16:5-12 What did the leaven of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees symbolize?

Mt 16:1-4 See comments on Mt 16:1-4.">Mt 16:1-4 See comments on Mt 16:1-4.

16:5-12 What did the leaven of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees symbolize?

The disciples thought that Jesus was alluding to bread which they had forgotten to bring with them, but bread was not the issue – Jesus reminded them that He could easily provide bread if need be, just as He had done previously, first for the five thousand who followed Him, and then for the four thousand. The issue here was the false teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The leaven symbolized their false doctrines which can penetrate and influence the whole church. In Lk 12:1 Jesus referred to it as hypocrisy (cp Lk 12:1-3). The Pharisees and the Sadducees were more concerned with external appearances and ceremonies and their man-made traditions than with the deeper things of God (cp Mt 23:13-36).

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