large baskets of leftovers that Jesus had the disciples collect after four thousand men (again discounting all the women and the children) were fed with seven loaves of bread and few small fish.  By having them collect the baskets of leftovers twice, Jesus was really driving home a point to his disciples. It didn't matter that they were in a desolate place or out in the middle of the wilderness, it didn't matter that the provisions were not enough for the masses, let alone themselves. He was teaching them his all sufficiency! That he was an all sufficient God!! Paul wrote in Ephesians 3, "He is able to do everything exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." According to the faith that we have in Christ.

Beware of the yeast of the Pharisee and the Sadducees my friend. Seek God sincerely and you will find him. God bless you!

Chris Tomlin - Whom Shall I fear (God of Angel Armies)

Effective Prayer

Vincent van Gogh - resurrection of Lazarus

In Matthew chapter 7, in verses 7 through 11, we read,

"7.  Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find.  Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened.  8.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds.  And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.  9.  You parents-if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10. Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11.  If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him."

It's been two months since my last blog. November was a very eventful month. My father-in-law passed away just after midnight on November 12th, back in my country of birth. My wife and I made plans to travel a day later to attend the funeral services. It was the first Thanksgiving we had been separated from our two children. Even though, when a loved one departs, it's a sad event, my 84 year old father-in-law's death was full of hope for us as Christians.

You see, until about two weeks or so before his death, our relation had not been the best. Not because of our doing, but since my marriage to his daughter, he had sort of built a wall between us that I found very hard to cross over.  My wife and I traveled many hours to show our children when they were born, but the reception we got was icy cold to the point that he didn't seem to care.  It was so hurtful that I decided never to travel back. About two or three weeks before his death he was approached by a man of God who had no knowledge of his frayed relationship with his daughters (he had six daughters) and told him that time was near and that he needed to make peace with his children.  My father-in-law with the help of his wife made it a point to reach out to all his daughters. After a lengthy conversation between him and my wife, I remember the happy glow in her face, she had re-discovered her dad of her childhood.  He belonged to a very strong, family oriented church who was very instrumental in his radical change prior to his sudden death.  Though very saddened by his death, more so we were overjoyed to hear of the change in him which we to some extent realized in my wife's last conversations with him.

Our relationship had been a prayer topic for years that God answered with the change in his attitude towards all his children. On this trip I was also able to see first hand another miracle. One of my cousins that I had grown up with and loved had become an alcoholic to the point that he was dysfunctional without it. He grew up in a wealthy family enjoying the nicer things in life. But as an adult, he had destroyed his family's life, his business, and his own life. The last time I had seen him was about five years ago. He didn't look well. For a fifty something old man, he looked much older. He looked frail and sickly; honestly, I didn't think he was going to make it. He had been someone I had been praying over the years for God to intervene and make a change in his life. What is impossible and unthinkable for man, is possible for God.

On my recent visit in November to attend my father-in-law's funeral, I decided to pay a visit to my cousin. To my good surprise, he looked younger and fit, nothing like from my last visit. During our conversation, he mentioned that he had stopped drinking alcohol and that he had a new passion. He wanted to discover more about God, for he knew it was God's making that he got out of the clutches of alcoholism. Upon visiting his wife, I found a woman whose prayer had been answered and God had returned her husband back to her. Literally to see my cousin's transformation, I felt like I had witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus. (Ref. John, chapter 11) Here was a new man with a new purpose in his life!

In the old testament book of 1 Kings, we read about a mighty prophet of God, Elijah. We read there were times when he prayed once to God and God answered his prayer. There were other times when he had to pray three times, before God answered his prayer and yet there were other times when he prayed seven time or more before God answered his prayer. Our lesson here is we need to continue to pray in faith until our prayer is answered.

The text I quoted in the beginning are Jesus' instructions to us. He says that we should keep on asking and he states we will be given what we ask for. He instructs us to keep on looking and he states you will find. He instructs us to keep on knocking and he says the door will be opened.  He doesn't say you may perhaps find what you are looking for, or that perhaps you may receive what you are asking for or even perhaps may be the door will be opened to your knocking. There are no whimsical statements here from Jesus, but a confident assurance that you will find, you will receive and the door will be opened to you who keeps at it with your prayer. Your God can't lie for there is no lies in him.

God is not a man, that he should lie.  He is not a human, that he should change his mind.  Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? - (Numbers 23:19)

May God answer your prayers and enable you to see his glory and those around you to witness his glory!