1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. 3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. (Luke 12:1-3 KJV)
Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees
In this chapter, our blessed Savior gives his disciples many instructions for faithfully fulfilling their duty in preaching the gospel. In particular, he commends to them two essential virtues: sincerity (Luke 12:1-3) and courage (Luke 12:4-5).
He first commends to them the grace of sincerity: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
Learn from this that hypocrisy is a dangerous leaven (yeast) that ministers and believers must be especially careful to avoid. Hypocrisy is vice masked as virtue; God is outwardly professed, but self is truly intended. It is compared to leaven because of its sourness and its tendency to spread. Leaven is a small piece of sourdough that permeates the entire batch of bread into which it is mixed. In the same way, hypocrisy spreads throughout a person—his duties, abilities, and actions are all tainted by it.
Leaven is also swelling in nature—it puffs up the dough, just as hypocrisy inflates the heart with pride. The Pharisees were a proud and rigid group, always seeking prominence—chief places, chief seats, important titles, and to be called “Rabbi, Rabbi.” As leaven is difficult to distinguish from good dough at first glance, so is hypocrisy hard to tell apart from sincerity. The Pharisees appeared righteous on the outside but were full of hypocrisy and wickedness on the inside (Matthew 23:28).
Next, observe the reason Christ gives to warn against hypocrisy: “There is nothing covered that will not be revealed” (Luke 12:2). As if he had said, the day is coming when a corrupt heart will no longer pass under the disguise of a solemn expression. In the day of judgment, hypocrites will be exposed; God, angels, and people will see their shame.
Learn from this that God will, in time, strip away all the varnish and appearance that hypocrites use to cover their professions, exposing them to their own horror and to the astonishment of the world.