Jesus warned His disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees, of the Sadducees, and also of Herod. I would like to explain a little more about the meaning of each leaven, to dwell on some of the ways it shows itself in the church today, and also on the movements that set a Christian free from each leaven.

THE LEAVEN OF THE SADDUCEES:
These are the false teachings in the church that Jesus warned about, and the apostles too in their epistles. Paul wrote to the Galatians about “a different gospel”, which is not another, but there are simply people who trouble believers. False teachings are usually based on the Law of Moses, because the Sadducees accepted only the Torah [the Law] and rejected the prophets. You have probably heard things like these in church: “Carry your cross”, “Keep Jesus’ commandments”, “Be obedient to God”, and so on. In other words, these teachings aim to put on the necks of the disciples, as Peter said, a yoke too heavy to bear. [Act.15:10] Many have already heard of the movement known as the gospel of grace, which began in Asia and is now preached all over the world. This is the gospel of grace and peace that the apostle Paul preached. Believers are set free from fear and condemnation and begin to reign in life through the gift of righteousness and the abundance of grace.

THE LEAVEN OF THE PHARISEES:
These are religious teachings aimed mainly at a Christian’s behaviour and appearance. They are built more on “Christian” traditions than on the law. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their hypocrisy and their attempts to look righteous before people. Pharisee means separatist, one who separates himself. In churches you will often hear how dangerous it is to associate with unbelievers and to visit “sinful” places, or you might “catch the world”. The Pharisees behaved in much the same way when they accused Jesus of spending time with sinners. From the pulpit you may hear how a believer ought to behave — no drinking, no smoking, no drugs — and that a tattoo on your shoulder may grieve the Holy Spirit. In America a movement began that sets believers free from “proper” behaviour. You may have seen believers “smoking the Holy Spirit”, getting drunk on new wine and sniffing the Bible. If such sights trouble you, I recommend therapy to free you from religious leaven.

THE LEAVEN OF HEROD:
This is a church system built on power and money. Almost every church has a system built like a pyramid. For some reason those who serve in the church are called Levites, and the congregation the people of Israel. That is the Old Testament. A church system like this also needs finances to sustain it, so you will be told that the tithe is a must, even though it is not in the New Testament, because the system simply cannot exist without the tithe. Believers in such a system are not disciples of Jesus but church members, and God forbid you should leave the system. They will hound you with “we care about you”, “come back and repent, you backsliders”, “without the church you will perish”, and so on. In fact it is control, and many believers who have left the system live in fear. A movement has now begun in Europe that sets believers free from this system of church control. Every disciple of Jesus is a priest and so can function as a full church — heal, evangelise, baptise in water and in the Spirit, take communion and so on. The believer’s body is the temple of the living God, so he needs no special place to praise God, because we worship God in spirit and truth and can praise Him every day and anywhere.