An Over Looked Warning of Jesus

Mark 8:15
"Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."

One can read this verse and gleam what Jesus means by saying beware of the leaven of the Pharissees. They were the ruling religious majority of their day. Jesus is warning his disciples to watch out for those religious tendacies and legalism that can detract from one's walk with Christ. As Paul says it only takes a little yeast to leaven the whole loaf of bread.

But the leaven of Hereof is often overlooked. What does Jesus mean by warning His dicipkes to be on guard against this particular leaven. What did Herod represent?

Herod, probably a secular Jew, represented the political power of his day. He in essence was the Roman appointee to govern Israel. In some respects along with Pilot be was the political power for Rome. Yet Jesus is warning His disciples to be aware if this leaven. Why?

I believe Jesus was warning
His disciples to stay out if secular government. Don't let governnent get into kingdom work. I will take it one step further. Jesus was warning His disciples to stay out of an alliance of religion and government.

For the most part the early church did until Contstantine. Then an unholy alliance emerged between church and state that continues to the present day.

We have failed to listen to Jesus. And that be to our sorrow.

Posted by Bearmaster.

During the time of Jesus religion and government were in partnership with one another. This is particularly true when the religion and government cane together to put Jesus to death. The Jewish leadership was able to convince Pilot to put Jesus. When offered a choice the high priest asked for Barabbas. He was a noted terrorist and murderer. When Pilot asked shall I crucify your king. The high priest said we have no king but caesar. Interesting.......

Jesus represented a threat to the status quo of his day. The Jewish leaders were afraid of losing their privilaged status. Thus they called on their government cohorts to crucify him.

So why the history lesson? The sane thing is repeating itself. Believers who say they are citizens of another kibgdom. The kingdom of Him who said it was not of this world will be a threat to the evangelical structure today. Indeed it will be the 501c3 church that will persecute the faith remnant if Christ. All because they are citizens of another kingdom. The organized church can't handle that.

There will be those evangelical voices who say Christians need to be involved with government. We must subvert government for Christ. Get a gun and join a God fearing militia. Take over America for Jesus. Or take over the seven pillars for God. I do not see this in the New Testament. Yet there will be those in Evangelicalism who will declare us enemies of the state if we do not join them.

So we must take heed of Jesus words and streer clear if a partnership between religion and government.

Bearmaster.

Good words Bear, as dear brother Neil would say and just did on another thread, its all Babylon. The people of that day were forced to choose. It was no mistake that Pilate found no fault in Jesus. In finding no fault in Jesus he exposed the hatred in the religious and political men for Jesus and then only after that did they pronounce " We have no king but Caesur." And then they finally rejected Jesus and went with the zealot Barrabas.

This pride in their own heritage, which Jesus confronts in John 8 starting at verse 32 is the same pride we see today. Before that chapter was over the " believers," attempted to stone Jesus. That same hatred, contempt and pride is alive and well and growing and festering today. If the " believers" of that day attempted to stone Jesus when He rebuked them for being in bondage, then we can expect nothing less today. We will certainly be " marked," by this group, but that is okay because if they hated Jesus, surely they will hate us too? .............bro Frank