And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Matthew 16:6 (NASB1995)
Today’s verse is interesting and worthy of our prayers often in our lives; it speaks to us of being aware of the company we keep and what they are saying. The Pharisees and Sadducees stood aloof from those around them, speaking what would sound like good advice but which was not Godly. Their counsel came from law and regulations that served their religious hierarchy. It was not from God.
“Leaven” in our verse is a common symbol of sin in the Bible. We find it mentioned first in the Exodus account of the exiles from Egypt; they were to be prepared to leave and not have any leaven (sin) with them. The Greek word for leaven is zumē which refers to fermentation, to metaphorically boil up/grow. This reminds me of the fermentation process that I saw my dad mastering in the making of his wine. It required yeast a living organism, darkness, and time. These are the same conditions required of the sinful words of others in our lives.
Dear Reader, beware the leaven of those in your company today! Just like the religious leaders in the gospels, the words of others may be authoritative, but they can also be wrong. Our Lord exposed the misleading motives He saw. Thus, we need to be aware of such traps set before us each day and expose them.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures
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