2026 Reading Plan Reflections - Day 24

When the Pharisees and Sadducees show up on the same side, you know something serious is happening. These were rival groups with deep theological disagreements, rarely aligned on anything. Yet in Matthew 16, they come together with a shared concern: Jesus is a threat.

Not just to their theology, but to their power, authority, and control. This wasn’t curiosity—it was an emergency.

They demand a sign, hoping to trap Jesus. His response is firm and restrained. He refuses to perform on demand and reminds them—whether they realize it or not—of what He already said in Matthew 12. The only sign they will receive is the sign of Jonah: death, three days in the tomb, and resurrection.

Jesus’ signs were never about spectacle. They were always expressions of love and compassion. Even the resurrection—the greatest sign of all—will not be a flex of divine power, but a self-giving act for the redemption of the world.

What’s more revealing in this passage, however, is not the religious leaders—it’s the disciples.
When Jesus warns them, “Beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees,” they assume He’s talking about bread. Which is almost comical, considering Jesus has already fed thousands… twice. Scarcity is no longer their problem. Discernment is.
As faithful sons of Israel, they should have understood the metaphor. In the context of Passover, leaven had come to represent impurity—something that spreads quietly and changes the whole loaf. It made bread easier to eat, even more enjoyable, but at the cost of purity.

Jesus’ warning is sharp: truth can be distorted not only by outright rebellion, but by subtle accommodation. The danger wasn’t that the Pharisees and Sadducees rejected God outright—it was that they reshaped God’s truth into something more manageable, more comfortable, more self-serving.

That’s a warning we, as the Church, still need.

Sanctification is not just about avoiding obvious sin—it’s about being continually refined by grace so that nothing foreign takes root in our hearts. Even “small” compromises, when left unchecked, can quietly shape our theology, our witness, and our obedience.

John Wesley understood that grace doesn’t excuse distortion—it heals it. Prevenient grace awakens us. Justifying grace forgives us. Sanctifying grace purifies us. And that purification is ongoing.

The question Matthew 16 leaves us with is not whether we believe in Jesus—but whether we are willing to let Him correct us when our faith becomes too convenient.

Practice Holy Self-Examination. Pray Psalm 139:23–24 and ask God to reveal where “leaven” may have crept in—attitudes, assumptions, or practices that make faith easier but less faithful.
Submit Your Preferences to Scripture. Notice where you might be reading Scripture through comfort, culture, or habit rather than letting God’s Word read you. Be teachable again.
Lean into the Means of Grace. John Wesley insisted that prayer, Scripture, fasting, and Christian accountability keep our faith rightly formed. Don’t neglect the practices that guard purity.
Choose Faithfulness Over Palatability. Resist the urge to soften the gospel—first in your own life. Truth rooted in love doesn’t need editing to be effective.