Matthew 16 Pt.1 – Signs of Bad Leaven!

by Michael Robson

This is certainly a new chapter as Jesus encounters again the Pharisees and Sadducees once again (See very similar wording in Matt.12:38-42). These religious leaders who normally were antagonistic towards one another, came together to ‘test’ Jesus. They weren’t satisfied with the signs and wonders that Jesus had been doing in their territory or in Gentile regions, but asked Him if He could produce ‘A Sign‘ in the heavens above, as greater proof that He was indeed the Messiah.

All these things led to a short teaching that Jesus gave to His disciples when they crossed back over into Gentile lands, and had forgotten to bring bread. But that wasn’t the only thing that they had forgotten (so soon after these events). This lead to Jesus warning to them to ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees‘, which was another way of saying, “Be careful of the doctrine or teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

The thing is that their doctrine wasn’t all that bad. They each had some solid beliefs (See Acts 23:6-9). So rather than say avoid anything they have to say, it seems more likely that Jesus was referring to the way those religious group understood the Messiah. They had a wrong view, that would lead to error. And similarly, there is so much bad teaching, bad leaven spread throughout the churches today, which can lead to a different Jesus, and a different Gospel. To watch the video from today, just click on this link.

Michael Robson