“Then Jesus told them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees…..” Why is it you don’t understand that when I told you, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees,’ it wasn’t about bread?” Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the leaven in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Matthew 16:6, 11-12 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/mat.16.6-11.CSB

The religious leaders were the teachers of God and His word to the people. Jesus would tell His followers to do what they say but not what they do, for they were hypocrites (Mt 23.3). In this passage, Jesus warns His disciples about the teachings of religious leaders. A discrepancy in Jesus’ teaching? Of course not, but we all need to know God’s word to do God’s will. Many religious leaders in Jesus’ day and our own love the praise of men, the power of influence, and the pride of being smart or godly. Jesus was not this way, and He warns us to watch for such teachers through His word. Discerning the hypocrite or the proud is difficult without knowing the truth. Jesus is the Truth. We must study Jesus with all diligence. We do this by reading the Scriptures and then learning from the godly learned of the past through books. We also learn as we meet with those on a passionate journey to know Jesus and obey His commands. There are many great teachers in our world, but there are also many deceivers and hypocrites. Knowing who’s who is not easy but is made easier when we are students of God’s word, workmen who demonstrate through perseverance and diligence a hungry and thirsty spirit for knowing God to serve God fruitfully on earth. Easier as well when we are joined by a band of brothers who likewise pursue Jesus passionately and fervently, for they will help us stay true even as we help them stay true to Him, Who is the Truth, the Way, and the Life.