Two Types of Spiritual Deafness
(Matthew 16:1–12) "1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they
asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
2 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is
red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’
You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs
of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be
given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.
5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6
Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and
Sadducees.” 7 And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought
no bread.” 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing
among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 Do you not yet perceive? Do you
not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you
gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you
gathered? 11 How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread?
Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that
he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the
Pharisees and Sadducees."
Background—
Let’s review where we have been in since chapter 14. Jesus took a vacation
to Tyre and Sidon. While there a Canaanite woman, a Gentile, pleaded with him
for mercy. She humbled herself before him, honored him, and confessed his
identity. Jesus healed her daughter.
Jesus left Tyre and Sidon to return to Israel, specifically the SE corner of the
Sea of Galilee known as the Decapolis. It was Gentile territory. God’s power and
presence fell. He healed and miraculously fed 10,000. He has now crossed back
across the Sea of Galilee to its NW shore. He is back amongst his fellow Jews.
Today’s text tells the story of two groups. Although the causes and motives
are very diverse, both groups suffer from spiritual deafness. The first group
practices “Willful Deafness,” the second “Inadvertent Deafness.”
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A. 1-4 WILLFUL DEAFNESS OF THE PHARISEES
"1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show
them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be
fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky
is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you
cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a
sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and
departed
Although God sent Jesus to the Jews, not the Gentiles, when Jesus returns to
Jewish territory he immediately runs into opposition This has been a pattern (See
15:1-19).
The attack of the Pharisees and Sadducees is a striking contrast to the
reception that he received from the Canaanite woman. It is also a direct contrast
to the adulation of the Gentile crowds in the Decapolis.
In today’s story the Pharisees and Sadducees come to “test” Jesus. These
two groups, normally enemies, have united trip up and embarrass a common foe.
They ask Jesus to perform a sign. This is the second time that the Pharisees
have asked him for a sign (See Matt 12:38-42). And Jesus gave them the same
answer this time that he gave them in chapter 12. He said, no sign except the
sign of Jonah. Why? Jesus knows that their motives are bad. In addition, Jesus
have given them many signs. Yet the Pharisees refuse to believe that the
kingdom of God has begun and that these signs are proof. In the last two
chapters alone he has miraculously fed 10,000 twice. He has walked on water,
cast out demons, restored sight to the blind, opened deaf ears, and instantly
healed the crippled and the lame. And the Pharisees and Sadducees ask for a
sign?
“This is not a test to discern the truth as to whether he is from God or is a
false prophet,” writes Dr. Osborne, ‘for [the Pharisees and Sadducees] have
already judged him and sought his life.”1
(Matthew 12:14) "14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus."
1
Osborne, G. R. (2010). Matthew (Vol. 1, p. 612). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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This is deliberate, willful, unwillingness to hear from God. It is a witch hunt,
and Jesus sees through it. The Pharisees don’t really want an answer from
Jesus. Rather, they want him to trip him up so that they can condemn him. They
are looking for a way to discredit him.
In light of Jesus signs, miracles, and teaching how can the Pharisees and
Sadducees be so deaf and blind? There are two answers. One sees their
obstinacy through the lens of God’s sovereignty, the other through the lens of
human responsibility.
1. Sovereignty—They are Spiritually Dead
(Ephesians 2:1) "1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.”
The Pharisees don’t have a spiritual sickness. They do not believe. They
don’t believe because they are dead in their trespasses and sins. They. “Dead”
means they have no communication with God. “Dead” means that they cannot
know the real God of the Bible. “Dead” means they can know a false god that
they have created in their minds, a non-threatening God who is nothing but love,
but they cannot know the real living God, the One that is. Why?
Spiritual death causes an emotional revulsion to Christ and everything he
stands for. Those who are spiritually dead hate the living God.
Spiritual death cuts off any capacity to appreciate Christ. Dead people are
unable to make a connection between their happiness and serving Jesus Christ.
This is what Paul meant when he said that his preaching of the gospel produced
two opposite effects. To those brought to new life, the gospel smelled like the
sweetest perfume. To those remaining in death it smelled like a rotting corpse (2
Cor 2:12ff). That is how Jesus smelled to the Pharisees and Sadducees—a
rotting corpse.
Application:
1st Maybe the real Jesus smells bad to you this morning. God asks with you to
believe and plead with him for mercy.
2nd Are you a sceptic, like the Pharisees, asking for a sign. Jesus has already
given all of us the “sign of Jonah.” Are you willing to respond?
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3rd Seeing is not believing. Something more than seeing with the physical eye
is needed. Faith are the only lens through which we can see and appreciate
Christ. Only those who believe can see.
But there is a second reason for the blindness of the Pharisees and
Sadducees, and it has to do with human responsibility.
2. Responsibility—The Pharisees and Sadducees willfully
suppress the Truth
In light of Jesus remarkable miracles, the only human explanation for the
Pharisees hardness is that they have put their conscience to death. Conscience
is a special gift from God. Conscience retards sin by making us miserable when
we do wrong. Conscience is a valuable, critical spiritual gift. There are three
types of consciences.
a) A HYPERACTIVE CONSCIENCE
b) A DEAD CONSCIENCE
c) A GOOD CONSCIENCE
The conscience of the Pharisees were dead. How does this happen?
Idols are conscience killers. When something becomes too important to us, it
becomes an idol. A healthy conscience will criticize us when we serve an idol.
When that happens the idol will turn on conscience and attempt to flog it to
death, to assassinate it. If this is not repented of, our conscience slowly dies.
Once conscience is dead we can enjoy the idol with no remorse.
This is what happened to the Pharisees. It is impossible to witness the kinds
of miracles that Jesus performed with a healthy conscience and condemn him
without a hearing. You must first beat conscience into submission.
What was the idol that drove the Pharisees? It was popularity. They lusted for
love and respect of the people, and Jesus was getting more of it than they were.
Anecdote: The secretary that embezzled from the State Farm. The husband
who refuses to love his wife. Not giving to the church, pursuing a divorce without
biblical grounds, etc. Rejecting the biblical teaching about God.
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Macintyre: “Deception is a sort of seduction. In love and war, adultery and espionage,
deceit can only succeed if the deceived party is willing, in some way, to be deceived.
The betrayed lover sees only the signs of love, and blocks out the evidence of
faithlessness, however glaring.”2
Bottom Line: Conscience is our friend. It is a trusted guardian. Truth seekers
take care of their conscience. They befriend it. They encourage it to work. They
don’t argue with it. They build it up. They obey their conscience.
The Devil knew that the Pharisees wanted to believe that Jesus was evil, so
they were easily deceived.
3. Jesus Rejected the Pharisees
The Bible consistently warns us that if we refuse to listen to God, he will
refuse to listen to us. Therefore, Jesus refuses to listen to the Pharisees and
Sadducees or respond to them. He doesn’t give them a sign. Instead, he
promises them the sign of Jonah, resurrection from the dead.
They have come under God’s judgment!
That is the first kind of deafness, willful deafness. The second is—
B. 5-8 INADVERTENT DEAFNESS OF THE DISCIPLES
5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6
Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and
Sadducees.” 7 And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought
no bread.” 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing
among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 Do you not yet perceive? Do you
not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you
gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you
gathered? 11 How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread?
Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that
he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the
Pharisees and Sadducees."\
The Bible uses leaven as a symbol for both the growth of righteousness
(13:33) and the spread of evil (Gal 5:9). In both cases either the evil or the virtue
2
Ben Macintyre, Operation Mincemeat, (London: Bloomsbury, 2010) pg 239
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starts small and grows slowly and invisibly until everyone is affected. In this
passage the “leaven” that concerns Jesus is the teaching of the Pharisees and
Sadducees.
What were the characteristics of the leaven/teaching of the Pharisees and
Sadducees?
 They prioritized tradition over God’s word.
 They were proud. They lived by sola boot-strapa. They
practiced PBA.

They were proud. They emphasized human dignity and
goodness.

They were proud. They looked down on sinners.
We can sum up the Leaven of the Pharisees this way—pride. They don’t feel
sinful. Because they don’t feel sinful, they don’t need Jesus, and they don’t need
the gospel. Because they don’t need Jesus they are self-reliant. They are selfsufficient.
By contrast, the deafness of the disciple was the deafness caused by their
immediate need—hunger. Unbelief was the root and ground of this fear. Verse 7
tells us that they responded to Jesus concern about the leaven of the Pharisees
with they “brought no bread.” Jesus is talking to them about the leaven of the
Pharisees, but they are hungry, and they are consumed by fear of future hunger.
They are distracted. They are not listening to Jesus.
Their anxiety about not having “bread” should amaze us. It amazed Jesus. He
pauses to remind them that he just multiplied bread out of thin air and fed
thousands? In fact, he has done it twice within a couple of weeks.
On the other hand, upon deeper reflection, it shouldn’t really amaze us. Aren’t
we the same? Isn’t our faith weak? Aren’t we also double-minded? When we get
distracted by our momentary needs and fears we also become deaf to Jesus.
Our deafness is not intentional. We want to follow Jesus. We want to be his
disciples, but our faith is weak.
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This is a completely different “deafness” than that of the Pharisees. And,
although Jesus is not pleased with it, he does not judge the disciples. He does
not reject them. He is firm with them, but he does not get angry with them.
Instead, he explains what he is really referring to. His concern is not with
bread. His concern is with the teaching of the Pharisees. Their teaching is like
yeast or leaven. Yeast starts small and it grows silently. Everyone in Jesus day
knew how yeast worked.
Isn’t this how we lose the gospel—slowly, silently? This church deeply values
and loves the gospel. But twenty years pass, we quit emphasizing sin, we get
proud, and our children begin to assume the gospel. Another twenty years pass
and we have completely lost the doctrine of sin. We don’t need Jesus at all. Now
morality has displaced the gospel. “Moralism,” the idea that God accepts
because you are good, is the “leaven” or “yeast” of the Pharisees and
Sadducees. This teaching is the natural yeast of the flesh. It is the bread our
flesh likes to eat. That is why later Paul used this same image, “leaven,” to refer
to this process of losing the gospel.
(1 Corinthians 5:6) "6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast
works through the whole batch of dough?"
(Galatians 5:9) "9 “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”"
In other words, beware of indulging a little pride, a little confidence in your
works, a little secret boasting in your good intentions. This is the leaven/yeast of
the Pharisees.
This leaven will destroy the teaching of Jesus.
C. APPLICATION: REMOVE THE SPIRITUAL EAR PLUGS
1. Settle the Issue of Authority
Until you settle the issue of authority you will be controlled by idols, and like
the Pharisees you will be unable to hear from Jesus. This is the spiritual
deafness caused by a dead conscience.
(John 7:17) "17 If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching
comes from God or whether I speak on my own."
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“Deceit can only succeed if the deceived party is willing, in some way, to be
deceived.”
2. Repent of inadvertent blindness.
Maybe you have settled the issue of authority but you still have a hard time
hearing. There is also a spiritual deafness caused by fear, worry, and other
distractions. Jesus warned us about these in the parable of the sower.
(Matthew 13:20–22) "20 The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the
man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root,
he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he
quickly falls away.
22 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the
word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it
unfruitful."
3. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.”
Be extremely vigilant for false teachers and their teaching. 2 Peter and Jude
both warn us that the outstanding characteristic of false teachers is their
fruitlessness. The outstanding characteristic of false teaching is its appeal to
pride. This appeal does not work on those who delight in humility. This appeal
does not work on those who love the gospel.
Challies: “But the gospel cuts against the grain with a message that counters it all: You
are disobedient, you are dead, you are doomed. (And, of course, until Christ found me
I, too, was disobedient and dead and doomed.) …[But there is] good news that there is
hope and forgiveness and freedom for those who will put their faith in Jesus Christ and
receive his salvation. The bright stars are only visible against the dark sky, and the
ultimate joy of the gospel only shines against the [dark sky of the] bad news.”3
4. Immerse yourself in the gospel.
Meditation on the gospel softens our hearts. It opens our ears. It gives us
spiritual hearing aids. It reminds us of our poverty and our immense need.
3
The Message That Counters Everything, July 10, 2015, http://www.challies.com/articles/the-message-that-
counters-everything?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzEmail&utm_content=5575&utm_campaign=Four hourly_2015-07-10_12%3a15
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Meditation of the gospel humbles me, and motivates me to really listen. Why? I
am needy, and needy people listen.
When I fail to listen, meditation on the gospel reminds me that God is love. It
supplies me with grace and forgiveness that I need.
Last, meditation on the gospel changes me. It motivates me to be like Jesus.
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