Matthew 16:1-12

Holman Christian Standard Bible

The Yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees

16 The Pharisees and Sadducees approached,^(A) and as a test, asked Him to show them a sign from heaven.^(B)

² He answered them: “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be good weather because the sky is red.’ ³ And in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy because the sky is red and threatening.’ You^[a] know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times.^{[b] 4} An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of^[c] Jonah.”^(C) Then He left them and went away.

⁵ The disciples reached the other shore,^[d] and they had forgotten to take bread.

⁶ Then Jesus told them, “Watch out and beware of the yeast^[e] of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”^(D)

⁷ And they discussed among themselves, “We didn’t bring any bread.”

⁸ Aware of this, Jesus said, “You of little faith!^(E) Why are you discussing among yourselves that you do not have bread? ⁹ Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the 5,000 and how many baskets you collected? ¹⁰ Or the seven loaves for the 4,000 and how many large baskets you collected?^{(F) 11} Why is it you don’t understand that when I told you, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees,’ it wasn’t about bread?”^{(G) 12} Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the yeast in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.^(H)