Jesus had just delivered a scathing rebuke to the religious elite for their hypocrisy. He warned that their nuanced and deceptive lies would be exposed, for God sees all. Naturally, this did not sit well with them:
Luke 11:53-54 “As Jesus went on from there, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely, besieging him with questions, 54 waiting to catch him in something he might say.”
Turning to the crowd, Jesus cautioned them against being swayed by these leaders. He likened their deceptive teachings to yeast—small, but once mixed in, it permeates and corrupts the entire batch of dough. Their well-crafted deceptions, like yeast, subtly influence and alter the truth, shaping the beliefs and lives of many.
Have you ever been the victim of a nuanced truth, one that’s meant to destroy your reputation and malign your character while cloaked in the guise of compassion or protecting others? This poison sows doubt, erodes trust, and is crafted to discredit you, positioning others as the bearers of truth. This tactic, known as “Poisoning the well,” is rampant in political arenas and, lamentably, within the church too. Jesus explicitly warned against such deceit, especially when it’s used to obscure God’s truth and lead people astray from the clarity He desires them to have.
You see this spelled out in:
Luke 11:52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”
Jesus has something to say to those who obfuscate the truth, and purposely put their “yeast” into others minds to destroy the credibility of those telling the truth, they will be exposed.
Luke 12:2-3 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3 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 roofs.
Jesus has zero tolerance for those who cling to power by cloaking the truth, who deliberately mislead others to maintain their grip. You can hide behind piety, prestige, or twisted rhetoric, but God sees the heart. He knows the truth, and one day, every hidden word and malicious intent will be dragged into the light, exposed for all to see.
Why delay? Confess now to God those secret whispers we share with ourselves or others—words meant to veil the truth. We fear that truth might wound us, we’re lost in self-deception, forgetting that one day we’ll face judgment. We mistakenly believe we can escape accountability, that our schemes will succeed. But we will meet our Maker, and on that day, we’ll account for every hidden deed. Why not today, admit the fear that drives us to obscure the truth, keeping us entrenched in denial?
Jesus tells us, “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed.”
