Matthew 16:6-7 “’Watch out!’ Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread.”

Sometimes we humans get caught up in minutiae. Our minds get clouded with details and we struggle to see things of spiritual importance. This could be because we are not tuned in to the things of God or because we enjoy our small comforts. Jesus’ disciples missed an important warning because they had mundane things on their mind. It’s important for us to learn a lesson from their lack of understanding.

Throughout Jesus’ ministry religious leaders sought to discredit Him. These Pharisees and Saduccees, rigorously trained in the Holy Scriptures, chose to ignore the prophetic signs that proved Jesus was the promised Messiah. Instead they sought to dispose of the Son of God in order to keep their own powerful hold over the people. 

After another run-in with these men Jesus and His disciples embarked on a boat to the other side of the lake. Instead of reflecting on the disturbing interaction that had just taken place, the disciples’ minds were on ordinary things and they decided to plan their next meal. As they took stock of their provisions they realized they had forgotten to bring any bread. 

Jesus, listening to the commotion over the forgotten bread, used the oversight as a teaching moment. “Watch out!” He warned. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Only half listening, the distracted disciples, thinking He was talking about food, began to argue with each other over the lack of bread. 

Jesus, noting their lack of faith, confronted them. Hadn’t they just seen Him feed multitudes with only a small amount of provision? Why were they worried about physical food when He could provide everything they needed? Frustrated at their dullness of understanding He then restated the warning. Finally the men got the point! Jesus wasn’t talking about bread but about the deceptive teachings of the religious leaders.

This Bible account reminded me of our own foolish distractions. We skip our morning devotions so we can get our hair just right for our next appointment. We fill our free time with frivolous activities instead of spending more time in prayer. We put more effort into growing our bank account than our heavenly investments. We worry about the everyday necessities of life forgetting that God promises to provide.

Meanwhile our enemy, Satan, chuckles at our foolishness because his desire is that we will turn away from God and find ourselves in bondage and ruin. 

So take a lesson from Jesus’ disciples who put too much emphasis on the daily minutiae of life and missed His warning. In what ways do we need to think less of our temporal needs in order to hear and respond to the warnings in God’s word? It’s something to think about!