Language Studies

Difficult Sayings

The leaven of the Pharisees
Matthew 16:6-12; Mark 8:15; Luke 12:1

"Then Jesus said to them, 'Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. ¹¹ How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.' ¹² Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees." " (Matthew 16:6,11,12, NKJV)

The Pharisees are a modern byword for nitpicking hypocritical killjoys. They have a semi-deserved reputation which they even accepted themselves with the rabbis making jokes about the seven types of Pharisee including the satirically described "bloody nosed Pharisee", who in his desire to avoid sinning and just looking at a woman improperly (Matthew 5:28) bashes his nose against a wall!^F1

In Jesus' day there were at least 7 (by some estimates up to 24) separate Jewish sects. Each sect, like our modern day denominations, was characterised by distinct doctrines and alternate attitudes to Scripture. The views on Scripture varied on both its extent, whether only the Law (Sadducees) or also the Prophets and Writings (Essenes) or additionally the oral law and traditions (Pharisees), and its interpretation, whether literal (Sadducees), allegorical (Philo and Greek Jews), practical (Pharisees) or eschatological (Essenes). Jesus probably lay in between the Pharisees and the Essenes in his theology, although in practice he also exhibited powers like Jewish healers and exorcists. In Matthew (16:6,11,12) Jesus refers to both the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, whilst Mark terms the latter Herodians (Mark 8:15) as many of them were.

Leaven such as yeast or baking soda is used to puff up or produce fermentation, causing dough to rise. The important point being that only a little is necessary for a great effect. Was Jesus saying that the Pharisees themselves were like leaven? No. Matthew refers the leaven to their didache or doctrine and teaching. So, Jesus criticised their doctrine, or did he?

The Pharisees believed in the immortality of souls, in a literal eternal hell and judgement,^F2 they were midway between freewill and predestination. With regard to hell, punishment and resurrection they are virtually identical to early Christianity.^F3 According to the 1st century Jewish historian Josephus they believed in and practised prophetic foreknowledge and experienced "God's appearances to them".^F4 They believed in the priesthood of all believers by applying priestly purity to all people. They were essentially a house group fellowship, sharing common meal tables amongst their own as an opportunity for table fellowship, not unlike the early believers of Acts 2:42,46.

They, like the Essenes, were renowned for brotherly love, whereas the Sadducees had a reputation for infighting and barbaric behaviour towards one another. Also, like the Essenes they expected a Messiah and were into a simple lifestyle shunning luxuries. They taught without pay and relied upon gifts from their disciples to support them, just the same approach that Paul had when he wrote to the Galatians that disciples should share in all good things with the one who teaches them (Galatians 6:6) and Jesus when he said that the labourer is worthy of his wages (Matthew 10:10).

The Pharisees were rightly anti-Hellenistic and tried to avoid Jewish dilution through assimilation with Greek thinking and practice, hence they strongly adhered to Jewish biblical teaching. In fact as much as 90% of Jesus own teaching bears considerable parallels with Rabbinic or Pharisaical teaching of the period. In these areas of doctrine we hear no criticism from Jesus. However, we do have the following:

"'…you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. ⁷ Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ⁸ 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honour Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. ⁹ And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" (Matthew 15:6-9)

It was their additions to the Law that Jesus sometimes criticised. Their paradosis or traditions probably meant some of their rituals and extensions of normal Jewish practice, that even when applied with the right intention - to prevent the breaking of the Law, were causing a millstone of nigh-on-impossible practice to be hung around the people's necks.

Perhaps, rather than doctrine as a defined body of knowledge, Jesus was referring to their applied and additional teaching, then. He certainly criticised their stringent application of Sabbath laws and punishment of sinners, Jesus erred on the side of grace, life and forgiveness.

But Jesus hadn't given up on the Pharisees for he spent time with them, correcting them, addressing many of his parables to them, encouraging them when they weren't far from the kingdom (Mark 12:34). Of the then 24 sects within Judaism these were the closest to true sons, albeit in need of correction. Hebrews 12 tells us that God corrects those sons whom He loves, and who are true sons, not illegitimate. The older son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son is pictured as the Pharisee, ungracious to his wayward brother but nonetheless still an obedient son whom the father had no intention of disinheriting. Furthermore, Paul continued to call himself a Pharisee (Acts 23:6) after his turning to Christ and there were many believing Pharisees still known as such amongst the early church (Acts 15:5).

In Jesus' strong diatribe against the Pharisees in Matthew 23 there is prefixed one small positive section where we are told that "the Pharisees sit in the seat of Moses [for teaching and legal instruction]. Do what they say…" (Matthew 23:2-3). Jesus positively encourages us to follow their Pharisaical edicts, now that is a contradiction! He adds, though, that we are only to obey their words not their deeds.

Indeed, if we read Luke's version of events it is not doctrine that is referred to at all but Pharisaical hupocrisis hypocrisy:

"In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, 'Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.'"(Luke 12:1)

Again, in Matthew 23, Jesus said that the Pharisees were to pursue love, faith, mercy and justice without leaving their minutiae undone (v.23 // Luke 11:42). Their teaching was correct on the whole, but their emphasis and their practice were out. Furthermore, their motives were sometimes questionable. They rightly sought to bring the people closer to God through obedience rather than only through a corrupt priesthood but they sometimes did works for the praise of men (Matthew 23:5-12,14).

The Pharisees are mentioned 29 times in Matthew's gospel alone. Encounters, meals or dialogue with the Pharisees or discussion of their teaching and attitudes makes up around 20% of the verses in the Synoptic (Matthew, Mark and Luke) accounts of Jesus' ministry. To spend this much time and energy on them clearly did not mean that Jesus had no time for the Pharisees.

According to Josephus, out of a 1st century Palestinian Jewish population of circa 1 million, (5-6 million total Jews including the Diaspora) there were just 6000 or so Pharisees. So they themselves were a small group but one whose reputation and effect both positive and negative has been like leaven to the whole Jewish population. Jesus wanted this effect to be positive and for his disciples to be as effective in their teaching and to exceed them in righteousness but paired with non-hypocritical practice of what they taught.

FOOTNOTES:
F1: Sotah 22b; Cohen, Everyman’s Talmud, pp.100-101
F2: Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 18.1.3
F3: Josephus, Jewish War, 2.8.14
F4: Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 17.41-44

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