Matthew - Week 51

Forecasting 

READ 

Matthew 16:2-3 

2 He replied, “You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow; 3 red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times!” 

The Pharisees and Sadducees asked Jesus to prove His authority by showing them a sign. Here was His answer. Jesus reminded them they could tell what kind of weather was coming by looking at the sky. Even though they could forecast the weather with its signs they couldn’t interpret the signs of the times.  

REFLECT 

Think of the prophecies in the Bible that tell of the two advents of Jesus to earth. He came as a babe in Bethlehem the first time and He will come as King of kings and Lord of lords the second time. The religious leaders of His time were ignorant of these.  

RESPOND 

Visit with a fellow Christian about the need to understand the signs of the times. As encouragement, read 1 Chronicles 12:32 that tells of those in the Old Testament who knew the signs of the times.  

The Only Sign 

READ 

Matthew 16:4 

4 “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Then Jesus left them and went away. 

He had told about the sign of Jonah before, but now Jesus repeats it. He emphasized this was the only sign He would give the Pharisees and Sadducees—whom He described as part of “an evil, adulterous generation.” In the Bible, “adultery” is also seen as spiritual adultery—turning from the true God to a false one. As Matthew was inspired to write this Gospel, he abruptly adds that Jesus left them and went away. 

REFLECT 

Think how sad it is when those living in the presence of Jesus had Him walk away. That will be true eternally for those who die rejecting Jesus as Savior. 

RESPOND 

Read Matthew 12:38-40 to see what Jesus had previously told the Pharisees and religious leaders about the sign of the prophet Jonah.  

The Yeast of the Pharisees 

READ 

Matthew 16:5-7 

5 Later, after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 “Watch out!” Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread. 

The disciples had forgotten to bring food with them and they were greatly concerned about what they would eat. Jesus reminded them to be cautious about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They missed Jesus’ point completely and began to argue with each other as they worried about what they would eat. One wonders what they were arguing about: was someone supposed to be in charge of bringing food? 

REFLECT 

Have you been guilty of missing something Jesus is trying to teach you from the Bible because you are worried about some problem? 

RESPOND 

“Yeast” or “leaven” is used regarding false teaching. Read Galatians 5:7-10 to see how Paul referred to it eventually spreading though everything. “Leaven” is not used regarding good things in the Bible. 

It's Not About Bread 

READ 

Matthew 16:8-11 

8 Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “You have so little faith! Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? 9 Don’t you understand even yet? Don’t you remember the 5,000 I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you picked up? 10 Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up? 11 Why can’t you understand that I’m not talking about bread? So again I say, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’” 

For the disciples who could only think of physical food at the time, Jesus reminded them of what He had done in the past. They were the ones who had distributed the food He had miraculously provided to feed the two huge groups. Now in the boat with Him could they seriously be worrying about enough physical food to eat? Jesus was referring, however, to the false teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 

REFLECT 

When faced with a difficult situation, do you think about other times when you faced difficult times and the Lord provided a way for you? 

RESPOND 

Work with a believer and make some notes about times when God intervened for you in the past. Then make a commitment to each other to look at your list the next time you face a difficult test. 

Understanding 

READ 

Matthew 16:12 

12 Then at last they understood that he wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 

At last the disciples understood what Jesus was trying to tell them. He was using something physical they knew about to warn them of something spiritual. The Pharisees and Sadducees had taken the Old Testament Scriptures—the only Bible they knew at the time—and added their own opinions to them. This was the legalism of their day.  

REFLECT 

Does this warn you not to add your ideas to the Bible? This means you need to know what the Bible actually teaches. 

RESPOND 

Read 2 Timothy 2:15-19 to be reminded of accurately understanding and teaching the Bible. Some even thought the resurrection was past until they were corrected.