Gospel of Matthew - Matthew 16:1-20 - "Leaven of the Pharisees"

When teaching His disciples, Jesus often used everyday objects to demonstrate spiritual truths. In Matthew chapter 16, Jesus is warning His disciples to “take heed (or watch carefully), and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.” The word leaven (or yeast) here takes on symbolic connotations. What does leaven do? Leaven is a pervasive influence that modifies something. Literally speaking, leaven is used in baking bread causing the bread to rise over time. Scripture tells us that “a little leaven, leavens the whole lump,” that is the very nature of leaven. You simply cannot hide it in the mix, because it ultimately affects everything. Spiritually speaking, leaven can be a good thing, a symbol of the kingdom of heaven. Leaven can also be a bad or evil thing, as is the case here in verse 6.