Corrupt Teachers Seek Signs over Scripture

Matthew 16:1-12

The Pharisees and Sadducees Seek a Sign

1 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; 3 and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And He left them and departed.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

5 Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."

7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."

8 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? 9 Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? 10 Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? 11 How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?—but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Jesus taught the disciples to beware of the yeast of corruption that filled the corrupt and wicked religious teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  These ignored the word of the Lord as it was written and imposed their own rules that negated or twisted God’s intent for His people.  They came to test Jesus to find if they would agree with them and not because they wanted to be certain He was who He claimed to be, the Messiah, to deliver them from such sin.  He told them a visual comparison of how they knew the coming weather by observing the sky, the meaning behind our modern saying of “red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning,” yet could not discern the spiritual climate of the times.  They could not comprehend that God had come among them after becoming a man (John 1:1, 14) to deliver them and instead demanded the divine prove Himself to them by conjuring up proof for them on demand.  Such false teaching still fills the world in the name of Christ, demanding we see miraculous signs and wonders to prove His working in salvation, prosperity, and healing.  Such would do best to hear and heed God’s word and live it out by bearing witness to the work of Christ earning our salvation for us in the gospel.  Jesus told the disbelieving naysayers that the only sign that they would be given was like the prophet Jonah who was buried for three days before rising into life as a picture of Jesus Christ dying for His own to pay sin’s debt and rise up from death to life (John 5:24) to prove we will receive the same resurrection as He did.  He made it clear that only a wicked and adulterous people would demand signs from heaven instead of hearing and believing the word God spoke to them (John 6:29).  The disciples assumed the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees was related to bread, but Jesus reminded His disciples of these things by calling them to remember how He multiplied five loaves for the five thousand and they had many baskets left over, and how seven loaves for feeding four thousand also left many large baskets for them.  It was not about bringing their own bread to eat but to eat of God’s provision as they heard and needed His word, which the bad teachers refused to acknowledge as they kept demanding God prove Himself instead of taking His word by faith and feeding on His faithfulness.  After the Lord explained what the yeast of bad bread was, then His followers understood that it was the bad teaching of false teachers that they were to be aware of, teachings that corrupted God’s word with the need to doubt and have the Lord prove Himself by putting on a show for them instead of trusting what He taught them to discern the spiritual climate of the times and of themselves.  He has given us all necessary things for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) in the scriptures that we might take Him at His word for our deliverance from sin’s punishment as we see the storm of judgment day looming ahead in the red morning sun of threatening foul weather.  Corrupt teachers seek signs over scripture.  May we therefore also beware of seeking signs and wonders (1 Corinthians 1:22-23) instead of Christ crucified for us as the proof we need to acknowledge who He is and all we need for true spiritual health and wealth.  He died and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:52, 56-57) as the only proof we need!  Count the loaves!