100. A Warning Concerning the Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Mt. 16:5–12; Mk. 8:13–21

Now His disciples had crossed over to the other side and forgotten to take bread, and had nothing with them in the boat except one loaf. And the Lord Jesus commanded them, saying: Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees and of Herod. But the disciples, thinking about it among themselves and reasoning together, said: He says this because we did not take bread—that we have no bread.

Perceiving this, the Lord Jesus said to them: Why do you reason among yourselves, O you of little faith, that you have no bread, and why do you think about not having bread? Do you still not understand and comprehend? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? Having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, nor the seven loaves for the four thousand? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you collect? They said to Him: Twelve. And when the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets of the leftovers did you collect? They said: Seven. He said to them: How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you about bread, saying: Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees? Then they understood that He told them to beware not of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.