Albert Barnes Commentary Matthew 16

The Pharisees also with the Sadducees. See Barnes on Matthew 3:7.

Tempting. That is, trying him—feigning a desire to see evidence that he was the Messiah, but with a real desire to see him make the attempt to work a miracle and fail, so that they might betray and ruin him.

A sign from heaven. This refers to some miraculous appearance in the sky. Such appearances had been given by the prophets, and they supposed that if he was the Messiah, his miracles would not all be confined to the earth, but that he would be able to give some signal miracle from heaven.

For example, Samuel had caused it to thunder (1 Samuel 12:16–18). Isaiah had caused the shadow to go back ten degrees on the dial of Ahaz (Isaiah 38:8), and Moses had sent them manna from heaven (Exodus 16:4; John 6:31).

It is proper to say that, although Christ did not choose then to show such wonders, yet far more stupendous signs from heaven than these were exhibited at his death.

He answered, etc. The meaning of this answer is: There are certain indications by which you judge the weather. In the evening, you think you can predict the weather tomorrow. You have evidence in the redness of the sky by which you judge. So, there are sufficient indications by which you should judge concerning me and these times. My miracles and the state of affairs in Judea are an indication by which you should judge these times.

Is red. Almost all nations have observed this as an indication of the weather.

In the morning—the sky is red and lowering. That is, there are threatening clouds in the sky, which are made red by the rays of the rising sun. This, in Judea, was a sign of a storm. In other places, however, the signs of a storm may be different.

The face of the sky. The appearance of the sky.

A wicked and adulterous generation, etc. (See Barnes on Matthew 12:38-40).

Mark adds (Mark 8:12) that he sighed deeply in spirit. He did not say this without feeling; he was greatly affected by their perverseness and obstinacy (Matthew 16:6–12). This account is also recorded in Mark 8:14-21.

And when his disciples were come to the other side. That is, to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Mark says that he entered into a ship again, and departed to the other side. The conversation with the Pharisees and Sadducees had been on the east of the Sea of Galilee. They crossed from that side again to the west.

Had forgotten to take bread. That is, had forgotten to bring a sufficient supply. They had, it seems, not more than one loaf (Mark 8:14).

Take heed. That is, be cautious, be on your guard.

The leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. Leaven is used in making bread. Its use is to pass through the flour, and cause it to ferment or to swell, and become light. It passes secretly, silently, but certainly, and no one can see its progress.

So it was with the doctrines of the Pharisees. They were insinuating, artful, plausible. They concealed the real tendency of their doctrines; they instilled them secretly into the mind, and they pervaded all mental capacities, like leaven.

They reasoned. The disciples did not understand Him as referring to their doctrine, because the word leaven was not often used among the Jews to denote doctrines, as no other instance of the use of this word occurs in the Scriptures. Besides, the Jews had many particular rules about the leaven that might be used in making bread. Many held that it was not lawful to eat bread made by the Gentiles, and the disciples perhaps supposed that He was cautioning them not to procure a supply from the Pharisees and Sadducees.

O you of little faith. Jesus, in reply, said that they should not be so anxious about the supply of their needs. They should not have supposed, after the miracles that He had performed in feeding so many, that He would caution them to be anxious about procuring bread for their necessities. It was improper, then, for them to reason about a thing like that, but they should have supposed He referred to something more important. The miracles had been full proof that He could supply all their needs without such anxiety.