In chapter 16 SUMMARY.--A Sign Demanded. The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. At Cæsarea Philippi. The Elias Who Should Come. The Confession of Peter. The Rock on Which the Church Should Be Founded. The Keys. Christ's Death at Jerusalem Foretold. The Rebuke of Peter. Losing Life and Finding It. The Coming of the Son of Man. From the People’s New Testament
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| Pharisees and Sadducees |
Mat 16:1 Here the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Him; and, to make trial of Him [test Him], they asked Him to show them a sign in the sky.
Mat 16:2 He replied, "In the evening you say, 'It will be fine weather, for the sky is red;'
Mat 16:3 and in the morning, 'It will be rough weather to-day, for the sky is red and murky.' You learn how to distinguish the aspect of the heavens, but the signs of the times you cannot.
Mat 16:4 A wicked and faithless generation are eager for a sign; but none shall be given to them except the sign of Jonah." and He left them and went away.
Mat 16:5 When the disciples arrived at the other side of the Lake, they found that they had forgotten to bring any bread;
Mat 16:6 and when Jesus said to them, "See to it: beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees,"
Mat 16:7 they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have not brought any bread."
Mat 16:8 Jesus perceived this and said, "Why are you reasoning among yourselves, you men of little faith, because you have no bread?
Mat 16:9 Do you not yet understand? nor even remember the 5,000 and the five loaves, and how many basketfuls you carried away,
Mat 16:10 nor the 4,000 and the seven loaves, and how many hampers you carried away?
Mat 16:11 How is it you do not understand that it was not about bread that I spoke to you? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
Mat 16:12 Then they perceived that He had not warned them against bread-yeast, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Introduction.
The Opposition to Jesus now increases. Here the Pharisees are joined by their rivals the Sadducees. Now His enemies ask for a ‘’sign’’. Compare chapter 12: 38 -40.
He warns them “to Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Mat 16:1 Here the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Him; and, to make trial of Him, they asked Him to show them a sign in the sky.
Notes
They were testing Him by asking from Him a Sign from Heaven. These were representatives of the main religious and political parties among the Jews. Hill says,, “They represent Official Judaism in its entirety.” Matthew shows them together in their Opposition to Jesus here but really they were miles apart in their beliefs. They are usually very hostile to one another but join forces here to discredit Jesus. They saw Him as a dangerous Innovator. Leon Morris p. 413
They came testing Jesus so they were insincere in asking for a sign from heaven. They wanted to see Jesus fail before the Crowds. They wanted the crowd to see a wonderfully impressive Miracle which would accredit the person who performed it.
Mat 16:2 He replied, "In the evening you say, 'It will be fine weather, for the sky is red;'
Mat 16:3 and in the morning, 'It will be rough weather to-day, for the sky is red and murky.' You learn how to distinguish the aspect of the heavens, but the signs of the times you cannot.
Notes
Red sky at night Shepherd's delight, red sky in the morning shepherd’s warning.
he told they knew how to read the signs of the Sky but they could not read the signs of the times. They totally lacked spiritual discernment. They had a complete disability to read the political and spiritual climate which would lead the nation to disaster.
Mat 16:4 A wicked and faithless generation are eager for a sign; but none shall be given to them except the sign of Jonah." and He left them and went away.
Notes
generation means : the people alive at that time. he described it as EVIL showing that it had turned away from all that is good and right.
but none shall be given to them except the sign of Jonah."
The sign of Jonah see ch 12 :38-40 was that he was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish.
The resurrection of Jesus would be the sign but Jesus does not explain the sign of Jonah and leaves them to wonder on their own as He left them.
Mat 16:5 When the disciples arrived at the other side of the Lake, they found that they had forgotten to bring any bread;
Mat 16:6 and when Jesus said to them, "See to it: beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees,"
Mat 16:7 they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have not brought any bread."
Notes
Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, etc. The teaching and influence which spreads like leaven. See Mat_16:12. The figure of the leaven was suggested by their need of bread. Mark, instead of Sadducees, says, "of Herod." Herod and his followers were Sadducees.The Pulpit Commentary.
Leaven is used in making bread.
It passes secretly, silently, but certainly through the mass of dough. See the notes at Mat_13:33. “None can see its progress.” So it was with the doctrines of the Pharisees. They were insinuating, artful, plausible. They concealed the real tendency of their doctrines; they instilled them secretly into the mind, until they pervaded all the faculties like leaven.Barnes
Mat 16:7 they reasoned among themselves,
The disciples did not understand him as referring to the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees, because the word “leaven” was not often used among the Jews to denote doctrines, no other instance of this use of the word occurring in the Scriptures. Besides, the Jews had many particular rules about the leaven (yeast) which might be used in making bread. Many held that it was not lawful to eat bread made by the Gentiles; and the disciples, perhaps, supposed that he was cautioning them not to procure a supply from the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Mat 16:8 Jesus perceived this and said, "Why are you reasoning among yourselves, you men of little faith, because you have no bread?
O ye of little faith! - Jesus, in reply, said that they should not be so anxious about the supply of their temporal wants. They should not have supposed, after the miracles that he had performed in feeding so many, that he would caution them to be anxious about procuring bread for their necessities. It was improper, then, for them to reason about a thing like that, but they should have supposed that he referred to something more important. The miracles had been full proof that he could supply all their wants without such anxiety. Barnes
Mat 16:9 Do you not yet understand? nor even remember the 5,000 and the five loaves, and how many basketfuls you carried away,
Mat 16:10 nor the 4,000 and the seven loaves, and how many hampers you carried away?
Notes
The disciples had been with Jesus long enough to Understand. They should have been able to perceive with the mind ; understand. He asks them to remember. the Five thousand and the five loaves and the four thousand and the number of baskets of leftovers. So why should they worry about the feeding of just twelve disciples plus Himself?
Mat 16:11 How is it you do not understand that it was not about bread that I spoke to you? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
Mat 16:12 Then they perceived that He had not warned them against bread-yeast, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Note
Now they understood. Jesus was not warning against eating bread with yeast but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
The Pharisees put great emphasis on the ‘Traditions of the Elders’ with great stress on the written and the Oral Law, whereas the sadducees would accept nothing but what was written in the Bible.They were small in number bit very powerful politically. But against Jesus they were united in their opposition. They hated Jesus and were determined to overthrow His Teaching. See Leon Morris P.417
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