In 16:13-20 we come to a section of the Gospel of Matthew concerned with the revelation of Christ and the church. Before we consider the details of this section, we need to consider the connection between it and the foregoing section, verses 1-12.
Verse 13 says that the Lord Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi with His disciples and there asked them, “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?” It seems that this is not related to the matter of leaven. Caesarea Philippi is in the northern part of the Holy Land, close to the border, at the foot of Mount Hermon, on which the Lord was transfigured (17:1-2). It was far from the holy city with the holy temple, where the atmosphere of the old Jewish religion filled every man’s thought, leaving no room for Christ, the new King. The Lord brought His disciples purposely to such a place with a clear atmosphere that their thought might be released from the effects of the religious surroundings in the holy city and holy temple, and that He might reveal to them something new concerning Himself and the church, which is the pulse of His heavenly kingdom. It was here that the vision concerning Him as the Christ and the Son of the living God came to Peter (vv. 16-17). It was also here that the church was revealed and mentioned for the first time as the means of bringing in the kingdom of the heavens (vv. 18-19).
Several months ago, some other brothers and I visited both Jerusalem and Caesarea Philippi. The religious atmosphere of Jerusalem was foul and terrible. Physically, mentally, and spiritually, the atmosphere was stuffy. We were disgusted with what we saw there. One day we drove to the north, to Caesarea Philippi. How fresh the air was there! We saw a fountain which was one of the three sources of the Jordan River. We lingered there for a while, enjoying our lunch and having a pleasant time. The reason the Lord Jesus brought His disciples to Caesarea Philippi was to clear them of the foggy religious atmosphere of Jerusalem and the Jewish religion. Only after the Lord had brought the disciples to Caesarea Philippi did He begin to ask them questions regarding who He was. Caesarea Philippi was the right place for the Lord Jesus to be revealed to His disciples. It was also the right place for the revelation to be given regarding the church.
However, we still have not seen the connection between these two portions of the Word. The connection is that if we are still under the influence of religious leaven, we shall never be clear about Christ or the church. In order to be clear about Christ and the church, you need to eliminate all leaven. You not only need to get away from the religious center, from the holy city with the holy temple, with the stuffy, foul, atmosphere filled with religious concepts, but you also need to be purged of the religious leaven. If there is still leaven within you, you will be under a veil, and your eyes will not be able to see Christ and the church. To see Christ and the church you need to get away from the religious center and all the so-called holy things, places, and persons, and you need to eliminate every kind of leaven.
Although certain Christians have a heart for God, they still cannot see the church. Neither can they see Christ in a pure and genuine way because they are saturated with religious leaven. Now we can see the reason Matthew placed the first part of chapter sixteen immediately after his account of the corporate eating. In our eating we need to beware of leaven. Moreover, if we would see Christ and the church, we should not have any religious leaven. We need a clear sky and a clear atmosphere; we also need a clear mind and a clear understanding, an understanding not under the influence of religious leaven. If we still hold the concept that there is nothing wrong with Christmas or with the denominations, it is an indication that our understanding is saturated with hidden religious leaven. This leaven creates not an outward fog, but an inward mist. If there is such a mist within us, our vision will be blurred. The inward condition of some saints is like this. They are filled with mist. But every once in a while a little hole appears, and a portion of clear sky can be seen. However, immediately afterward the mist covers the clear spot. Some of these saints may say, “What’s wrong with the title Southern Baptist? A denomination is not a gambling casino, is it?” If you think like this, your vision will be blurred. Questions like these indicate that you still hold on to leavened, religious concepts.
Many of us have been leavened from the time we were born. Throughout our childhood we were constantly under the influence of leaven. Although you knew nothing of Christ, you were familiar with Santa Claus, Christmas stockings, and trees decorated with colored lights. Your thought and feeling were completely leavened. To you, the church was a bungalow with a high tower and bell. This shows that unconsciously and subconsciously you were leavened. Moreover, the more you were educated and trained in school, the more the leaven saturated your being. Therefore, we need to leave the religious center and go far to the north, to the region of Caesarea Philippi, where the sky is clear. Also, we need to say to the Lord inwardly, “Lord Jesus, purify me of every kind of leaven. I don’t want there to be fog without or mist within. I want to be a clear person under a clear sky.”
Again I say that the bread in Christendom is impure; it is leavened. The very Christ preached and taught by today’s religion has been leavened. Consider how much leaven there is in the preaching of Christ and in the teaching regarding the church. The “bread” of the church, that is, the truth concerning the church, has been especially leavened. Recently I was grieved to hear that some Christian preachers have issued a call for Christians to come back to the so-called historic church. Do they not know that the councils of the historic church made many evil decisions, one of which made at the Council of Ephesus (A.D. 431) was to sanction the worship of Mary? As you know, the charismatic movement has penetrated the Catholic Church and has even been mixed with the worship of Mary. How can those who have had the charismatic experience tolerate such idolatry? But today some are saying, even over the radio, that there is no idolatry in Catholicism. A certain group in Berkeley is striving to investigate us. I wonder why they do not investigate the Catholic Church. Why do they not go to the Vatican and see the paganism, idolatry, and heresy there? The fact that they investigate us but not the Catholic Church exposes their evil intention, which is to suppress us and to terminate us. In every corner of today’s Christendom there is hidden leaven. Nothing there is pure. The whole of Christendom has been leavened. This is not my word; it is the prophetic word of the Lord Jesus in 13:33, where the Lord said that “the whole was leavened.” We, however, stand against the leaven and we are testifying the pure Jesus. Although this is offensive to many, there is nothing we can do about it. We must testify the pure Christ and stand against all leaven.