And when his disciples were come over the water, they had forgotten to take bread.
και ελθοντες οι μαθηται αυτου εις το περαν επελαθοντο αρτους λαβειν
8 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Matthew narrates that after departing from them, He went by Himself. Once His disciples had ferried across to the opposing side and realized they had forgotten to bring bread, Jesus cautioned them, saying, "Take heed of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." It became clear to them that He was not referring to the leaven of bread, but rather to the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees. A similar account is also presented by Mark.
They neglected to bring enough bread with them, which would have been adequate for their needs. According to Mark, they possessed only a single loaf while aboard the boat.
Upon reaching the opposite shore of the Sea of Galilee, the disciples overlooked the loaves they were supposed to bring. The Lord mourned that they had already forgotten the recent wonders of the loaf multiplication. Instead of rebuking them outright, He redirected their focus to a more pressing matter—the peril posed by the teachings of the Pharisees, characterized by deception and hypocrisy.
As he prepared to leave, Jesus spoke to his disciples in a way that held deeper meaning, cautioning them about the teachings and hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Sadducees, which he referred to as leaven (Mt. 16:12; Mk. 8:15; Lk. 12:1).
Following an encounter with the Pharisees and Sadducees in the regions of Dalmanuth and Magdala, Christ returns to the other side of the sea, specifically the eastern shore, in order to avoid the hostility of His adversaries. Once again, He makes this crossing and warns His disciples, saying: “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Mt. 16:6), as well as “of the Pharisees and Herod” (Mk. 8:15), and cautions them against “the hypocrisy of the Pharisees” (Lk. 12:1), the secular mindset and materialism of the Sadducees, and the prioritization of political power over spiritual truths common among the Herodians. Unfortunately, the disciples neglected to bring their own bread, noting that apart from a single loaf, they had no provisions with them in the boat (Mk.
8:14). This oversight caused them concern, and when Christ warned them about the leaven of these groups, they mistakenly believed He was cautioning them against purchasing bread from the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians, thinking He meant they should avoid associating with His enemies. With a heavy heart, the Lord gently reproached them for their lack of understanding: “Is your heart still hardened? Have you not eyes to see, and ears to hear?” (Mk. 8:17-18). Had they not witnessed His miraculous provision for thousands with merely a handful of loaves? What could prevent their comprehension?
The sudden crossing of Jesus to the opposite shore left the apostles without the chance to gather enough bread for their journey, resulting in their departure with just a single loaf. This caused them distress.
Crossing to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, the discourse with the Pharisees occurred on the western side near Magdala (Matt. 15:39). They had neglected to bring enough bread for their needs, as they had only a single loaf with them (Mark 8:14).
After addressing the deceitful hypocrites, Jesus Christ boarded a boat and crossed to the opposite shore of the Sea of Galilee. The disciples, having forgotten to bring provisions, found themselves with only a single loaf of bread on the vessel. Jesus then warned them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and Herod's leaven," as noted by the evangelist Mark. He cautioned against the destructive doctrines and superstitions of the Pharisees, the skepticism of the Sadducees, and the moral depravity associated with the Herodians, all of which constituted the harmful leaven he warned his earnest disciples about.
Misunderstanding the Lord's message, they assumed he was prohibiting them from consuming any bread from the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians, believing it to be defiled and unclean. Since they possessed just one loaf, they took the Teacher’s admonition as a veiled reminder of their own negligence, leading them to discuss quietly among themselves, "We will not take any bread."
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 10 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS