Beware of Leaven

Our Scripture reading for today is from the time when Jesus told his disciples to beware of leaven.

We will read, Matthew 16:5-6.
[5] When they crossed to the other side, the disciples forgot to take bread. [6] “Watch out!” Jesus told them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

You may think that you struggle with understanding God’s word, but even the apostles sometimes had this problem. When they heard these words, they completely missed the point. They thought he was warning them about forgetting to bring bread to eat. After some discussion, Jesus said,

[11] How do you not understand that I was not telling you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
[12] Then they understood that He was not telling them to beware of the leaven used in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 16:11-12).

In this teaching:
Jesus is warning us to be careful who our teachers are and what they teach us.
Jesus is warning us to be careful about the people we put around us.
Jesus is warning us that we will be influenced by those around us.

One great Bible command that directly illustrates the teaching is 1 Corinthians 15:33. It says, “Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good character.”

Why is this so? Because choosing the wrong people to let into your life does three things:

1. It changes who you let influence you. Your close friends’ habits, attitudes, and behaviors will rub off on you, shaping your own habits and mindset.
2. It changes who you go to for support and encouragement. If you are trying to give up smoking, don’t take a road trip with three friends who constantly smoke in the car with you around. You need folks around who will help you.
3. It changes your accountably friends. The point of AA meeting or group counseling is to be accountable to others. We may not realize it but we all do group counseling.

So, beware of the leaven of your closest friends. Bad company corrupts us. Maybe not today, but eventually.

Lonnie Davis