Matthew 15a

 Consider this: In Chapter 14, Jesus fed the 5000, walked on water, and healed the sick at Gennesaret. In Chapter 15, Jesus healed the Canaanite woman’s daughter, cured many people, and fed the 4000. In between, he debated with the Pharisees and scribes. Now we begin Chapter 16, and the oddest thing happens. Read about it. 

16: 1.  The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus, they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 

 Miracle after miracle, and the religious authorities from Jerusalem have the audacity to ask Jesus to show them a sign from heaven. This seems particularly thick-headed. Unless, the authorities do not consider Jesus’ miracles as ‘signs from heaven’. That is possible since earlier the Pharisees claimed that he performed miracles by the power of the Devil (12: 24).

 Who were these authorities? In Chapter 15:1, the text says that Pharisees and scribes came from Jerusalem to investigate the Jesus phenomenon. Today’s text says that the Pharisees and Sadducees came to question Jesus. These are three religious parties with different views on how the Jews should be ruled. All three are several centuries old by this time, having arisen after the destruction of Solomon’s temple and the Exile in Babylon (597-538 B.C.). The collapse of the kingdom meant the Jews had no country. They struggled with an identity crisis. How does Judaism continue without these anchors? 

 The Pharisees opposed the Greek rulers who controlled the land in the wake of Alexander the Great (d. 323 B.C.). They were priests who valued the Torah (Law), and their goal was to bring the knowledge and practices of the Law to the common people. Yet, over time, their traditions came to hold more sway than the Torah itself. Their authority was entangled with their sense of piety, that is, those who carefully followed the traditions ranked high in society.  

 By contrast, the Sadducees were a religious party that also originated in the post-Exilic period, but they were members of the upper class. In particular, the high priestly families were Sadducees. After the Romans asserted control in 63 B.C., the Sadducees tended to collaborate with them to share power. The temple had been rebuilt by the returning exiles, then expanded by Herod, so that the Sadducees’ center of power was at Jerusalem. They assumed that their authority and privileges came with their birth into elite families. They were not usually allies of the Pharisees who were more Torah than Temple centered.   

 Finally, the scribes also had knowledge of the Law, and they knew how to write and what to write, so they were known for their ability to write out various legal contracts that were necessary for living in Roman Palestine. For this reason, they were scattered throughout the countryside; every town had a scribe, and Jerusalem had many.

16: 2-4.  He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away.

 Jesus answers with a folk proverb, much like those that Solomon wrote and collected in the Book of Proverbs. Jesus’ critique is meant to point out that the Sadducees and scribes, as most people living Galilee and Judea, seem to be pretty good at reading the signs of nature. This is a variation of a saying that is still with us today, and I have used it many times: “Red at night, sailor’s delight; Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning!” 

 Perhaps Jesus’ warning is more subtle than we think. The same sign, a red sky, means something different when it occurs at a different time, morning or evening (Tasker, The Gospel according to Matthew, 1961, page 154). The authorities seem to be able to read ‘signs in the sky’ at the right times, but they seem unable to read ‘signs in heaven’ in order to understand the times. 

 As Ben Witherington points out, it is worth noting that Jesus is willing to perform miracles of compassion, but Jesus does not perform miracles on demand as ‘validating signs’ (Matthew, 2006, page 307). Jesus is neither a magician nor a clown. 

 Why do the religious authorities not read the signs? It is because they do not have ‘faith’; that is, they are not able to see the hand of God in what Jesus already does because they do not think of God as being that compassionate to sinners. Instead, they think that God is partial to them, since they are the most pious people who sin little, if at all. 

 Is there a history of this kind of rebellion? Yes, the Israelites were originally released from slavery by many ‘signs’ wrought by God. Then they were led through the wilderness, given food and water, and protected from marauding tribes with many ‘signs’. Yet, time and again certain segments of society doubted that God’s hand was in it; and they ended up wandering the desert for 40 years. They were an evil generation. This story is itself a sign to us. Do not lose faith and end up wandering in the wilderness. It is true that not all who wander are lost, however those who are lost do wander.  

 Then Jesus makes a cryptic statement that few among the leaders, the crowd, or the disciples would understand until later. What is the sign of Jonah? Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, then the fish spit him up alive on the shore. The people of Nineveh read the sign and were shocked enough to believe God’s message to repent. Will the leaders do the same when Jesus rises from the dead after three days in the grave? 

 Some will, many will not. The Sadducees do not even believe in a resurrection of the dead. The Pharisees do believe in a physical resurrection, however it will only be a resurrection of the righteous as defined by their piety here on earth; so they imagine a limited resurrection that will not include sinners even if they repent.

16: 5-12.  When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, “Watch out, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They said to one another, “It is because we have brought no bread.” And becoming aware of it, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many baskets you gathered? How could you fail to perceive that I was not speaking about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the yeast of bread but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 The key sentence here is: “How could you fail to perceive that I was not speaking about bread?” I am not sure here whether the disciples are dull or overthinking the matter. Apparently, the disciples realized when they disembarked that no one had remembered to  bring bread. Bread is essential to every meal, and it travels well. And, they forgot. In this frame of mind, they were perhaps accusing each other with “I thought you packed the bread!” So, when Jesus mentions yeast or leaven, their first thought is “Bread! Oh no, we forgot.”

 Yeast or leaven is a metaphor. A metaphor compares one thing with certain known characteristics that informs us about something we do not understand as well. Electricity flows like water, so early in its discovery, scientists like Ben Franklin used the metaphor to explain that electricity flows downhill toward the ground (we still use these terms), electricity has a current (a flow rate), and flows in one direction in a channel. Of course, sticking your hand in a flowing river usually doesn’t kill you, but electricity can. The point is that a metaphor carries some meanings over, but not all of them; electricity has some similarity to water, but electricity is not water.

 So, what does yeast mean? Yeast added to flour changes everything, but slowly over time. That’s good, if you’re making bread. The Bible sometimes uses the term in a negative sense, such as Jesus does here. The yeast is likened to the teachings of the religious leaders which, over time, infiltrate society and change it for the worse. Beware the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees; that is, beware of leaders who constantly add a little corruption here and a little corruption there until all of society is twisted. 

 The disciples’ obsession with bread ought not to have been a concern, as Jesus reminds them. Further, Jesus is not talking about real yeast and real bread, he is using a metaphor, and the disciples fail to understand the deeper meaning. 

 At this point, Jesus seems concerned. He is constantly teaching them, and they are frequently unable to put two and two together and come up with four. How can this be? Perhaps too much of a concern with the material side of life. Perhaps too focused on the ‘here and now’. Bread is good, but as we can see in the Eucharist, bread can mean more than just bread. What does it take to see this? Faith, says Jesus. Unfortunately, the disciples were “...of little faith.”

 What will it take for the disciples to develop their faith? More walking with Jesus, more discipleship, and more experience looking deeper into events and people. They, and we, are challenged to understand at a spiritual level. That is what the Gospel story according to Matthew will give us; with more understanding comes more faith.