HOST: Michael Whitworth
SPONSOR: Logos Bible Software
When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Confusing the spiritual with the physical. It was a common problem with the apostles. Like us, they tended to let the physical world they lived in dominate their thinking and focus. They struggled to properly understand Jesus and His teaching because of this worldly-mindedness. When Jesus spoke of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, their minds immediately went to physical bread for that was the physical understanding of leaven and its use. By bringing up the feeding of the 5,000 and 4,000, Jesus reminds them of His ability to meet their need for bread with abundance, thus negating any cause for concern over those things. The leaven that He was warning them about was spiritual in nature. It was the ungodly influence of the Jewish leaders who had turned the law of Moses into something to be used for their own purposes and gain. Today, our concern is not with the Pharisees or Sadducees, but with any number of people who would, in the name of religion, twist and corrupt the word of God into something that will only lead us away from Him. Like the apostles, we must beware of their leaven (influence) and its potentially devastating effect on our lives.
What can we do to protect ourselves from negative influences?
Don’t forget to pray and have a great day!