The Leaven of the Pharisees

How is it you do not perceive that I did not speak to you about bread, but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?" 

Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He was questioning His disciples, saying, "Who do men pronounce Me, the Son of Man, to be?" 

So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others say Elijah, and yet others say Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." 

He said to them, "But who do you pronounce Me to be?" 

And Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 

Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I shall build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. 

And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on the earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth will have been loosed in heaven." Mat. 16:11-19. 

The setting:

Christ and His disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee and too late realized that they had forgotten to bring along some bread.  In the meantime, Christ was thinking about spiritual things and He said to them, Look out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Mat. 16:6.  Rabbinical writers regularly use leaven as a symbol of evil (Lightfoot). ISBE.  It seems that since Christ mentioned the leaven they thought He was censuring them for forgetting the bread.

The Conversation:

Christ corrected their false notion by saying, How is it you do not perceive that I did not speak to you about bread, but to beware of the leaven (evil teachings) of the Pharisees and Sadducees?"

After leaving the Scribes and the Pharisees behind He was curious to know "Who do men pronounce Me, the Son of Man, to be" so He asked His friends.  

In response they gave Him a list:

• John the Baptist, 
• Elijah, 
• Jeremiah, 
• or one of the prophets.

Now that Christ knew what others were saying about Him He zeroed in on His main point; But who do you (plural) pronounce Me to be?

Simon Peter, always the outspoken one, replied: You are the Christ (the Messiah), the Son of the living God.

Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah (Simon son of Jonah) because flesh and blood (human teachers) did not reveal this to you. This is not something you can learn in seminaries or from books. This is something you can only grasp by faith and then only when it is revealed to you by My Father who is in heaven.

Just in passing: This Jonah must not be confused with the Jonah of the Old Testament.

I also say to you that you are Peter (in Greek Petros, meaning: rock).  This was not the name his parents had given him but it was the name Christ gave him when He called him to be His disciple.

upon this rock I shall build My church.  This statement wields a major point of contention.

1. Some have supposed that the word “rock” refers to Peter’s confession, and that Jesus meant to say, upon this rock, this truth that thou hast confessed, that I am the Messiah and upon confessions of this from all believers, I will build my church.                                                               
2. Others have thought that Jesus referred to himself. Christ is called a rock, Isa_28:16; 1Pe_2:8. And it has been thought that he turned from Peter to himself, and said, “Upon this rock, this truth that I am the Messiah - upon myself as the Messiah, I will build my church.”                                           
3. Another interpretation is, that the word “rock” refers to Peter himself.  This is the obvious meaning of the passage; and had it not been that the Church of Rome has abused it, and applied it to what was never intended, no other interpretation would have been sought for. Barnes.

Points 1 and 2 make the Scriptures say something that is not written there. Theologians have come up with these ideas because they do not like what the Roman church has done to the meaning of these words which Christ spoke.  Why not let the words of Christ mean what He said but let's rid these words of the false connotations which the third and fourth-century church forced on to them?

To Peter, Christ said, “Thou art a rock. Thou hast shown thyself firm, and suitable for the work of laying the foundation of the church. Upon thee will I build it. Thou shalt be highly honored; thou shalt be first in making known the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles.” Barnes.

This statement is shown to be true in the Book of Acts where we find Peter preaching to both the Jews and to the Gentiles before Paul was even converted.

Christ did not mean, as the Roman Catholics say he did, to exalt Peter to supreme authority above all the other apostles, or to say that he was the only one upon whom he would rear his church. Barnes.

Earlier we studied Christ's choice of the twelve disciples and there we learned that Peter was not mentioned as being superior to any of the other disciples. The wall of the city also had twelve foundation stones, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Rev. 21:14.   
                

More than all, it is not said here, or anywhere else in the Bible, that Peter would have infallible successors who would be the vicegerents of Christ and the head of the church. Barnes

and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.  In fortified cities of ancient times, the walls around the cities had "council" chambers at some of the gates.  It was in those "chambers" where the "council" members would make the major decisions for the city.  So the word gates represented the decisions or actions of the city's leaders.  Christ says the decisions or actions of Hell will not prevail against the Church.

Just a casual reminder: Hell (Hades) is the place where the wicked dead are kept until judgment day.  It is not taught anywhere in the Bible that Hell is a Lake of Fire.  This, of course, is not to say that the Bible does not speak of a Lake of Fire.

The Rules

I will give you the keys (the authority) of the kingdom of heaven (the Church on earth), and whatever you bind (the things which you forbid) on the earth (for the Church) will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose (permit) on the earth will have been loosed in heaven (permitted by heaven's decree).

With this statement in mind, we can look back to the first meetings held by the church council in Jerusalem.   It was there that the disciples laid the ground rules for the future of the church.  The rules they made were accepted in heaven and are not to be changed by any sect or off-shot group who claim to belong to the church of Christ.   

The church has not failed too badly in keeping most of the rules laid down by the disciples but it has really messed-up by making many more rules than the disciples ever dreamed off.  Note:

1.  Many first-generation Christians insisted that all Christian males must be circumcised.  The disciples vetoed that teaching.
2.  You must "keep the Sabbath".  The disciples did not say which day to gather to worship.
3.   It is a sin to have electricity on your farm our in your house.
4.   It is a sin to fly in an aeroplane.  Sailing on a cruise liner is not a sin.
5.   It is a sin to wear a necktie.
6.   You are not a spiritual person if you cannot speak in tongues.
7.   Oh, why continue, the list is endless.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.  I can't decide whether this following scene is from TV comedies, serious serials or movies, or some flippant jokes, maybe even from some unknowing Bible teacher, but I am sure it is not from the Bible.  

Saint Peter is standing at heaven's gate, with keys in hand, and when any human on earth has passed away that human goes up to Saint Peter and asks for permission to enter Heaven.  Peter checks the records and accordingly he makes his decision.  How uninformed can people really be?