Doctrinal Leaven

March 30, 2022 PM, Matthew 16:5-12.

The first thing I noticed is that my NKJV MacArthur study Bible had a title above this section which was “Withdrawal of Jesus—Mark 8:13-21.” This is a bad heading, and I believe in this case it is the responsibility not of MacArthur, but of Thomas Nelson’s editors of the Bible text and reference material. (These headings are not part of the original text.) The errant heading reflects only the narrative of the immediately prior verse, both in Matthew 16:4 and in the parallel passage of Mark 8:13. It does not reflect what is taught in the section that follows. In the upcoming three paragraphs, there is no mention there of Jesus withdrawing, no details of his departure, and no reasons are explained as to why he left. Instead, the section is all about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The section heading should at least reflect that if not also include what is being said about this leaven. At Mark 8:14, the heading is “Disciples Do Not Understand Matt. 16:5-12.” This much better reflects what the section is about. Lesson? Take the headings in your study Bible with a grain of salt. Compare them carefully to the text the follows, and see if you agree with the heading or not. In this case, the NKJV editors get a failing grade. You and I too need to take heed and beware of false doctrine. It is all around, it is subtle, and it is deadly. The ways of our world today, including tolerance and promotion of all forms of wickedness, follow-your-heart beliefs, etc. are leavens that we need to get out of our lives. A little of that goes a long way to make a mess of your thinking and consequent behavior.