Matthew 16:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Do you perceive the profound anger? In no other instance has He rebuked them so sharply. What is the reason for this? It is to once more confront their biases concerning food. Yet, why does He merely inquire, “Do you not yet understand” (Matthew 15:16)? In this moment, however, He strongly admonishes them for their lack of faith.

They believed it was he who had warned them against polluting the food of the Jews, and as a result, they deliberated among themselves, concluding that they had not taken the loaves.

Christ referred to the teachings of these individuals as leaven and instructed His followers to be wary of it. The disciples, misunderstanding His words, associated the leaven with the bread of the Jews and became troubled, concerned that He had warned them against it. They believed it was forbidden for them to consume this Jewish bread and had no alternative to partake of, feeling remorseful that they had not received loaves from the welcoming believers to sustain them. Yet, Christ, who discerned their thoughts, rebuked them for two reasons: first, for assuming that He suggested they should be selective about their food, despite His earlier rejection of such Jewish selectiveness when He taught that it is not what enters the mouth that defiles a person (Matt. 15:11), and second, for worrying about provisions while being in the presence of the Provider of all sustenance.

The disciples failed to grasp this admonition; they questioned among themselves, concluding that He was chastising them for not having brought along bread. They assumed it meant they neglected to procure bread from the righteous in Galilee, and that obtaining bread from the Pharisees or Sadducees would be akin to receiving it from the impure Samaritans or Gadarenes. How limited was the understanding of these fishermen, who were destined to become the foundational leaders of Christ's Church! St. Chrysostom remarks that they were still preoccupied with Jewish rituals, adhering to the meticulous dietary laws of the Pharisees, and even the miraculous works of the Lord failed to enlighten them significantly.

As he was preparing to leave, Jesus spoke to his disciples in a mysterious manner in response to their inquiry, warning them to be cautious of the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees, highlighting their doctrines and hypocrisy (Mt. 16:12; Mk. 8:15; Lk. 12:1).

Following a confrontation with the Pharisees and Sadducees near Dalmanutha and Magdala, Christ crossed over to the opposite side of the sea, specifically the eastern shore, avoiding the hostility of His adversaries. Upon reaching this side, He cautioned His disciples, saying, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Mt. 16:6), “and of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees” (Lk. 12:1) and “of Herod” (Mk. 8:15), warning them against the moral decay and secular mindset of the Sadducees, as well as the political motivations that often superseded spiritual matters among Herod’s followers.

The disciples were perplexed by this admonition and believed that Jesus was scolding them for bringing no bread along with them.

They also considered, as the Jews were meticulous about their dietary laws, exhibiting caution even in consuming bread made by non-Jews. Consequently, when the disciples received the Lord's caution to guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, they interpreted it as a directive to avoid bread offered by these groups, fearing it might render them spiritually impure. Given that they possessed only a single loaf (Mark 8:14), they may have surmised that the Lord was privately admonishing them for their negligence and lack of awareness.

After leaving behind the unrepentant hypocrites, Jesus Christ reboarded the boat and crossed to the opposite shore of the Sea of Galilee. The disciples, having forgotten to bring adequate provisions, had only one loaf of bread with them on the journey. In this moment, Jesus warned them by saying, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and Herod's leaven,” as recorded by the evangelist Mark. He cautioned them against the harmful doctrines and superstitions of the Pharisees, the skepticism of the Sadducees, and the moral corruption of the Herodians, all representing the detrimental leaven he sought to protect his faithful followers from.