As Luke chapter 12 begins, we see a warning to avoid hypocrisy. Jesus likens hypocrisy to leaven because, although it may seem insignificant initially, it becomes puffed-up eventually. Perhaps you have noticed that the Savoir came down hard on hypocrites but, was gentile to those caught-up in other types of sin.
Jesus starts in verse 1, telling His disciples “Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” “leaven” was yeast which is put in bread dough to make it rise. As the leaven works its way through the entire lump of dough, it affects everything. Jesus compares leaven to the evil doctrines of the Pharisees – the Jewish religious leaders – who are influencing everything in Jewish society. Jesus warns the disciples in verse 2 “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.” In other words, God knows all things and in the final day of judgment the true attitude of these hypocrites will be exposed.

Jesus then makes a beautiful promise to his disciples in Verse 8 “Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:”  However, He warns in Verse 9 “But he that denieth (or rejects) me before men shall be denied (or rejected) before the angels of God.”  Each person’s standing before God is based on his or her relationship with Jesus Christ.  Then Jesus says, in verse 10 “And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man (Jesus), it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost (denies the Holy Ghost) it shall not be forgiven.”  This ve