Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. (Matthew 16:6)
The Sadducees were the most prominent religious class of Christ’s day. They held the power in the Sanhedrin council and the High Priesthood. Theologically, they were liberal in their handling of Scripture. Philosophy and human reasoning were their kings. They believed that the archaic writings of scripture should be balanced with modern understanding.
Jesus warned His disciples, “Beware of the Saducees’ leaven!” Seventeen times in the New Testament, leaven is used to illustrate sin. “…Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened…” (I Corinthians 5:6-7). The “leaven” of sin works in the same manor as a small packet of yeast that leavens a lump of flour into a giant loaf. A little sin is like a little gangrene or a little cancer — it’s very dangerous because it quickly metastasizes and destroys. (2 Tim. 2:17)
The Sadducees proposed a parable to Jesus in Matthew 23:23-30 to show that there couldn’t possibly be any resurrection of the dead. Mockingly they proposed, “A woman married and was widowed seven times by seven brethren. In the resurrection, whose wife would she be?” Jesus simply corrected their humanistic reasoning with Scripture and told them they erred in two ways:
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29)
Not knowing Scripture – The more the liberal leaven of the Sadducees expands, the more the teaching, preaching, reading, studying, and memorizing of Scripture is left off.
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee,” (Hosea 4:6a)
Not knowing the Power of God– To “know” in the Bible means “experiential knowledge.” When we believe and obey God’s Word, we experience God’s power. The power to be saved and to live a victorious Christian life comes by experiencing (“knowing”) God through His Word. When the Sadducees left off knowing and believing the Word, they left off the possibility of knowing the power of God.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of Godunto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)
“For the preaching of the crossis to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”(I Corinthians 1:18)