Theophylact Bulgarian. Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 16: 6. Jesus said to them: Look, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Just as leaven is sour and old, so the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees, which acidified and introduced the ancient traditions of the elders, hurt souls. And just as leaven is a mixture of water and flour, so the teaching of the Pharisees is a mixture of words and corrupted life. He did not tell them clearly: beware of the teachings of the Pharisees - in order to remind them of the miracles over the loaves.
Matthew 16: 7. But they thought in themselves and said: this means that we did not take the loaves.
Matthew 16: 8. Realizing this, Jesus said to them: Why are you thinking in yourself, you of little faith, that you have not taken the loaves?
Matthew 16: 9. Do you not yet understand and remember about five loaves of bread for five thousand people, and how many baskets have you collected?
Matthew 16:10. nor about seven loaves of four thousand, and how many baskets have you collected?
Matthew 16:11. How can you not understand that I did not say to you about bread: beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?
Matthew 16:12. Then they understood that He was telling them to beware, not of the leaven of bread, but of the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
They thought that it was He who told them that they should beware of contamination by the food of the Jews, which is why they reasoned among themselves that they had not taken the loaves. Lord reproaches them as unreasonable and of little faith. They are unreasonable because they did not remember how many loaves and how many He nourished. Since they did not believe that although they did not buy bread from the Jews, He could go on, then they are called little faith. When the Lord exposed him more strongly (for meekness is not good everywhere), they immediately understood that He called doctrine leaven. The prudent reproach has such great power everywhere.
