Luke 12:1-2

1. There are many words end in "-ism."  These words often name a belief or philosophy. For example:

* Empiricism:  The idea that knowledge comes from experience. 

* Calvinism:  The teachings of John Calvin, an important figure in Protestant Christianity. 

* Wesleyanism: The beliefs of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church.

2. When I search the meaning -ism via AI model, it shows me. 

The ending "-ism" is used to make new words. These words usually describe:

Big Ideas: Like religions (Buddhism), political systems (capitalism), or social movements (feminism). 

Conditions: Like alcoholism (having a problem with alcohol) or heroism (being very brave). 

Actions:  Like copying someone's work (plagiarism) or destroying things (vandalism).

3. "-isms" can be like guiding principles. They provide a set of beliefs for people to follow in life.  Think of it as a roadmap that helps people with similar beliefs make decisions and take action. But sometimes, "-isms" can become too strict.  They can turn into rigid rules that are hard to follow. When this happens, people feel burdened instead of inspired. Today, In Luke 12:1-7, we'll learn how Jesus felt about the religious leaders of his time. We'll also discover the message he wanted to share. Let's read this passage together.

Luke 12:1–3 NASB 2020

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. But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 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 on the housetops.

Luke 12:4–7 NASB 2020

“Now I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed someone, has the power to throw that person into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! Are five sparrows not sold for two assaria? And yet not one of them has gone unnoticed in the sight of God. But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not fear; you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.

4. In Luke 12:1-7, Jesus addresses the pervasive issue of hypocrisy, a word He often used when referring to certain religious leaders within the Jewish community.  The Oxford Dictionary defines hypocrisy as "the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense." This definition shows how the religious leaders looked good on the outside but were not really good on the inside. This was the kind of hypocrisy that Jesus spoke against. These leaders pretended to be righteous, but their hearts were far from God. The Common English Bible explains this more clearly.

Luke 12:1 NASB 2020

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 CEB

When a crowd of thousands upon thousands had gathered so that they were crushing each other, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples: “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees—I mean, the mismatch between their hearts and lives.

5. I can easily find examples of hypocrisy in daily life, and I saw one in 2006 when I started working as a youth pastor. The church took us to a famous Chinese restaurant near the church in Seoul. I was looking forward to a gourmet meal, especially after the senior pastor said we could order anything we wanted. I was set on getting seafood black bean noodles and sweet and sour pork. But, there was a Korean custom at the time where you had to order what the senior person did, even if you wanted something else. I hoped the senior pastor would be thoughtful, but he chose the cheapest option: an old-fashioned black bean noodle dish. The associate pastor copied him, and feeling obliged, I ordered the same.

6. My heart and behavior mismatched because of the noodles, and I became a hypocrite.  It's a funny story, but it highlights the importance of words like 'hypocrisy' and 'hypocrite.' The religious leaders mismatched their teaching and actions. With their mouths, they said they were looking after their people, but they did not. When we read the Gospel of Luke, we should keep Luke 4:18-19 in mind until we finish reading the book because these verses are key to understanding the ministry of Jesus. In fact, these verses are Jesus' vision statement, and there's a reason why he chose them to begin his ministry.

Luke 4:18–19 (NASB 2020)

“the spirit of the lord is upon me, because he anointed me to bring good news to the poor. he has sent me to proclaim release to captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

7. In his vision statement based on Isaiah 61:1-2, Jesus clearly declared the good news, a royal declaration to the nation like Caesar's victory. However, Jesus' good news isn't about a political declaration but the proclamation of the Lord's year, the year of Jubilee. In the Bible, it is hard to find an instance where Israel declared the year of Jubilee. According to God's Law, the Israelite community was supposed to proclaim it every 50 years.

Leviticus 25:8–10 NIV

“ ‘Count off seven sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years. Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan.

8. God established the Law, the Torah, and within it, He made the regulation of the year of Jubilee, the year of total freedom in Him. The book of Leviticus says that the Jubilee year is an important part of God's law.  It says that to fully follow God's law, the Jubilee year must be celebrated. This means that if Israel doesn't celebrate the Jubilee, they are not following God's law completely. But, we can find evidence for declaring the year of Jubilee, only in Jeremiah 34:8-16. 

Jeremiah 34:8–10 CEB

Jeremiah received the Lord’s word after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty for their slaves: everyone was to free their male and female Hebrew slaves and no longer hold a Judean brother or sister in bondage. So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed to free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage; they obeyed the king’s command and let them go.

Jeremiah 34:11–13 (CEB)

But afterward they broke their promise, took back the men and women they had freed, and enslaved them again. Then the Lord’s word came to Jeremiah: The Lord, the God of Israel, proclaims: I made a covenant with your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Jeremiah 34:14–15 CEB

I said that every seventh year each of you must free any Hebrews who have been sold to you. After they have served you for six years, you must set them free. But your ancestors didn’t obey or pay any attention to me. Recently you turned about and did what was right in my sight; each of you proclaimed liberty for the other and made a covenant before me in the temple that bears my name.

9. When Babylon was attacking Judah, King Zedekiah declared the year of Jubilee, as we read, and the officials agreed and followed suit. However, they later revoked their declaration. This was not good in God's sight because they profaned His name. About a thousand years after God gave them the Law, although they should have declared the year of Jubilee at least 50 times or more, they did not because of their greedy, lustful desires.

10. This is the radical meaning of hypocrisy. When God's people neglect each other, when the chosen people fail to care for their own, yet still claim to be God's people, it is this hypocrisy that profanes God's name. When we define sin, we often examine only our outward behavior. However, in the Bible, sin is defined as more than just our actions. When I was in Toronto, the church I served was located in a Jewish community. After school, I would go to the church by bus, and there were many Jewish people around, including rabbis. I wanted to have a conversation with them, so one day I approached a rabbi and asked, "How do you think of God's Law?" He gave an unexpected answer. He said God's Law, the Torah, makes him feel God's image. When he reads the Torah, he can hear the voice of Adonai, and then he can examine himself before the Torah.

11. It made me recall when Paul says all have sinned before God. I remembered when Isaiah realized his own sinfulness when God appeared to him. They did not talk about their sinful behavior. They realized their sinful existence before God! And then, they could renew their minds and hearts first before God. Then, they could modify their behavior. They finally aligned their hearts and lives.

12. As believers in Christ, God has been with us since we first had faith in Him. If we believe in Christ, we should follow His way. Otherwise, we become hypocrites because our beliefs and lives don't align. If we mismatch our hearts and lives, we profane God's name. Jesus gave us the responsibility to look after each other, which means to love one another. We should accept and help each other. We should declare the total freedom of God to the world. Glorifying God's name isn't only done by worshipping on Sunday but also by living our lives following the Spirit.

13. Following their exodus across the Red Sea, the Israelites found themselves in the wilderness (Exodus 16), where God provided them with manna for sustenance. This was a tangible manifestation of God's grace. They did not labor to produce or gather it; it was bread from heaven, a gift freely given by God. It was grace in its purest form. Notably, this provision was absent on the Sabbath, as manna did not appear on that day. It was a grace intended for their weekday needs. This pattern reveals that God's grace is poured out upon us as we live in accordance with His love. When we acknowledge this grace in our daily lives, we are moved to glorify His name through worship on Sunday. True worship, then, is not about seeking to receive God's grace, but about remembering and giving thanks for the grace we have experienced throughout the week.

14. Therefore, let us live empowered by the Holy Spirit, continually focusing on God and His guidance. Let us set aside our own desires and expectations, choosing instead to follow the path of God's compassionate grace. As we walk this path, let us extend that same grace to those in need. If we abandon our God-given responsibilities, we obscure the world's vision of God and bring dishonor to His name. Hypocrisy prevents us from truly glorifying Him. Therefore, let us align our hearts and lives with the Word of God. For Immanuel, God is with us, and we are His chosen people.