Not All Religious Influence Is Healthy — Matthew 16:1–12

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for taking a moment to explore this scripture together. This week’s teaching takes us to the region of Magadan, where Jesus is approached — not by the hungry or the broken — but by the powerful. The Pharisees and Sadducees come asking for a sign, and what Jesus gives them isn’t what they expected.

He doesn’t give them a miracle.

He gives them a warning.

📺 Want to watch the full teaching? [Click here to view the April 12th, 2025 Lesson.]

Let’s walk through it.

Where We Left Off (Matthew 15:29–39)

Last week, we saw Jesus return to the Decapolis — a region that once rejected Him. But now, thousands gather for healing, hope, and bread. He feeds four thousand Gentiles, showing us that rejection isn’t always the end — sometimes it’s the setup for revival.

We saw how:

• The formerly demon-possessed man’s obedience paved the way for revival in a rejected region.
  

• Jesus didn’t just give crumbs to outsiders — He gave them full meals.
  

• God doesn’t just redirect our steps — He multiplies our impact when we obey.
  

📖 Scripture Reading – Matthew 16:1–12 (ESV)

And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

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 seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.”

So he left them and departed.

When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread.

Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.”

But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?

Do you not yet 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 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.

🧭 Context & Background

📍 Where Are We? — Magadan (Dalmanutha)

After leaving the Gentile region of the Decapolis, Jesus returns to the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee, landing in Magadan — a Jewish area. The crowds are gone. Now He’s met by Pharisees and Sadducees — two groups usually at odds with one another but now united in opposition to Jesus.

• The Pharisees were hyper-religious, focused on legalism, oral traditions, and external righteousness.
  

• The Sadducees were elite, wealthy, and skeptical of anything supernatural (resurrection, angels, etc.).
  

For them to unite against Jesus shows how threatening He had become — not just to one worldview, but to the entire religious establishment.

They come demanding a “sign from heaven” — likely something cosmic, undeniable. But Jesus knows their hearts. He refuses their test and gives a warning instead.

And then, in private, He turns to His disciples… and begins teaching them how to discern spiritual influence.

Key Lessons & Takeaways

1. Not All Religious Voices Are Safe to Follow

Jesus doesn’t warn His disciples about Herod.

He doesn’t warn them about Roman soldiers.

He doesn’t warn them about sinners, tax collectors, or prostitutes.

He warns them about religious leaders.

“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

(Matthew 16:6)

That line should make us stop and ask:

Who am I letting shape my view of God?

The Pharisees were seen as holy. The Sadducees were seen as powerful.

Both were respected. Both had influence.

And both were missing the Kingdom.

Why?

Because their hearts were hard.

Because their agendas came before truth.

Because they had built platforms on theology and tradition — but not on the presence of God.

Jesus uses the image of leaven because it starts small — almost invisible — but it spreads and changes the nature of everything it touches.

So when He says “beware,” He’s not talking about blatant evil — He’s talking about subtle influence.

Religious systems that look holy… but are hollow.

Spiritual voices that sound biblical… but are performative.

Traditions that feel godly… but are rooted in pride or fear.

🟦 Reflection:

Who are the loudest spiritual voices in your life?

Are they leading you to rest in the grace of Jesus — or pressuring you to perform, posture, and impress?

2. Don’t Ask for Signs When You’ve Already Seen God’s Faithfulness

The Pharisees and Sadducees demand a “sign from heaven” — something flashy, undeniable, theatrical. But Jesus has already given plenty:

• He fed 4,000 in Gentile territory.
  

• He healed the blind, the mute, and the broken.
  

• He silenced storms and rebuked demons.
  
  Still, they ask for more.
  

Jesus refuses — and instead gives a warning:

“You know how to read the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times.”

He’s saying:

“You know how to spot a storm — but you can’t see the Kingdom when it’s standing right in front of you.”

And what’s even more striking?

Right after that moment, the disciples — the ones who’ve seen the miracles up close — panic about not having bread.

Jesus doesn’t just correct them.

He says:

“Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember…?”

This is the quiet crisis of the heart:

forgetting what God has already done.

Sometimes we’re so worried about today’s needs that we forget yesterday’s miracles.

Sometimes we’re so obsessed with what we don’t have, we forget the baskets of abundance left over from the last time He provided.

🟦 Reflection:

Where has God already shown Himself faithful in your life — and are you remembering it… or doubting Him all over again?

3. God Doesn’t Perform — But He Does Reveal

The religious leaders came with a test — and Jesus doesn’t play their game.

He says the only sign they’ll get is the sign of Jonah.

What does that mean?

It means:

You won’t see what you’re looking for — but you’ll see what you need.

Jonah was buried in the belly of a fish and came back after three days.

Jesus would be buried in the earth — and rise again after three days.

This was the ultimate sign… and they missed it.

Jesus is teaching something profound here:

God doesn’t perform for skeptics.

He doesn’t do miracles to prove Himself to the proud.

But He will reveal Himself to the humble — to those who listen, trust, and remember.

And the way He reveals Himself isn’t always through power…

Sometimes it’s through patience.

Not always in lightning… but in long-suffering.

Not through signs from heaven… but through surrender on a cross.

This kind of power is easy to miss — unless your heart is truly looking.

🟦 Reflection:

Do I trust God only when the sky splits and something spectacular happens?

Or do I trust the slow, steady, behind-the-scenes faithfulness of Jesus — the kind of power that changes everything… quietly?

Challenge for the Week

Here are three questions to take with you:

1. What “leaven” — small beliefs, assumptions, or religious patterns — is subtly shaping how I see God and others?
   

2. Where have I forgotten God’s past faithfulness — and let fear or pride creep in?
   

3. Am I asking God to perform, when He’s calling me to remember and discern?
   

Let Jesus’ warning guide you this week:

Not all influence is healthy.

Not all religion is true.

And not all silence means God isn’t speaking — sometimes it means we’re not seeing.

Peace and discernment to you this week,

— Michael