Text: Luke 12:1-2
Jesus is speaking:
“Be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roof”.
“The Pharisees were the most numerous and influential of the religious sects of Jesus’ day. They were strict legalists. They were known for greed, self-righteousness and hypocrisy who wear a mask. Their outward appearance was utterly different from their inner self. They posed as shining examples of virtue, but actually they were masquerading.
Soon they would expose themselves for what they really were – power-important imposters, not devoted spiritual leaders. Their day of exposure would come. All that was covered up would be revealed and all that they had done in the dark would be dragged out in the light”.
It is easy to be angry at the brazen hypocrisy of the Pharisees, but each of us needs to look inside to see if we alter our true selves from our public selves. To do this we must be brave enough to trust that God loves us just the way we are. He is forever issuing an invitation to us through the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and fellow believers who will speak Truth to us in love.
It is only when we grasp the extent, eternalness, and unconditional nature of God’s love that we can view our need for a public mask without shame. We are free to become, through God’s Power, our intended true selves, His beloved child, unique in our gifts and paths. Regret replaces soul killing shame, as we walk in His Eternal Love for us. Real change happens.
By: Shirley C. Leger August 2021
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