Mark 8:15

15 And he said to them, Take care to be on the watch against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.

Mark 8:15 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 8:15

And he charged them
When they were in the ship, and had just recollected themselves, that they had took no care to bring any provisions with them:

saying, take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees; and of the
leaven of Herod:
in Matthew, instead of "the leaven of Herod", it is read, "the leaven of the Sadducees": which are either the same, Herod and his courtiers being Sadducees, or favourers of them; or the Sadducees being sticklers for Herod, and his government, which the Pharisees had no good opinion of; or else distinct from one another; and so Christ cautions against the doctrines of the Pharisees, which regarded the traditions of the elders, and of the Sadducees, concerning the resurrection, and of the Herodians, who thought Herod to be the Messiah; and against the unreasonable request and demand of them all to have a sign from heaven, in proof of his own Messiahship; (See Gill on Matthew 16:6).

Mark 8:15 In-Context

13 And he went away from them, and again got into the boat and went across to the other side.

14 And they had taken no thought to get bread; and they had only one cake of bread with them in the boat.

15 And he said to them, Take care to be on the watch against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.

16 And they said to one another, We have no bread.

17 And Jesus, hearing it, said to them, Why are you reasoning among yourselves because you have no bread? do you still not see, and is it still not clear to you? are your hearts so hard?