Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Then Jesus told them, 'Be careful and watch out for the influence of the Pharisees and Sadducees, it spreads like yeast in dough.'
Jesus is warning: bad spiritual influence spreads fast, so choose who you listen to carefully.
📚 Historical Context
In the historical context of Matthew 16, Jesus is speaking to his disciples shortly after a confrontation with the Pharisees and Sadducees, who were influential Jewish religious groups during the Second Temple period. The Pharisees emphasized strict adherence to the Law and oral traditions, often leading to hypocrisy, while the Sadducees were aristocratic priests who controlled the temple and rejected beliefs like resurrection. Jesus uses the metaphor of "leaven" to warn of the subtle, spreading influence of their teachings, which could corrupt true faith.
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