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The issue about the leaven was triggered by Jesus charging the disciples: “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.” (v15) Besides the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod, Jesus also mentioned the leaven of the Sadducees in Matt 16:6, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” The disciples mistook Jesus’ word about the “leaven” to mean the “bread” that they forgot to take after feeding the 4,000. After all, bread was made of leavened flour. The disciples were thinking that Jesus was indirectly complaining that they forgot to take the seven baskets of loaves. Hence, the author at the start stated, “Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.” (v14) They might think that Jesus was warning them not to take the bread from the Pharisees, for they might be given poisoned bread.
Before Jesus clarified his meaning of “the leaven of the Pharisees”, he complained about their “hardened” heart (“Have ye your heart yet hardened?”, v17)—slow in understanding the implications of their experience with his miracles. As a matter of fact, the author Mark had a similar comment before regarding their reaction on the incident of Jesus walking on the sea: “And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased; and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened.” (Mark 6:51-52) “The miracle of the loaves” refers to the case of “five loaves and two fishes”. The above comment is given by the author whereas the comment in verse 17 is the direct comment of Jesus.
At that time the disciples were arguing about the matter of forgetting to bring the bread. Seeing that they argued with each other, Jesus said, “Why reason ye, because ye have no bread?” (v17) Jesus then questioned them if they still remembered how many baskets of loaves were left in the 5,000 and 4,000 cases. They remembered very clearly, of course, and replied, “Twelve” and “Seven” respectively. Jesus purposely made them recall both miracles. Then Jesus said, “How is it that ye do not understand?” Understand what? What is Jesus complaining to the disciples? When he asked the disciples the question regarding the remaining baskets, he was reminding them that it was a great miracle to have fed the 5,000 and 4,000 and yet it remained so many baskets of bread out of seven and five loaves. So why still worry that they have only one loaf now? Can’t he perform another miracle to produce bread for the twelve disciples whenever necessary? Of course, he can. Why still worry about all this material food after experiencing these great miracles? They should have learnt that Jesus would take care of their physical needs anyway. On the contrary, they are dull in learning by experience, as Jesus complained: “having eyes, see ye not? And having ears, hear ye not?” (v18). Again, this is something that has to do with faith. Matthew’s account mentioned about the lack of faith. “O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?” (Matt 16:8) A lack of faith in the Lord naturally prompts us to be mindful of our physical needs always.
(the leaven of the Pharisees)
Matthew concludes in Matt 16:12, “Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” How does “leaven” relate to the “doctrine”? In Matthew, Jesus described the kingdom of heaven with the concept of “leaven”: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” (Matt 13:33) This is a positive use of leaven here, meaning somewhat like this: As Christ’s love keeps affecting more people through the believers, the believers are performing the function of leaven and cause more people to believe in the Lord out of Christ’s love. Thus the kingdom of heaven will be expanded. In I Corinthians, on the other hand, Paul uses the concept of “leaven” in a negative way. “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (I Cor 5:6-8) “Purge out…the old leaven” apparently means forsaking all the unholy behavior. In Paul’s usage of the word 'leaven', the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Sadducees can be regarded as “the leaven of malice and wickedness”. In fact, Jesus has had many conflicts with the Pharisees. He has openly rebuked the Pharisees as hypocrites in many occasions. So, he warns the disciples of their hypocritical doctrines now.
(the leaven of the Sadducees)
What about the leaven of the Sadducees? The Sadducees are a group of religious people who stick to temple rituals. They are very close to the priests of the temple. There is some difference between the Sadducees and the Pharisees regarding their beliefs—Acts 23:8 says, “For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.” Moreover, they sided with the Roman government for avoiding any political risk. When the Pharisees and the Sadducees went to the Jordan River to see John the Baptist for baptism, he rebuked them, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.” (Matt 3:7-8) In the previous passage about asking for sign, the Pharisees came with the Sadducees to Jesus, “and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.” (Matt 16:1) Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (Matt 16:4) Interestingly enough, according to Matthew, it is right after they came and asked for a sign did Jesus warn the disciples of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. It may imply that Jesus is actually warning the disciples not to believe in the Lord by virtue of miracles alone. In Matt 22:23, we are told that the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection, i.e. life after death: “the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection”. Suppose the disciples accepted such doctrine held by the Sadducees, that could become a threat to their belief of Jesus’ resurrection.
According to Acts, after Jesus rose to heaven, the Sadducees have virtually persecuted the apostles while they were preaching the resurrected Jesus. Acts 4:1-3 recorded that Peter and John were put in custody by the priests and the Sadducees: “And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day, for it was now eventide.” Later in Acts 5:17, the apostles were put in prison again by the high priest and the Sadducees: “Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.” Hence, the Sadducees were no doubt the public foe of Christian faith.
(the leaven of Herod)
What about “the leaven of Herod”? Herod was also very curious about Jesus’ miraculous power. Luke 9:7-9 tells us that Herod wanted to see Jesus after hearing about cases of Jesus’ miracles: “Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him; and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead…And Herod said, ‘John have I beheaded; but who is this, of whom I hear such things?’ And he desired to see him.” When Jesus was interrogated by Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, Pilate at one time transferred Jesus’ case to Herod. When Herod saw Jesus, he still wanted Jesus to perform some miracles: “And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.” (Luke 23:8) As Jesus showed him no response, he returned the case back to Pilate for his final decision. So, indirectly, he joined hands with Pilate to put Jesus to death. In Acts 4, when the apostles saw that Peter and John were released by the Jewish council, they offered prayer to God. In the prayer, they said, “For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together.” (Acts 4:27)
Herod was also the one who persecuted the church and killed James, the brother of John. He further arrested Peter so as to please the Jews: “Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex (苦害) certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.” (Acts 12:1-4) So, Herod was also the public foe of Christian faith.
To conclude, “the leaven of Herod” (v15) could mean the curiosity in miracles, which has been discussed in the section of analyzing the passage of demanding for a sign. This kind of curiosity has no contribution to one’s faith in accepting Christ Jesus as savior. On the contrary, it can become a stumbling block for people like Herod.
Lastly, as perceived from Jesus’ teaching in Matt 13:33 and Paul’s teaching in I Cor 5:6-8, the term ‘leaven’ can mean ‘influence’—“a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (I Cor 5:6). According to this interpretation, Jesus warned the disciples to beware of the influence of the Pharisees, the Sadducees and Herod. In other words, Jesus charged the disciples to grasp tight his teaching and not to be affected by the doctrines, thinking and behavior of the above religious and political heads, nor to bow down to their threat.
In early church era, the cult ideas permeated the church and forced the apostles to beseech the believers not to be affected by their thinking or fallacies. For example, Paul in the Book of Galatians emphasized the danger of the sect of the circumcised Jews: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing…A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.” (Gal 5:1-10) Peter in II Peter also exhorted the believers as such: “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.” (II Peter 3:17) John warned the believers of the anti-Christ’s fallacy: “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.” (2 John 1:7-8)
As a matter of fact, various kinds of cult religion have been flourishing in each generation. As the Day of Christ’s coming draws near, there will be more of deceptive thinking to delude the believers, as Jesus warned in his message about the events that will take place toward the end of the world: “many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many…For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matt 24:11,24) Therefore, we must be alert and make sure we have good foundation of our Christian faith so that we will not be affected by any sort of “leaven”, as the author of Hebrews beseeches us, “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.” (Heb 6:1-2)