Beware of the Pharisees and Sadducees Leaven - Matthew 16:6

Matthew the apostle wrote about how Jesus told the Pharisees and Sadducees, “A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed. And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread”, and in chapter sixteen and verse six of his book, Matthew shares how Jesus said, “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” where we read:

Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

The verse reads, “Then Jesus said unto them, ...”. Matthew began with the word, “then” which means “at that time and moment” “Jesus” or “the One whose name means Jehovah is Salvation and is the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate” “said” which means “uttered, declared and proclaimed” “unto them” or “to His disciples”. Matthew shared how Jesus instructed His disciples concerning the next words.

The verse continues, “... Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” Matthew added the words, “take heed” which means “see with the eyes, care for, perceive and know” “and beware” which means “give attention to, be cautious and have regard” “of the leaven” or “as if boiling up, fermentation and inveterate mental and moral corruption” “of the Pharisees” which refers to “belonging to the sect that seems to have started after the Jewish exile. In addition to Old Testament books the Pharisees recognized in oral tradition a standard of belief and life” “and of the Sadducees” which means “and belonging to a religious party at the time of Christ among the Jews who denied that the oral law was a revelation of God to the Israelites and who deemed the written law alone to be obligatory on the nation, as the divine authority”. Matthew shared how Jesus warned His disciples concerning the “leaven” or “boiling up and inveterate mental and moral corruption” of the religious leaders known as “the Pharisees and Sadducees”.

When we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we see how Jesus instructed His disciples concerning the “leaven” or “teachings and doctrine” of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus came to give them “truth”, and although the Pharisees and Sadducees were teachers of the law of God, they had traditions and ways which were not in alignment with the principles of God's Kingdom. Those who are wise will be aware there is “leaven” or “inveterate mental and moral corruption” being promoted by people every day, and God's word reveals what is “truth” and what is “false” and a “lie”.

Next time Matthew shares what the disciples, “reasoned among themselves” come to Jesus again, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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