The Leaven of the Pharisees

INTRODUCTION

We are continuing our study in the gospel of Mark

Today we are looking at verses 13-21

Please take your Bible and turn with me to Mark chapter 8

The parallel account is also found in Matthew 16:5-12

As I have been doing, I am going to read both accounts from John MacArthur’s book, “One Perfect Life.”

One Perfect Life: The Complete Story of the Lord Jesus 85. The Leaven of the Pharisees

And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the leaven of Herod.” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.” 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? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.” “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.” 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.

One of the greatest challenges in the Christian life is learning to see with spiritual eyes.

So often, we are like the disciples—focused on the physical, distracted by the temporal, and missing the deeper spiritual realities that Jesus is teaching us.

In Mark 8:13-21 and Matthew 16:5-12, we see a perfect example of this struggle.

After feeding the four thousand, and Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus and His disciples get into a boat, and the disciples realize they forgot to bring bread.

When Jesus warns them to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod” (Mark 8:15), they immediately assume He is talking about their lack of physical bread.

But Jesus is not concerned with bread—He is warning them about something far more dangerous: the corrupting influence of false teaching and hypocrisy.

This passage highlights the need for spiritual perception—the ability to understand God’s truth beyond the surface level.

Jesus rebukes His disciples for their lack of understanding, reminding them of the miraculous provisions they had already witnessed.

Their concern over bread revealed a deeper issue: a failure to fully grasp who Jesus was and what He was teaching them.

As we study this passage, we must ask ourselves: Are we spiritually perceptive, or are we still focused on the physical?

Are we discerning the truth of God’s Word, or are we easily influenced by the false teachings of the world?

Jesus calls us to go beyond the surface and develop a deeper understanding of His truth.

Let’s explore what this passage teaches us about the dangers of false teaching, the necessity of spiritual discernment, and how we can grow in our ability to perceive and apply God’s truth.

Mark begins verse 13 by stating that after Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees and Sadducees, “Leaving them, He again embarked and went away to the other side.”

1. The Other Side (v.13; Mat.16:5)

Is Bethsaida, which is on the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee

Bethsaida means "House of Fishing" in Hebrew

This was a fishing village located near the Sea of Galilee

This was the home town of three of Jesus’ disciples: Peter, Andrew, and Philip (John 1:44)

This is the location where Jesus fed the 5000 (Luke 9:10-17)

This is also where Jesus healed a blind man in Mark 8:22-26

Jesus later rebuked Bethsaida, along with Chorazin and Capernaum, for its lack of repentance despite witnessing His miracles (Mat.11:21-24)

Verse 14 says, “They had…”

2. Forgot to Take Bread (v.14; Mat.16:5)

This was understandable

They had left in haste for another journey

Matthew suggests that the oversight was discovered upon arrival at the northeastern shore

This also implies the 7 baskets that were taken up of the left over bread was left with the crowd

Mark says they only had “one loaf in the boat with them” (v.14b)

Seizing on the moment…

3. Jesus Gives Orders (v.15; Mat.16:6)

To “watch out!”

To “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod”

Matthew adds “the Sadduccees” (Mat.16:6)

The warning Jesus gave the disciples was prompted by His contemplation of that encounter with the Pharisees in verses 11-12

Jesus first says to “watch out” (blepete, pres.act.imp.)

This means “to see, to perceive, to take notice”

It implies an active awareness and attentiveness to potential danger

In this context, Jesus is commanding His disciples to “open their eyes” to the spiritual danger of the Pharisees and Herod

The second word “beware” (prosechete, pres.act.imp.) means “to be on guard, to pay attention, to avoid”

It carries the idea of “protecting oneself” from an unseen but serious threat

Jesus is warning the disciples to no only recognize the danger but also take steps to avoid being influenced by it

Both words are imperatives

Both words are also in the present tense

Jesus is warning the disciples to pay attention (take heed) and to guard themselves (beware) against the “leaven” (influence) of the Pharisees and Herod.

The Pharisees represented religious hypocrisy and legalism, while Herod symbolized worldly compromise and corruption.

By using both of these commands, Jesus is emphasizing the seriousness of the danger.

It’s not enough to simply recognize false teaching and corrupt influences—we must also guard our hearts and avoid being shaped by them.

Jesus called for this kind of response in Matthew 7:15

The word for “leaven” in verse 15 is used 2 times

The Greek word ζύμη means "leaven" or "yeast."

It generally refers to a substance used to cause fermentation and make dough rise.

In the New Testament and other early Christian literature, it took on metaphorical connotations, representing elements that can permeate and transform.

Therefore it symbolized “corruption, sin, or influence that spreads” (1 Cor.5:6-8)

Luke 12:1 says “the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”

The MacArthur Study Bible Chapter 16

The most sinister influence of the Jewish leaders was a pragmatic doctrine that made room for hypocrisy. They were too concerned with externals and ceremonies and the way things appeared, and not concerned enough with matters of the heart. Jesus rebuked them for their hypocrisy again and again.

In Matthew 22:23, leaven refers to doctrinal error

The Sadducees did not believe in the “resurrection”

In our parallel text that were considering, Matthew 16:11-12, leaven referred to false teaching

Mark also mentions “the leaven of Herod”

Herod had silenced truth to protect his sinful lifestyle (Mark 6:17-18)

We could summarize that the leaven of the Pharisees was hypocrisy and legalism

For the Sadducees it was false doctrine and unbelief

For Herod it was worldliness and moral corruption

You need to be on watch for all of this

This will shipwreck your faith

You need to run from hypocrisy (Mat.23:27-28), legalism (Mark 7:6-7), false doctrine (2 Tim.4:3-4), unbelief (Heb.3:12), worldliness (1 John 2:15-16), and moral corruption (Rom.1:28-29)

The disciples didn’t understand what Jesus meant. That led to…

4. The Disciple’s Discussion (v.16; Mat.16:7)

They sought to reason through what Jesus said

They were trying to solve the issue of their apparent lack of bread (Mat.16:7)

They were missing the deeper point that Jesus was making about spiritual matters

A.W. Tozer said, “The world is perishing for lack of the knowledge of God, and the church is famishing for want of His presence.”

This is not the only time they missed the point in Jesus’ teaching

They were confused about servanthood (Mark 9:33-37)

They were focused on status and power, missing Jesus’ point that true greatness in His kingdom comes through humility and servanthood.

Jesus had to correct them by showing that being a servant is the path to greatness.

They were confused about Jesus’ death and resurrection (Mark 9:31-32)

Jesus plainly told the disciples that He would die and rise again, but they couldn’t understand His words.

They were reasoning about it, likely confused or troubled by the idea of His death, but they failed to grasp the deeper purpose of His death and resurrection, despite Him clearly explaining it.

They were confused about why a man was blind from birth (John 9:1-3)

The disciples reasoned that the man’s blindness must have been caused by either his sin or his parents’ sin.

They missed the spiritual lesson that the man’s condition was an opportunity for God to display His power, showing them that suffering isn’t always the result of sin.

They were confused about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:6-7)

Even after the resurrection, the disciples were still focused on the political kingdom of Israel, hoping that Jesus would restore Israel’s power and glory.

They missed the spiritual nature of Jesus’ mission, which was not to restore an earthly kingdom, but to bring about the kingdom of God through His death, resurrection, and the spread of the gospel.

Verse 17 says that Jesus was “aware of this”. That led to…

5. Jesus’ Explanation (vv.17-21; Mat.16:8-11)

Jesus’ questions (vv.17-18)

Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread?

Do you not yet see or understand?

Do you have a hardened heart?

In verse 18, He quotes from Jeremiah 5:21

Jeremiah 5 is part of a larger prophetic message where God, through the prophet Jeremiah, speaks out against the sin and rebellion of the people of Judah, especially their idolatry, social injustice, and failure to heed God’s warnings.

God calls the people “foolish and senseless” because they have the capacity to understand (they have eyes to see and ears to hear), but they fail to perceive the truth.

This rhetorical phrase emphasizes their spiritual blindness and deafness to the warning signs that God is giving them through His prophets.

Despite all the signs, they remain ignorant and resistant to God’s message.

R.C. Sproul once described spiritual blindness this way: “The problem is not that people do not know God exists. The problem is that they do not want Him to exist, because that would require a change in their lives.”

Jesus questions and reminds them of the feeding of both the 4,000 and 5,000 (vv.18-20) (“you men of little faith” - Mat.16:8)

John MacArthur tells a story of George Müller, a Christian who ran orphanages and never asked for money but always trusted God to provide. One morning, the children sat at the table with no food. Müller prayed, thanking God for the meal that wasn’t there yet. Just then, a baker knocked, saying he felt led to bring bread. A milkman’s cart broke down outside, so he offered fresh milk.

Jesus had already provided miraculously for the disciples in the past.

Their worry about bread showed that they still lacked trust in His provision.

Like Müller, we must trust that God will always provide for His children.

By recalling these miracles, Jesus is showing them that they should not be concerned about physical bread—God has already proven He can provide for them.

He ends in verse 21 again asking them, “Do you not yet understand?”

This question highlights their spiritual dullness—despite seeing the miracles firsthand, they still fail to trust in Jesus’ provision and miss the deeper meaning of His teaching.

Instead of worrying about food, they should have been focusing on the spiritual lesson about the corrupting influence of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herod.

After this, Matthew 16:12 says…

6. The Disciple’s Understand (Mat.16:12)

They finally got it

But this shows they needed Jesus to help them see spiritual truths clearly

You and I need the Holy Spirit to understand spiritual truth (1 Cor.2:10-11)

CONCLUSION

What can we learn from this text?

We need to beware of false teaching

Just as a little leaven affects the whole dough, false doctrine can corrupt one’s faith if left unchecked

Paul Washer once said: “False teachers are God’s judgment on people who don’t want God but, in the name of religion, plan on getting everything their carnal hearts desire.”

False teaching is so dangerous because it doesn’t always look dangerous

Just like a little poison in a drink can kill, a little false doctrine can corrupt someone’s faith

That’s why Jesus warned us so strongly

Next we need to learn that spiritual understanding takes time

The disciples often misunderstood Jesus, but He patiently guided them to truth - just as He does with us

Last, don’t be distracted by physical concerns

The disciples were worried about food, but Jesus wanted them to focus on spiritual matters.

We, too, must be careful not to let material concerns distract us from spiritual truth.

Are you heeding Jesus’ warning?

There’s another warning that Jesus gives

It’s found in Matthew 7:21-23

Imagine someone boarding a plane, thinking it is heading to their dream destination. But after hours of flying, they hear an announcement: “You are now arriving at a place you never intended to go.” They had the wrong ticket all along.

That’s what false religion does—it makes people think they are on the right path, only to end up in destruction

Jesus warned in Matthew 7:21-23 that many will think they are saved, but they never truly knew Him

Religious activity does not guarantee salvation—only a true relationship with Jesus does

Turn to Him today

The simple verse we all learned as a child, is still profound today (John 3:16)

Let’s pray