Matthew 16:1-6 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. 3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet {Jonah}. And he left them, and departed. 5 And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Mark 8:11-15 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. 13 And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side. 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. 15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.

As I have said repeatedly, when we study the Gospels, it is best to look at parallel texts. Today we look at an incident in the life of Christ. Jesus had had a wonderful few days. He fed 5000 Jews with 5 loaves of bread, and 4000 Gentiles with 7 loaves of bread. At the end of this last miracle we read:

Matthew 15:37-39 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken {bread} that was left seven baskets full. 38 And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. 39 And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala. (Mark calls this Dalmanutha, Mark 8:10)

Magdala was the home of a lady called Mary of Magdalene, out of whom Jesus cast seven demons (Luke 8:2). Jesus is well known in Magdala because of Mary and the other miracles that He has done in the power of the Spirit. No sooner than Jesus made landfall we read:

Matthew 16:1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.

A Wicked And Adulterous Generation Seeks A Sign

The Pharisees and Sadducees were continually asking Jesus – and the Apostles who continued to preach after His ascension – for a “sign”. These men had seen all the signs that they needed to see. Jesus had raised the dead, caused the cripple to walk and the deaf to hear. He gave sight to the blind. Jesus feed large groups of people – 5000 Jews and 4000 Gentiles – with just a tiny amount of bread. Jesus had proved Himself the Messiah, and boldly proclaimed:

John 6:35 … I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

The Sadducees and Pharisees demand to “show us a sign” is just a way of attempting to irritate Jesus, to cause Him to lose His temper and perhaps stumble spiritually. Unbelievers used these satanic tactics with the later Apostles. Paul wrote:

1 Corinthians 1:22-23 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

Neither Jesus nor the Apostles spent time producing “signs” for the Jews (the Pharisees and Sadducees). The Evangelist Mark tells us Jesus responded:

Mark 11:12 And {Jesus} sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

Jesus “sighed” over their desire for a “sign”. Why? Because their hearts are hardened to the Gospel of salvation. They saw all the signs they needed to see. But the hardened heart cannot be reached. Jesus told them:

Matthew 16:2-4 {Jesus told them}…. When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. 3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet {Jonah}.

Word Study People see what they want to see. When it benefits them, or they think it benefits them, they will watch and learn. But if the sign requires a change of mentality or a change of behavior, the “wicked and adulterous” generation rejects the sign from God. Jesus called these Pharisees and Sadducees “wicked and adulterous”, the Greek πονηρός καί μοιχαλίς γενεά (ponēros kai moichalis genea), literally means “a people who seek to do wickedness and adultery, destroying marriages and homes”. Jesus called these people “hypocrites” because they were two faced. They pretended to be right before God, yet in their actions they sought out Satan and did their best to destroy society. When Jesus calls them ADULTERERS He heaps the greatest of condemnation on them.

Among the ancient Jews, adultery was viewed as a sin as grievous as murder, rape, or kidnapping. Adulterers were to be taken outside of the city and were to be stoned with stones until they were dead (Deuteronomy 22:23-24; Leviticus 20:10). Adultery, like murder, tears at the fabric of a civilization. It destroys the nation by destroying the family. As such, God viewed sexual sin of this nature as a heinous crime.

The farther a nation wanders from Biblical marriage, the farther that nation moves from God. When those who are suppose to lead the nation in righteousness no longer do righteousness, then the darkness gets greater and greater.

God watches a nation, and blesses it or
allows it to fall into its own curse.

Jeremiah 29:23 23 … because they have committed villainy in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a witness, saith the Lord.

Hosea 4:2-3 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. 3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

All around us we have evidence, “signs”, that there is a God Who made us. Jesus clearly presented Himself as Messiah, the One sent from glory to save His people from sin. But rather than see the sign, the Pharisees kept asking “show us a sign”. They were like Satan Who, tempting Jesus in the wilderness, said:

Matthew 4:6 If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Jesus refused to give Satan a “sign” that He was the Messiah, for God had already proved Him so at His baptism. Didn’t the Spirit of God descend upon Jesus like a Dove? Didn’t the Father speak from Heaven, saying,

Matthew 3:17 … This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Didn’t Jesus heal? Didn’t He teach the Word of God with power? Didn’t He prove Himself the Good Shepherd by giving and loving and doing? Yet these religious hypocrites demanded more, more, more. Jesus told them:

Matthew 16:4 … A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah.

This is the second time Jesus made this statement. Just a few days previously Jesus told the Scribes and Pharisees:

Matthew 12:39-40 … An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah: 40 for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Beware The Leaven

Jesus warns His followers, His Church, of becoming “leavened” by the world. We read:

Matthew 16:5-8 And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. 8 Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?

Jesus said “beware of the leaven of
the Pharisees and of the Sadducees”.
Mark adds “and of the leaven of Herod” (Mark 8:15).

When the disciples heard this, they thought that Jesus was talking about them being poor stewards. Jesus had just fed 4000+ Gentiles with 7 loaves of bread, and the disciples took up seven baskets of leftover bread after all were filled (Matthew 15:37). They did not bring but 1 loaf of bread with them, and felt guilty about their negligence. When Jesus said:

beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and
of the Sadducees (and of Herod)

they linked this statement to their failure in planning, in using the gifts that God gave them. Jesus chastised them, saying …

{vs 8} O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves,
because ye have brought no bread

Why did their minds focus on the bread? Because they were not focused on Jesus. They heard the word “leaven” and immediately their minds went to bread.

What is leaven, and what is it’s
significance in the Scripture?

Leaven is YEAST. It is used to ferment beers, but its most common use is in bread making. Leaven is added to bread to make it rise. A tiny amount of yeast mixed into a bread dough will cause the loaf to double in size. Once cooked, the yeast dies, but leaves behind both flavor as well a soft texture.

Early in Israel’s history God used leaven, or the lack thereof, to teach them about sin and righteousness. Only two places in scripture does God command Israel use leaven:

• When the Peace Offering was given. The Peace Offering was given whenever God’s people wanted to praise Him for the peace they enjoyed with Him. The Peace Offering was the only sacrifice worshipers could eat. Leviticus 7:11-13 tells us,
  
  And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the Lord. 12 If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried. 13 Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings.
  
  The unleavened bread represented the sinless life, whereas the leavened bread represented the sinful life. The Peace Offering emphasized that sinful man had peace with the Holy God because of his Grace. No leaven could be burned on the altar of God (Leviticus 2:4, 5, 11), but the leavened bread was shared among the people.
  
  
• When the Feast Of Pentecost was celebrated. Lambs without spot or blemish were sacrificed to God. Two “wave loaves … shall be of fine flour, baked with leaven; they are the first fruits unto the Lord” (Leviticus 23:17). The lambs without blemish were sacrificed and burned, but the wave loaves were given to the priests. The Lamb was symbolic of Christ, Who has no sin. The wave loaves are symbolic of God’s Church, both Jew and Gentile, who are imperfect, marred by sin.

Leaven or yeast was often used in Scripture to signify sinfulness. Sin, like yeast, when imparted to a community, will spread and grow if not addressed. It is this image that the Apostle Paul shares with us, problems that He addressed in the early Church. In 1 Corinthians 5 the Apostle addresses unrestrained sexual sin in the Church.

1 Corinthians 5:1-2 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. 2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

The Church’s attitude toward one of its members in sexual sin should be one of mourning, not celebration or acceptance. Sin is sin, and sexual sin is particularly grievous. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 6:18 (NKJV) Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

Using the illustration of sin as leaven, the Apostle told the Corinthians,

1 Corinthians 5:6-8 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: 8 therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Just as leaven or yeast spreads throughout a bread dough, sin spreads throughout a people if is not restrained.

When Jesus said “Beware the Leaven of the Pharisees, and of the Sadducees, and of Herod”, He was not speaking of physical bread.
He was speaking of spiritual bread.

Jesus now illustrates this with the feeding of the 5000 Jews and the 4000 Gentiles:

Matthew 16:9-12 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 10 Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? 12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

What Jesus said in our text above is almost exactly the same thing recorded in Mark 8:15-21. Jesus asked His disciples to:

remember the five loaves of the five thousand,
and how many baskets ye took up?

Notice that Jesus says absolutely nothing about the fish – only the bread. He asks basically about the leftovers. When Jesus was given five loaves of bread, and 5000+ were fed by Him, twelve baskets of leftover bread was taken up afterward. What does this tell us?

If you have a relationship with Jesus,
you will always have more than enough!

the seven loaves of the four thousand,
and how many baskets ye took up?

Again, our Lord took the little 7 loaves of bread, and not only fed 4000+ Gentiles, but had seven baskets of bread left over. Only when Jesus reminded them that a relationship with the Christ always blesses, always gives increase to our deficiencies, only when Jesus emphasized this we read:

Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the DOCTRINE
of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Word Study The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herods all have a singular “DOCTRINE” in common. What is “DOCTRINE”? The word “doctrine” is the Greek διδαχή didachḗ, {pronounced did-akh-ay’}, which means “the teachings or word of a certain group or person”. Jesus was telling His disciples:

• Beware of the teaching of the Pharisees. The Pharisees teach that RELIGION is enough, that RELIGION will bring you into the place God wants you to be. The Pharisees taught a rigid observance of the Law of God, but rejected a daily relationship with Christ Jesus. How were the Pharisees? They were VERY HARD HEARTED toward the truths of God. They had little to no love for others, and focused on self righteousness. The God that made YOU, made that person NEXT TO YOU as well. Religion without Christ is not enough, but it produces a very mean creature. Jesus illustrated this in ..

Luke 18:9-14 {Jesus} spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

The Pharisee in the Temple was HIS OWN GOD. Note the phrase in verse 11, “he prayed thus WITH HIMSELF”. His prayers were not addressed to God, but toward those around him, and toward himself as he fed his pride. The Law of God …

Romans 7:12 … is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

It is good to keep God’s Law, to do what He says. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). When we do what God says, we do it with an eye toward pleasing Jesus Christ Who loved us, and gave Himself for us. We are ever mindful that we are creatures of Grace. We are saved because of Jesus. It is the relationship we have with Him that brings us into the family of God and into the gates of Heaven. The doctrine of the Pharisees – law without Christ – makes a very hard heart. That individual will care nothing for those around him.

• Beware the teaching of the Sadducees. The Sadducees were anti-spiritual and very secular. They believed in the power of the human spirit, for they did not believe in the Holy Spirit.

Acts 23:8 … the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.

The Sadducees rejected the supernatural, and believed more in the power of the human spirit rather than the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Sadducees believed the only Heaven you would ever have would be on earth right now – so let’s live for today! Very materialistic, the Sadducees focused not on eternity, but on the here and now. The Sadducees might have written a book called “Your Best Life Now!”, because they did not believe in an afterlife. The belief of the Sadducee is found all throughout the Church today. Those who enjoy the leaven of the Sadducee aren’t really interested in telling others about Jesus Christ, because they – at heart – do not believe in eternity. Sadducees today go by many different titles. One group called “Social Justice Warriors” push for changes in the way that people are treated, but never focus on sharing Christ with the same people.

• Beware the teaching of Herod (the Herodians). The Herodians believed in the power of politics to transform the human condition. Throughout scripture we often find the conservative Pharisees conspiring with the followers of Herod, the Herodians, to destroy Jesus:

Mark 3:6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy {Jesus}.

Mark 12:13 And they sent unto {Jesus} certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch {Jesus} in His words…

Herod was not a descendant of King David, but was an Idumean, or an Arab. When Jesus Christ came to this world, a Herod sent soldiers to Bethlehem to kill Him while He was but a baby. Throughout His ministry, Herod and his followers watched Jesus. They saw Him as a threat to Herod’s Throne, and waited for a time to destroy Him without causing riots in Jerusalem.

The Doctrine of Herod is politics, political aspirations, without Christ. There are many professing Christians today who expect the state to fix what ails America. Whether Republican, or Democrat, or Libertarian, or Independent, they expect a politician to clean up the morality of a nation. Beloved, it is not the government’s job to bring the light to our nation. It is God’s job.

The danger of the leaven of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Herodians is that it teaches a type of Kingdom of God devoid of Christ and His Spirit. The Church is only “the Light of the world”,

Matthew 5:14 {Jesus said} Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

While Jesus Christ is in the Church:

John 8:12 … {Jesus said} I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians all sought a better world without Jesus Christ. There is no better world without Jesus. With Jesus, a little is much, because Jesus will make the little, much. Without Jesus it is not Christianity. Without His Word and His Presence, it is not the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ must NEVER be excluded from our services, and our lives.

May God touch your hearts with His Word and His Spirit.