When you hear the words “Watch out,” all of your senses come alive. These two words put us on the alert. You immediately stop and assess your surroundings. I live in the south, and when it is warm, and someone says that to me, I think of a snake in my path. When we lived in Pennsylvania, it brought a different response in the winter. Watch out usually meant the roads were slick with ice. In Matthew 16:6, Jesus gives a “watch out” to His disciples. They were caught off guard and clueless about what Jesus was talking about.
Matthew 16:6-7 “Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.”
Jesus was trying to caution them as to the teachings and practices of the Pharisees and Sadducees. These were religious men with an agenda bent toward exalting themselves. They were great pretenders, wanting to be seen for their “keeping the law.” The Pharisees focused on outward religion filled with rituals and a checklist of dos and don’ts. They were proud of their ability to follow the law. However, when the opportunity arose, they would add to the law to benefit themselves. They were as those Jesus spoke about in Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
The Pharisees and Sadducees were religious leaders. They were respected and supposed to know God and share Him with others, but their desires were selfish. In Matthew 23:3-5, Jesus tells His followers to respect the position of the religious leaders, but not to emulate them. They were men who said one thing and did another. They were doing their works to be seen of men. They were so caught up in their positions that they lost sight of their purpose in teaching and loving others. Like leaven in bread, they were sour in their disposition. They were swelling up with pride, and this attitude spoiled their true purpose of exalting God.
Matthew 23:3-5 “All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments.”
We, too, must be careful that we do not fall into the trap of thinking we are better than others because we are religious. Jesus died for all, and all of our sin is as filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6 teaches us to see ourselves in comparison to the righteousness of God, and in Mark 10:18, Jesus reminds us that we are not good. We may think we are good because we are comparing ourselves to other people, but Jesus is our standard, and at our best, we are far from His goodness. We need to watch out for the subtle sins that creep in. Pride is a sin that our society promotes; even devout Christians tend to promote pride and think it is fine, but God hates pride. Proverbs 8:13 teaches us this truth. Proverbs 16:18 teaches that pride will lead to destruction, and Proverbs 29:23 says our pride will bring us low, but God will uphold those who are humble.
Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
Mark 10:18 “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.”
Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”
Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Proverbs 29:23 A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.
It is time for self-evaluation. What are some areas that you need to watch out for? It may be a bad habit that hinders your testimony, a thought life that is not governed by the Holy Spirit, or something that plagues each of us from time to time in a subtle way, such as pride. Watch out for the little things and repent when you recognize them in your life. Heed the warnings, and you won’t have to suffer consequences.
