Mark 8:15.

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Mark 8:15 

“And He was giving orders to them, saying, watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” – Mark 8:15 

Jesus, along with His disciples, gets into the boat after His quarrel with the Pharisees and goes to the other side of the lake. “And they had forgotten to take bread; and did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them.” Mark 8:14. When they got into the boat they realized they had forgot to bring bread with them. And while in the boat, Jesus gives a warning to His disciples. “And He was giving orders to them, saying, Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” Mark 8:15. Now it appears that what Jesus said caused them to argue regarding their lack of bread. “And they began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread.” Mark 8:16. What Jesus had intended to be taken as a metaphor the disciples took literally.

Now when Jesus heard this, He asked them a series of questions, “And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?” Mark 8:17-18. Jesus asks them why they are worried about not having bread. Had they not been paying attention. “Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear?” Jesus was accusing them of being somewhat like the Jews in their lack of understanding regarding who He was. We see a similar statement in Isaiah warning the prophet how things would go with Him regarding the leadership. “And He said, go, and tell this people: Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand. Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed.” Isaiah 6:9-10. There is much here to discuss, however in context with this verse of the day, they were sounding like the current Jews. They had seen so much regarding Jesus, His miracles, and His care for them. But when things did not go as they expected, they began to doubt. He says, “Do you not remember?”

Then He brings up two examples that they personally experienced and should have remembered. “When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They said to Him, twelve. And when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up? And they said to Him, seven.” Mark 8:19-20. He had already shown them that shortage of food would never be an issue. But they argued about who forgot to bring the bread and thus leaving them hungry. Ultimately, He was asking them was, “Do you not yet understand?” Mark 8:21. And what He was speaking about was the phrase “And He was giving orders to them, saying, Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

The leaven of the Pharisees and Herod is essentially hypocrisy. We see this clarification in Luke’s gospel. “Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of the multitude had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” Luke 12:1. Jesus was pointing out that the teachings of the Pharisees were pervasive and produced hypocrisy and unbelief. The leaven of the Pharisees was simply a subtle and pervasive influence the Pharisees had over people. Those who followed the Pharisees might demand signs, but they would gradually increase in unbelief until they had hardened hearts, just like the Pharisees. And this same idea was seen in the rule of Herod, also a Jew. The teachings of the Pharisees were as pervasive as yeast in a loaf of bread. Their corruption was hardly perceptible but extensive. Jesus denounced them on several occasions and their hypocrisy was a common theme. The Pharisees displayed an outward conformity to the law, but their hearts were full of unbelief and sinfulness. We see this earlier in Mark as an example. “And He said to them, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN. Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” Mark 7:6-8.

By warning the disciples against the hypocrisy/leaven of the Pharisees, Jesus sought to keep His followers from an insidious influence that would undermine faith and corrupt their walk with God. Believers today should heed the same warning from the Lord and guard against pharisaic attitudes and the temptation to take pride in man-made teachings and traditions. Once a bit of leaven is introduced into the church, it can quickly spread.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Matthew 12:24

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 12:24 

“But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.” –  Matthew 12:24 

Today we will look at the Parable regarding Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit.  Here is this parable as found in Matthew’s gospel.

“But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons. And knowing their thoughts He said to them, Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself shall not stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?  And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Consequently they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” Matthew 12:24-30.

First, it is importance to note that the Jewish leaders repeat their earlier charge; for Beelzebul, also called Beelzebub. Interestingly, this charge persisted as a common view of Jesus among Jews in the early centuries of the Christian era. They did not deny the genuineness of his miracles but ascribed his power to the devil, so that he was branded worthy of death.  Therefore, these Pharisees publicly pronounced the same charge after Jesus cast a demon out of a man. “Then there was brought to Him a demon-possessed man who was blind and dumb, and He healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed, and began to say, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?” Matthew 12:22-23.  Here, we see the people amazed and questioning whether Jesus could be the Messiah. The Pharisees could not allow this to happen, so they came forth with their blasphemous accusation. “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.” 

Jesus, knowing their thoughts and purposes, answers them.  “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself shall not stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?” Matthew 12:25-26.  What He essentially was saying is that internal conflict within a country, city, or even a family will tear it apart, or leave it ruined, if left unchecked.  Jesus concludes that because demonization promotes Satan’s designs, Satan would not himself seek to cast out demons. He would be undermining his own work.

Moreover, Jesus is not the only exorcist in the area. “And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Consequently they shall be your judges.” Matthew 12:27.  Other Jews practiced exorcism as well. In the schools of the Pharisees, a so-called higher magic was taught, by which demons were to be expelled and drawn out of the noses of persons possessed, by means of certain roots, by exorcism and by magical formulas, supposed to have been derived from king Solomon. Without evaluating this state of affairs, Jesus points out that the logic of the charge against him condemns those making it. If Satan is the one who enables exorcisms, then other Jewish exorcists must also be devilish. Jesus’ accusers judge their own sons/disciples by their accusations. 

Then He adds, “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Matthew 12:28.  What this implies is that the coming of the kingdom is to be discerned in Jesus’ defeat of the demons. Mostly Matthew speaks of the kingdom as future, but here it is a present reality.  He then ends this with two analogies.  “Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” Matthew 12:29. One cannot attack a well-protected home without first rendering the guard powerless. So, too, Jesus must first bind Satan before he can plunder or lay hold of his house, for example cast out his demons.  And finally, He declares that “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” Matthew 12:30.  This must be balanced by “For he who is not against us is for us.” Mark 9:40.  The point here is that Christ leaves no room for neutral ground. If people cannot accept his teaching and work, they are in danger of God’s judgment.  And the last part of this. “and he who does not gather with Me scatters” has the idea that He who does not help the true shepherd to gather his flock into the fold is, most likely, one who wishes to scatter them, that he may have the opportunity of stealing and destroying them.

The thought here is that He is explaining to the Pharisees that He casts our demons by the Holy Spirit and not by Satan, as they said to Him.  This was basically saying that the power by which He did this was Satan himself.  And by alluding to the Spirit in Him as Satan was essentially blaspheming the Holy Spirit.  And when this is done, this cannot be forgiven. “Therefore, I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come.”  Matthew 12:31-32. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Luke 12:1

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Luke 12:1 

“Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” – Luke 12:1 

An important idea is found in our focus verse, in the last part, that being “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”  Luke 12:1b.  Both the Pharisees and the Sadducees were known to demand more from those who heard their teachings then from themselves who were the teachers.  There is an old saying that says, “Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say”. Another way this put it is, “We are to say what we do and do what we say.”  This is in essence what Jesus was saying.  Beware of those who say one thing yet do another. 

After this He gives them this warning.  “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known.” Luke 12:2.  Do not do anything different from what you say, for when you do there is a good possibility it shall be found out and it shall be told to many.  And even if it is not discovered here in this life, it will be revealed in the next.  Many times the Jewish leaders would say it is wrong to do this or that, but then when they are by themselves they would practice the same things they declared as wrong.  No sin, be it ever so secret or privately done, is more covered than hypocrisy, but likely to be found out sooner or later; if not in this world, then in the world to come.  Jesus then continues.  “Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.” Luke 12:3.  Hypocrisy has a way of making itself known. 

A Pastor I know fell into this and it did not end well for him.  He was having an affair and somehow, and I do not know how, the word got out regarding what was happening.  He lost his pastorship, almost lost his wife, and many lost faith in him.  We must remember that the enemy wants to destroy our message, and what better way to do this then to make public the hypocrisy of Christians.  

We must also remember that as we judge we will be judged.  “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1-2.  How can we honestly judge others for what we ourselves are doing?  “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:3-5.  If we tell someone that what they are doing is wrong and then go out and do it ourselves, possibly in a greater way than they do, how are we doing anything different than the Pharisees and Sadducees?  And if the other person finds out we are doing the same thing we denounced in them, we will be seen as a hypocrite and will probably lose the ability to speak into their lives.  And always remember that these things have a tendency to get talked about with others, which could destroy our impact and darken our light that should be shining bright in the world (Matthew 5:14-16).

It is important that, as Christians, we be real and genuine with people.  By doing so, people will be more inclined to listen and believe our testimony regarding the love of God and His desire to save them and develop a loving relation with them.  Many Jews lost confidence with the Pharisees because of their acts of hypocrisy.  Let us do nothing that will destroy our witness to a world that needs to hear it.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Matthew 5:20

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 5:20 

“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:20    

These verses address an important concept within Jesus’ teachings here.  He starts by speaking of the Law given to Moses in the Old Testament.  “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” Matthew 5:17.  He did not come to destroy the law, which is what the scribes and Pharisees believed He did.  On the contrary, He came to, as the preacher John Wesley put it, “to establish, illustrate, and explain its highest meaning, both by His life and doctrine.”  In other words, live it out as it was intended. 

He then goes further, ”For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:18-19.  The law is still in place.  Until heaven and earth pass away, meaning when the new heaven and earth is created, the law will still be in effect.  Now no part of it, no matter how small, will be done away with.  Additionally no part of the law  should be  annulled,  and no-one should be encouraged to ignore any part of it, for if they did, they will be seen as least in the kingdom of heaven. 

Now we come to the critical verse in this section.  “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20.  Now, how can this be?  What does Jesus mean by ‘righteousness that surpasses the scribes and Pharisees?”  We must understand how these Jewish leaders saw the keeping of the law.  They saw righteousness as literal obedience to rules and regulations.  And if this is what is meant, it would be hard to know of anyone who attempted it more rigorously and consistently then the scribes and Pharisees.  However, this is not completely what is intended.  Jesus here in the following verses has a much deeper meaning in mind.   He now gives six examples of items in the law where He intends a much deeper idea.

  1. “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.” Matthew 5:21-22.
  2. “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27-28.
  3. “It was said, ‘WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE’; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” Matthew 5:31-32
  4. “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.’ But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.” Matthew 5:33-27.
  5. “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.” Matthew 5:38-42.
  6. “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:43-45.

Jesus gives these six instances to show that the law taught by the scribes and Pharisees is not necessarily wrong, but as presented by them does not go far enough.  He says, “you have heard it said”, literal interpretation.  Then “but I say”, deeper meaning, what is intended.  He was giving the spirit of the moral and ritual idea; how to walk in them in a manner that truly pleases God, one that points to the Christ, and how He follows them.  The scribes and Pharisees were only interested in following the letter of the law, not interested in becoming one who becomes it on the inside as well. 

Jesus does not want us to only do, but to become as well.  He wants us to live it out because we love Him and want to please Him.  Are we to follow the law?  Yes, but not as a way of salvation, but as a way of life itself.  And He is always there to help us fulfil this calling.  He has given us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into all truth.  “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” John 16:13.  We can only know the whole truth by studying His word.  And when we apply it to our lives, we are transformed into the very image of Christ by His Spirit.  “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Mark 3:4-5

Verse of the Day – Mark 3:4-5.

“Jesus asked them [the Pharisees], “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. He looked around at them in Anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.” – Mark 3:4-5

To set the stage for this interaction, right after telling the Pharisees that he is Lord of the Sabbath in Mark 2, Jesus arrives at the synagogue and sees a man with a shriveled hand and the Pharisees who were lying in wait for Jesus to make a mistake. Jesus tells the man to stand up and then looks at the Pharisees, knowing their hearts, and asks them if it’s lawful to do good and save a life, or to do evil and kill.

They remain silent.

Jesus gets angry.

This story was originally told in the Greek, and the word Anger that was used is transliterated as, orgē which can be translated as; he was impulsively wrathful, or indignant. This wrath caused by injustice is in the “Aorist’” tense, which means it’s temporary, it exists and then goes away. Jesus has an emotional reaction to their silence – and it’s justified. And I think this shows us there’s nothing inherently wrong with anger, it’s what we do with it – how we respond to it, if we let it control us – that makes it right or wrong. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:26 (NLT), “Don’t sin by letting anger control you.”

Jesus takes this, orgē, this anger, mixed with disappointment, mixed with sadness at the hardness of the hearts of the Pharisees, and tells the man to stretch out his hand and Jesus restores the shriveled hand to the way it should have been.

Mark tells us that in response to Jesus healing the man, the Pharisees began plotting about how to, “do away with” Jesus. The phrase “do away with” doesn’t begin to describe the unfettered rage they felt. In the Greek the phrase is, “apollymi” which means “to utterly destroy,” “to bring to naught,” or “to be made void.”

These are two complete opposite responses.

Jesus’ response made the world a better place – it brought healing, life, and restoration. The Pharisees responded with a fierce vengeance whose result would be to completely destroy Jesus.

How we respond to anger, injustice, and evil in the world matters. We must follow Jesus’ example:

  1. Jesus acknowledged that which needed to be changed and shined a light on it in a non-condemnatory way when he asked the man to step forward.
  2. Jesus asked questions to cause the Pharisees and his enemies to question their beliefs – calling them out without being insulting or accusatory.
  3. When their response angered him, he channeled that anger into creative, restorative power that brought peace into the world and made it a better place.
    1. His anger wasn’t selfish. He didn’t lash out allow that righteous anger to control him.
  4. He continued to unapologetically live his life and walk in his calling, unafraid of the repercussions. He did not let the instance and the Pharisee’s continued response affect his ministry.

When you respond to your anger does it make the world better? Do you channel that anger, that sense of justice, that innate feeling in your spirit that tells you something is wrong, into restoration and peace like Jesus or do you take that and fuel feelings of rage and destruction like the Pharisees?

If you’re struggling with following Jesus’ example in this situation amidst these times, please send a prayer request to us through the contact page or to our prayer request e-mail. We keep these requests confidential unless you give us permission to share.

  • Christiaan Funkhouser