Beware the Leaven of the Pharisees - George P Ritter - March 1975

George P Ritter

That was the warning Jesus Christ gave to His disciples in the twelfth chapter of Luke. Why did He single out the Pharisees for special attention? What was so bad about their "leaven''? And why devote so much space in the four Gospels to this relatively small religious group? Was all this written merely to satisfy the curiosity of New Testament history buffs? Or does it have important significance for today's Christian? A story usually has a central figure and this one is no exception. Our particular man of the hour is a person of some distinction. For lack of a better name, we'll call him Joe Pharisee. Now when it comes to religion, Joe is no ordinary run-of-the-mill religionist. And he's acutely aware of this fact. To make matters worse, Joe knows all the right ways to advertise his distinctive qualities. - Information Supplied By: Herbert W Armstrong Library