Beware

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The confrontation continues...

Last week we talked about Jesus leaving Galilee to enter the land of “the enemy”. Though Jesus actually referred to them as “little dogs”, he bestowed on them all the blessings of the children. We specifically noted how he had compassion, healed, taught and fed these enemies JUST like he did the Jews.
HIS MISSION and OUR MISSION is to share the good news of reconciliation to God the Father through the work of Jesus to ALL people - regardless of nationality or social standing. We are to be lights to the world around us - even to our “enemies”.
After those events, Jesus got back in the boat set sail again:
Matthew 15:39 CSB
39 After dismissing the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.
The specific region is not one that we have much history on. And the exact location is probably not significant much more than the fact that Jesus is now back in Jewish territory.
Matthew 16:1–4 CSB
1 The Pharisees and Sadducees approached, and tested him, asking him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He replied, “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be good weather because the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy because the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away.
Again, we have a very familiar encounter, right? Even the topic of demanding a sign is similar to something that previously took place.
SIGN - the word for sign also means “miracle”. They demanded to see a miracle. Obviously, there have been hundreds of miracles that have taken place by now!
What are they really asking for? Perhaps they are hoping he will NOT be able to perform a miracle so they can discredit Jesus? I am sure it was NOT so they could choose to believe in him. How can I say this with confidence? Mark’s account gives us some more details:
Mark 8:11–12 CSB
11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, demanding of him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 Sighing deeply in his spirit, he said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
They were TESTING Jesus - in hopes he would fail! Basically, they wanted to try to either discredit him OR get more ammunition from him to be able to do away with him.
DID YOU NOTICE Jesus’ response? Of course, he does NOT give them what they want. But did you also notice that he “sighed deeply in his spirit”. This is the ONLY place in scripture we read about this. While he had the right to be angry with them, instead he was grieved.
WHAT KIND OF COMPASSION does Jesus have - that he would be grieved over the obstinance of the religious leaders, and not want to just call down fire from heaven? That is grace and mercy that I know I count on daily!

Bible Detectives...

This passage is VERY similar to an encounter we had back in chapter 12.
ASK: so when we find a parallel passage, especially by the same author, what are we to look for? [differences between the text]
I am going to put both of them on the screen so you can see them side by side [NOTE: put both passages on the screen at the same time ⚡]
Matthew 12:38–40 CSB
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” 39 He answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.
ASK: what are some of the differences that you notice? [allow for interaction]
Once you notice the differences, you then need to ask if there is a possible reason for that difference. Does it add to the message or narrative in some way? I want to share with you a few that I found that I think are significant:

Teacher.

In chapter 12, they called him “teacher”. In chapter 16 they simply demand a sign, no title reference is given. They certainly will NOT acknowledge that he is a teacher any longer.

Signs of the times.

In chapter 16, Jesus talks about signs of the times. This was not in chapter 12 and it is also not in Mark’s version of this encounter.
We have a similar saying that we use, don’t we? “Red sky at night, sailors delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning.”
Jesus is basically saying that they *should* have recognized who Jesus was by now... and accepted him! Just like they can read the sky and know what is coming, they should have been able to read the events that have taken place and known the Messiah had come.
ASK: what are some of the signs that they should have seen?
The miracles of feeding by miraculously multiplying bread
The miracles of healing the blind, deaf, lame and dumb
The miracle of raising people from the dead
Matthew has been very good at pointing back to the law and prophets to show us how these signs pointed to Jesus being the Messiah. Matthew was a tax collector - not a teacher of the Law, and even HE got it!

The Sadducees.

In chapter 12 it was the Pharisees and scribes. In chapter 16 it is the Pharisees and Sadducees.
The only other time Matthew referenced the Sadducees before this was when John the baptist called them a “brood of vipers” in Matthew 3:7. This is the first encounter Jesus has with them that Matthew records.

Who are the Sadducees?

They are one of two main parties that make up the Sanhedrin - the ruling council in Jerusalem. The other party is the Pharisees.
The Lexham Bible Dictionary (The Sanhedrin)
The Sanhedrin was composed of priests, Sadducees, and Pharisees... It consisted of 70 common members plus the high priest. There were 69 members, and Moses was considered the 70th member.

What did they believe?

According to the LBD:

The Scriptures possessed supreme authority for the Sadducees, to the exclusion of oral traditions from former generations. The Sadducees denied the resurrection and the existence of fate.

They denied that life after death existed because they believed the Torah did not teach it. They were the conservative, literalists of their day.
Pharisees, on the other hand,

The Pharisees developed a tradition of strict interpretation of the Mosaic law, developing an extensive set of oral extensions of the law designed to maintain religious identity and purity.

These two parties were less than 200 years old at the time of Matthew’s writing, and they were at great odds with one another because of their doctrinal differences. One believed in eternal life; the other did not. One claimed oral tradition authoritative; the other did not. You can see how they would be at odds, right?
We might look at 2 factions that seem to disagree with each other and wonder who two groups who use the same Torah can believe so differently!
We Christians have it even worse!
As of 2010, World Christian Database claimed there are 706 Evangelical denominations worldwide. [ ref pg 16 of: https://www.gordonconwell.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2019/04/2ChristianityinitsGlobalContext.pdf ]
According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, there are approximately 41,000 Christian denominations and organizations in the world today. [ref: https://www.learnreligions.com/christianity-statistics-700533 ]
Generally, these two groups did NOT partner on things. In this case, apparently Jesus was the common “enemy” that they needed to deal with and they were willing to put aside their differences to rid themselves of Jesus.

THEMES:

One of the main themes of Matthew’s gospel is the rejection of Jesus by the religious people of his day. This rejection will ultimately put Jesus on the cross.
Matthew has been building this theme slowly, a little at a time. This morning I want us to chase this theme through Matthew’s writing so you can not only identify it, but also to help you learn how to identity themes like this in your own bible study time.
The first hint that there will be some tension is right after the sermon on the mount. Matthew records this regarding the scribes:
Matthew 7:28–29 CSB
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.
Later, the first person to approach Jesus about becoming a disciples was a scribe:
Matthew 8:19 CSB
19 A scribe approached him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
We are left to believe that the scribe was not willing to accept the conditions of discipleship. So the scribes have gone from comparison to Jesus to not being willing to follow him.
In chapter 9, Jesus forgives the sins of a paralytic, and the scribes relationship with Jesus is elevated to the next level - accusatory. They accuse Jesus of blasphemy:
Matthew 9:2–3 CSB
2 Just then some men brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.” 3 At this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “He’s blaspheming!”
Apparently, the scribes were not the only ones checking out Jesus during that time. Not long after the accusation of the scribes, we get introduced to the Pharisees, who question Jesus:
Matthew 9:10–11 CSB
10 While he was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Later, the Pharisees witness Jesus casting out a demon from a mute man, and the man started talking. Their response to Jesus elevated from inquisitive to accusatory as well:
Matthew 9:34 CSB
34 But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.”
Later, the disciples are picking grain on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees accuse them of breaking the Sabbath:
Matthew 12:2 CSB
2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”
In chapter 12 there is yet another encounter by the Pharisees. This time they do not make the accusation, they ask a question to try to trap Jesus:
Matthew 12:9–10 CSB
9 Moving on from there, he entered their synagogue. 10 There he saw a man who had a shriveled hand, and in order to accuse him they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
And THAT event led to the next step for the Pharisees:
Matthew 12:14–15 CSB
14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, how they might kill him. 15 Jesus was aware of this and withdrew. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them all.
They want to kill Jesus! Their reaction to Jesus has gone from novelty to inquiry to accusation to entrapment to plotting to murder him.
NOTE: they do NOT have the authority to put someone to death. Actually, the Sanhedrin used to, but the Romans took that power away. So, if the Pharisees are going to kill Jesus it will have to involve the Sanhedrin and Rome.
Then, Jesus heals a demon possessed man, and the Pharisees retort:
Matthew 12:24 CSB
24 When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
After this, Matthew brings the two groups, the scribes and the Pharisees, together against Jesus for the first time.
Matthew 12:38 CSB
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
NOTICE -> the partnering of these groups was to demand a sign. They were testing him, and apparently they failed.
The next encounter is, again, with the pairing of the scribes and Pharisees in chapter 15 when they question Jesus on the tradition of the elders:
Matthew 15:1–2 CSB
1 Then Jesus was approached by Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem, who asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat.”
What is UNIQUE about 15:1 is that these religious leaders were from Jerusalem. We now have a link, though loose, to the Sanhedrin and the bigger plot to remove Jesus. While the Pharisees want to kill Jesus, they will need some help. They will need the support of the Sadducees so the Sanhedrin can pass the kill order.
THE NEXT ENCOUNTER is the one we are looking at today: when the Pharisees and Sadducees get together to accuse Jesus.
Matthew 16:1 CSB
1 The Pharisees and Sadducees approached, and tested him, asking him to show them a sign from heaven.
This is the first time these two have been paired together and it makes the link complete.
Spoiler alert...
I am not going to trace the theme forward as we will visit those passages soon enough. However, I will point out that Matthew is pointing us in a direction -> towards Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is where Jesus will head next.
Jerusalem is where the Sanhedrin is. These two groups (Pharisees and Sadducees), along with the priests, make up the Sanhedrin. This is the ruling council in Jerusalem that is going to put Jesus on trial. We will read about that in Matthew 26.
the subject of that next section is also spelled out in Matthew 16:21 “From then on Jesus began to point out to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.”
In this morning’s encounter in Matthew 16, the Sadducees and Pharisees seek a sign, just like the scribes and Pharisees did in chapter 12. In both encounters, Jesus gives them the sign of Jonah, and after both encounters Jesus leaves to avoid trouble. Then we get a teaching about the Pharisees and Sadducees:

Watch out.

Matthew 16:5–12 CSB
5 The disciples reached the other shore, and they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus told them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 They were discussing among themselves, “We didn’t bring any bread.” 8 Aware of this, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves that you do not have bread? 9 Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand and how many baskets you collected? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many large baskets you collected? 11 Why is it you don’t understand that when I told you, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees,’ it wasn’t about bread?” 12 Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the leaven in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Jesus tells the disciples to watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
We read that the disciples were not picking up what Jesus was laying down: that there was teaching from these religious leaders that was dangerous. They were stuck on their stomachs.
NOTE: I am amazed at how easy it is for ME to get consumed by my physical needs and material wants to the point where I can totally miss the thing God wants me to focus on!
Before we talk about the teaching to watch out for, let’s look at Jesus’ response to the disciples!

You just don’t get it.

NOTE: when you are upset or frustrated with someone, say a good friend, a spouse or a child, and you cannot comprehend how they could do a certain thing, a common response might be to ask them rhetorical questions, right?
what were you thinking?
why would you do something like that?
who do you think you are?
You get the idea, right? At best, or possibly at worst, I think I have been able to string 2-3 questions together when I have been really, really frustrated. I usually regret it by the way.
Jesus’ response to the disciples thinking he was talking about actual bread was a barrage of, not 2 or 3 but 5 straight rhetorical questions!
why are you discussing that you have no bread?
don’t you understand yet?
don’t you remember the 5 loaves miracle?
don’t you remember the 7 loaves miracle?
why is it you don’t understand this is not about bread?
That is a LOT of questions! Yet, if you read the parallel in Mark, you have even MORE questions:
Mark 8:17–21 CSB
17 Aware of this, he said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact you have no bread? Don’t you understand or comprehend? Do you have hardened hearts? 18 Do you have eyes and not see; do you have ears and not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of leftovers did you collect?” “Twelve,” they told him. 20 “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you collect?” “Seven,” they said. 21 And he said to them, “Don’t you understand yet?”
Wow… does that seem like a heated discussion!
Why are you talking about not having bread?
Don’t you understand or comprehend?
Do you have hard hearts?
Do you have blind eyes and deaf ears?
Have you forgotten?
What about the 5 loaves and 5,000 men - how many baskets left? (they answered!)
What about the 7 loaves and 4,000 men - how many baskets left? (they answered!)
Don’t you get it yet?
That is 8 questions in a row!
Matthew is not good at communicating emotion. So we do not know if Jesus was discouraged, upset, frustrated, angry or just calm and quietly teaching. This barrage of questions is apparently very effective, because they got it!
RIDDLE: they collected 7 baskets of leftovers before leaving… what did they do with them?
So, now that the disciples know Jesus was warning them about the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees, let’s talk about that.

The Leaven of the Pharisees & Sadducees

The first thing we should notice is the command to WATCH OUT. This is to be on guard. Be on guard for what?
There is no doubt that there is hatred in the heart of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They want to kill Jesus.
It reminds me of another famous story: Cain & Abel
Genesis 4:6–7 NLT
6 “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
WATCH OUT! Your jealousy and hatred will lead you to spill blood and you will be banished!
You could remove Cain’s name and put in the Pharisees or Sadducees in Gen 4.

So what is the leaven?

We are NOT given detailed explanation of what that leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees is. It is interesting that it appears to be a common teaching - so we can assume it is not a warning about their theology, because they had very different theologies!
To better understand, we have to look back at their history.

Leaven could be...

Surely part of the leaven that is being referred to is the hatred or jealousy that the religious leaders had. Jesus pointed to it when he spoke about what defiles a person:
Matthew 15:19–20 CSB
19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slander. 20 These are the things that defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person.”
The disciples would need to be careful not to become like them. These religious leaders are going to kill Jesus out of some self-appointed right, and it will seems like they are doing it to protect the people from Jesus and to protect the Torah. The disciples, after they see what is going to happen to Jesus, may feel like they have a right to enact justice. It would seem like a natural response! But that is not what Christ-followers are called to!

Leaven could be...

The leaven might also be the way that the hatred of the Pharisees and Sadducees will infect the entire crowd in Jerusalem! Matthew 27:20 “The chief priests and the elders, however, persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to execute Jesus.” The crowd continued in their frenzy until they even say this, implicating themselves with the likes of Cain: Matthew 27:25 “All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!””
In a very real sense, the warning could mean to be careful for your very lives! Jesus warned them of this in Matthew 10:17.
As we meditate on the warning Jesus gives we can see that at a minimum it envelopes both the internal struggle not to become like those that hate and kill (even by claiming justice in the process) and also by the external reality of their very lives being on the line because of association with Jesus.
Leaven could be....
A specific warning to Judas who will later partner with the priests, an betray Jesus, turning him over to the Sanhedrin to be put on trial in the middle of the night. We will read about this in chapter 26.
As we wrap up our time together I think there are some lessons to catch for us today. This is a section of NARRATIVE, so it is not necessarily heavy with application, but I think there are some take-aways:
First, there are some who will try to do things to hurt, discredit or destroy us and the good name of Jesus. We must also be in guard for them and their attacks.
We also need to be careful not to follow in the pattern of sin. Just because someone treats us wrongly does not give us the right to do bad things to them. When we do, we become just like them - no better than them. As image bearers we need to be like Jesus who showed compassion to his enemies and not like the religious leaders who killed Jesus.
Finally, I think the narrative that Matthew is recording is designed to help us see Jesus and how he interacts with creation.
What would compel Jesus to confront enemies, face the scourge of religious leaders and put up with a bunch of disciples that are more concerned with their stomachs than spiritual matters? Compassion.
He came to fix was what broken:
to replace religion gone astray
to redeem people who have been cast off
to reconcile people back to the Father and their original glory of being the image of Yahweh
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