Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees

Setting and Overview
In many places, Matthew will emphasize in the narrative how the events demonstrate what Jesus teaches and proclaims. Following the feeding of the five thousand and the walking on water, Jesus declared all food to be clean (Matthew 15:10-20) which opened up the door to further ministry to the Gentiles, which he then pointed to further by going to Gentile territory where he encountered the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:21-28) and then did healing and feeding miracles among the Gentiles (Matthew 15:29-39) that reflected what he had done among the Jews. As we go into Matthew 16, we encounter a pivotal chapter in which he offers further revelation about himself and his ministry, but begins to focus his attention more on instructing the disciples than responding to opposition or the crowds. The disciples learn, but their growth is not always smooth, and before Peter’s confession in the center of the chapter, there is further misunderstanding first.

Exposition
The Pharisees and Sadducees agreed on very little, but one point of agreement was that they both disagreed with Jesus. We have seen similar intention to test him before (Matthew 12:38) and the response here is similar. Their request for a sign is not from genuine curiosity and lack of understanding, but rather a rejection that stems from their heart. Both groups rejected Jesus for different reasons, but at the core of both, they were protecting their power and position, as was Herod (Mark 8:15) and their test reflected a desire to discredit him despite all of the obvious signs that had already been shown. Because of this, the only sign that they will receive will be Jesus himself raised from the dead, which will be in effect to them no sign at all (Mark 8:12.)
Following the encounter, Jesus leaves and meets up with the disciples who had traveled across the lake. The disciples are distracted because they realize that they have no food, which either they felt threatened their mission or else just distracted them from it. Jesus uses the opportunity to warn them about the Pharisees and Sadducees, but in their hunger and worry, they miss his message and think that he is talking about food. Again, this misunderstand is not ultimately intellectual but spiritual, and so Jesus chastises them for little faith. If they had been demonstrating the faith that the Canaanite woman demonstrated, they would have seen their predicament in the context of the miracles that Jesus had already done to feed the multitudes. Food was not a concern when Jesus could provide whatever was needed. In their little faith, however, they can also see their hunger and miss his larger point. When he restates the warning, however, it finally registers what he meant. He was warning about the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees, teaching which would differ on almost every other point, except that they both felt that they had a right to ignore Jesus’ ministry and put him to the test on their terms.

Examination and Application
When we are in difficult situations, our faith often shrinks to only our immediate circumstances. Like the Israelites in the wilderness or the disciples without bread, we are consumed with our immediate worries, ignoring the faithfulness of God and all that he has promised and done. In our most difficult times, that is when we need most to reflect on all that God has done and the many ways that he has shown himself to be faithful. This will also help to guard us against the dangerous and contagious attitude of the Pharisees and Sadducees. We are not in a position to test God, but rather we should look to his word and recognize all that he has promised and already done, recognize what those show us, and respond in faithful obedience.