Matthew 16:1-6: a reflection

1The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2But he answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3In the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you can’t discern the signs of the times! 4An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” He left them and departed. 5The disciples came to the other side and had forgotten to take bread. 6Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

After his encounter with the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus warns his disciples to beware of their leaven, the small but spreading influence of their false teaching and hypocrisy. Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus says. Leaven, or yeast, is small, but it spreads through the whole lump of dough, working its way through unseen until it affects everything. So, Jesus warns, is the influence of the Pharisees' and Sadducees' hypocrisy and false teaching: small perhaps at first, easy to overlook, but spreading, working its way through, corrupting more than it seems. We are to beware of such small, spreading, corrupting influences. This shows the need to beware of small but spreading corrupting influences. Beware small influences that spread and corrupt, like leaven. A little hypocrisy or false teaching spreads through the whole. Small corrupting influences work their way through unseen. Guard against the leaven that spreads and corrupts.

Notice the image Jesus uses and its warning. Leaven is a small thing, a little yeast; but its nature is to spread, working invisibly through the whole lump of dough until all of it is affected. Jesus uses this to warn of the influence of the Pharisees and Sadducees, their hypocrisy and false teaching. The point is that such influences, though they may seem small and easy to overlook at first, do not stay small; they spread, working their way through, corrupting more and more, until they affect the whole. This is a warning we do well to heed. We can be tempted to overlook small corrupting influences, small compromises, small bits of hypocrisy or false teaching, small sins, thinking them too minor to matter. But like leaven, such things do not stay contained; they spread, working their way through our hearts, our lives, our communities, corrupting far more than they seemed. A little hypocrisy spreads; a little false teaching corrupts the whole; a small compromise leads to larger ones. We do well to beware of such small, spreading influences, not tolerating them as too minor to matter, but guarding against them before they spread. Guard against small influences before they spread and corrupt the whole. Do not overlook a little hypocrisy or compromise; it spreads. Small corrupting things do not stay small; they work through unseen. Beware the leaven that corrupts more than it seems.

That is worth taking to heart, for small corrupting influences, like leaven, spread and corrupt more than they seem, and we do well to beware of them rather than overlook them as too minor to matter. We can overlook small compromises, small bits of hypocrisy or false teaching, thinking them too minor to matter; but Jesus warned that the leaven of the Pharisees, small as it might seem, spreads and corrupts. Small things do not stay small. Do not tolerate small corrupting influences as too minor to matter; beware of them, guarding against them before they spread. Beware of small but spreading corrupting influences, like the leaven of the Pharisees, not overlooking a little hypocrisy, false teaching, or compromise as too minor to matter, as Jesus warned his disciples to take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees; for leaven is a small thing, a little yeast, but its nature is to spread, working invisibly through the whole lump of dough until all is affected, and so is the influence of hypocrisy and false teaching, small perhaps at first and easy to overlook but spreading, working its way through, corrupting more than it seems, which is a warning we do well to heed, since we can be tempted to overlook small corrupting influences, small compromises, small bits of hypocrisy, and small sins as too minor to matter, but like leaven such things do not stay contained but spread through our hearts, lives, and communities, corrupting far more than they seemed, a little hypocrisy spreading, a little false teaching corrupting the whole, a small compromise leading to larger ones, so that we do well to beware of such small, spreading influences and guard against them before they spread rather than tolerating them as too minor to matter.

Lord Jesus, after your encounter with the Pharisees and Sadducees, you warn your disciples to beware of their leaven, the small but spreading influence of their false teaching and hypocrisy. Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees, you say. Leaven, or yeast, is small, but it spreads through the whole lump of dough, working its way through unseen until it affects everything. So, you warn, is the influence of the Pharisees' and Sadducees' hypocrisy and false teaching: small perhaps at first, easy to overlook, but spreading, corrupting more than it seems. Show me the image you use and its warning. Leaven is a small thing; but its nature is to spread, working invisibly through the whole lump until all is affected. You use this to warn of the influence of hypocrisy and false teaching. The point is that such influences, though they may seem small and easy to overlook at first, do not stay small; they spread, corrupting more and more, until they affect the whole. This is a warning I do well to heed. I can be tempted to overlook small corrupting influences, small compromises, small bits of hypocrisy or false teaching, small sins, thinking them too minor to matter. But like leaven, such things do not stay contained; they spread, working their way through my heart and life, corrupting far more than they seemed. Take that to my heart, for small corrupting influences, like leaven, spread and corrupt more than they seem. Keep me from overlooking small compromises, hypocrisy, or false teaching as too minor to matter; help me beware of such small, spreading influences, Lord, guarding against them before they spread and corrupt the whole, mindful that small corrupting things do not stay small but work their way through unseen.