The “leaven of the Pharisees” is a phrase that Jesus uses in the Gospels to refer to the teachings and practices of the Pharisees that He considered hypocritical, self-righteous, and opposed to the true spirit of God’s law. Leaven, or yeast, was used as a metaphor in the ancient world for how a small amount of something could spread and permeate a whole lump of dough. So when Jesus refers to the “leaven of the Pharisees,” He is saying that their corrupt and hypocritical teachings were like a little bit of yeast that could infect many people.
There are several key passages where Jesus warns His disciples about the dangerous influence of the “leaven of the Pharisees”:
Matthew 16:6 – “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Matthew 16:11-12 – “How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Mark 8:15 – And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
Luke 12:1 – In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
So what exactly was Jesus warning against when He referred to the “leaven” or teaching of the Pharisees? Based on Jesus’ own words and conflicts with the Pharisees throughout the Gospels, we can identify several characteristics:
Hypocrisy and External Righteousness
One of the main issues Jesus had with the Pharisees was that they were hypocrites who focused on external displays of righteousness while inwardly harboring sinful motives and attitudes. They appeared pious and holy on the outside, but were full of greed and self-indulgence on the inside (Luke 11:39). Jesus pronounced woes on them for focusing on minute details of the law like tithing spices, while neglecting more important matters like justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23). Their rigorous observation of rituals and traditions lacked sincerity of heart and love for God.
Adding Burdensome Traditions
The Pharisees added many burdensome rules and traditions on top of God’s commands and treated these traditions as equal to or more important than God’s law. They concerned themselves with man-made regulations like ritual purity and washings, strict rules about the Sabbath, and other complex customs that went far beyond what God required in Scripture (Mark 7:1-13). This “leaven” placed heavy, cumbersome burdens on people that did not lead to true righteousness.
Self-Righteousness and Pride
Flowing out of their hypocrisy and burdensome man-made rules, the Pharisees developed an attitude of moral and spiritual pride. They looked down on others who did not observe their traditions. They trusted in their own righteousness and despised tax collectors, sinners, Gentiles, and anyone they considered beneath them (Luke 18:9-14). Jesus accused them of loving praise from men rather than praise from God (John 5:44). A spirit of arrogance and self-exaltation characterized their teachings.
Neglecting Justice, Mercy and Faith
As mentioned earlier, though the Pharisees were extremely zealous for the details of the law, they neglected the more important matters of justice, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23). They focused on minor points and outer appearance, while disregarding love for God and neighbors. They sought to defend their own power and influence, not establish the righteous kingdom of God. Jesus told them they should have practiced justice and showed mercy, rather than seeking the places of honor at banquets (Luke 11:37-54).
False Teaching about the Kingdom
The Pharisees read their own ideas and expectations into the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. When Jesus failed to conform to their specific expectations of the Messiah as a political, military deliverer, they rejected Him. Jesus told them the kingdom of God was among them in His very presence, but they were unable to see it because of their corrupt teachings (Luke 17:20-21). Their wrong ideas blinded them.
Jesus’ warnings about the dangerous “leaven” of the Pharisees were ultimately aimed at preserving the true spirit and intent of God’s law. Human traditions and outward performances do not result in inward righteousness. By calling His disciples to avoid the influence of Pharisaic teaching, Jesus emphasized the need for sincere, humble obedience that comes from a heart of love for God.
Appearances Over Substance
The Pharisees focused a great deal on keeping up outward appearances rather than focusing on the heart. They were more concerned about looking righteous on the outside rather than actually being righteous in their inner person. Jesus condemned them for being like whitewashed tombs – pretty on the outside but full of dead men’s bones on the inside (Matthew 23:27). Their focus on external righteousness resulted in them neglecting the more important internal matters of the heart.
Neglect of Mercy and Compassion
Related to their hypocrisy and self-righteousness was the Pharisees’ lack of mercy, compassion, and concern for the weak and vulnerable. They viewed people who were sick, poor, or had leprosy as deserving of their condition because of sin. But Jesus exhibited compassion and mercy to these outcasts of society. He rebuked the Pharisees for neglecting “the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23). Their teachings led to judgmental and callous attitudes.
Overemphasis on Minor Rules
The Pharisees became fixated on detailed, minor aspects of the law and elevated these rules over the heart issues that God cares about most. Jesus accused them of straining out a gnat while swallowing a camel (Matthew 23:24) – focusing on small details but ignoring massive important matters. They obsessed over ceremonial cleansing, Sabbath restrictions, tithing herbs, and other trivial regulations, while neglecting justice, righteousness and the love of God (Luke 11:42).
Legalism Over Relationship
At the root of the Pharisees’ problems was a focus on legalism over loving relationship with God. They sought to justify themselves before God through extensive obedience to rules and rituals. But no one can earn salvation through religious rituals. Jesus taught that only through faith in Him – not legalistic striving – could one be made right with God (John 14:6). The Pharisees’ teachings obstructed people from coming to the Father through grace.
Rigid Resistance to Change
The Pharisees stubbornly resisted any teaching that challenged their practices or authority. When Jesus performed miracles on the Sabbath, they sought to kill Him for breaking their rigid rules about the day of rest, even though Jesus was doing good works (John 5:16-18). They tried to maintain the status quo that gave them power. Jesus told them their pet doctrines and unwillingness to repent closed them off from the kingdom of God.
Lack of Spiritual Fruit
For all their fastidious rule-keeping, the Pharisees lacked spiritual fruit in their lives. Religious rituals alone cannot transform hearts. Jesus said corrupt trees like the Pharisees could only bear evil fruit, despite their pious facade (Matthew 7:15-20). Their hypocrisy produced pride, greed, legalism, and judgmental attitudes that defiled others. They were blind guides leading the blind (Matthew 15:14).
Stiff Resistance to Jesus’ Authority
When Jesus began His ministry, the Pharisees immediately resisted His authority and sought ways to discredit Him. They opposed Jesus healing people on the Sabbath (Luke 6:7). They attributed His power to demonic sources (Matthew 12:24). They tried to trap Him in theological disputes (Matthew 22:15). Jesus represented a threat to their power and a condemnation of their hypocrisy, so they conspired to get rid of Him. They allowed their corrupt teachings to make them into enemies of the Son of God.
Lack of Understanding of Grace
The Pharisees’ legalistic thinking prevented them from grasping the concept of salvation by grace rather than works. When Jesus told them prostitutes and tax collectors would enter God’s kingdom ahead of them (Matthew 21:31), it was incomprehensible to them because they trusted in their own righteousness. Their teachings were antithetical to the gospel of grace Christ came to bring. They taught salvation must be earned through keeping laws.
Separatism and Ethnocentrism
The Pharisees strictly adhered to separatist practices that kept them away from any polluting contact with Gentiles, tax collectors or other groups they considered sinners. They saw themselves as superior for maintaining ritual purity. But Jesus rebuked their ethnocentrism, teaching that all people are equal before God and in need of mercy. Their stringent rules dividing people stood against Christ’s message of reconciliation.
In summary, the dangerous “leaven” of the Pharisees included hypocrisy, self-righteousness, pride, legalism, rigid traditions, lack of mercy, majoring on minors, and false teaching about salvation. Jesus warned His disciples to beware this corrupt and harmful influence that could distort the true meaning of God’s law. As with leaven permeating dough, even a little bit of Pharisaic teaching, if allowed to spread, could undermine godly living. Understanding what Jesus meant by this metaphor helps us focus on pure, sincere faith and obedience that honors God.
Sources:
Matthew 16:5-12, Matthew 23:1-36, Mark 7:1-23, Mark 8:11-21, Luke 11:37-54, Luke 12:1-3, Luke 16:14-15, Luke 18:9-14, John 5:1-47.