When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread.
“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”
Why did the disciples assume that Jesus was talking about the bread they had forgotten? We can imagine their insecurity about having forgotten to bring food to each. And when Jesus said something that had something to do with bread, in their insecurity they jumped to the conclusion that their oversight had been outed.
Why was Jesus so abbreviated with the Pharisees and Sadducees? Remember that he had been around this mountain before in Matthew 12:38-40. He had been a little more explanatory and had alluded to His resurrection there. He was not interested in repeating Himself again.
But what was this yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees? In the end the disciples understood He was speaking about their teachings. Why should they beware of their teachings? It was no secret that they had come to an impasse. But what was it about their teachings that made Jesus warn the disciples?
It seems apparent that the Pharisees and Sadducees were people who were afraid of losing control. They were under the Roman thumb, and they seemed to pay it forward by lording the Law over the people. And the people seemed content to play that game, submitting to traditions and laws that were extra-biblical. Indeed, it was out of fear that their teachings proceeded from their lips.
And the disciples were following suit in this modus operandi, for it was out of fear (insecurity at the least) that they missed Jesus' point when He said "beware of the yeast". But if they were walking in a place of confidence and faith, their understanding might have been more timely.
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