can discern the face of the sky ; but why reason ye among yourselves, he- can ye not discern the signs of the cause ye have broughf'no bread ? times ? 9 Do ye not yet understand, neither
4 A -wicked and adulterous genera- remember the five loaves of the five tion seeketh after a sign ; and there thousand, and how many baskets ye shall no sign be given unto it, but the took up ?
sign of the prophet Jonas. And he 10 Neither the seven loaves of the left them, and departed. four thousand, and how many baskets
5 And when liis disciples were come ye took up ?
to the other side, they had forgotten 11 How is it that ye do not under-
to take bread. stand that I spake it not to you con-
6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take cerning bread, that ye should beware heed and beware of the leaven of the of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Pharisees and of the Sadducees. the Sadducees ?
7 x\nd they reasoned among them- I 12 Then understood they how that selves, saying, It is because we have he bade them not bewai-e of the leaven taken no bread. of bread, but of the doctrine of the
8 Pf^^M when Jesus perceived, he Pharisees and of the Sadducees. said unto them, 0 ye of little faith,
In these verses we find our Lord assailed by the untiring enmity of the Pharisees and Sadducees. As a general rule these two sects were at enmity between themselves. In persecuting Christ, however, they made common cause. Truly it was an unholy alliance ! Yet how often we see the same thing in the present day. Men of the most opposite opinions and habits will agree in disliking the Gospel, and will work together to oppose its pro- gress. " There is no new thing under the sun." (Eccles.
The first point in this passage which deserves special notice, is the repetition which our Lord makes of toords used hy Him on a former occasion. He says, " a wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign ; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas." If we turn to the twelfth chapter of this Gospel and the 39 th verse, we shall find that He had said the very same thing once before.
This repetition may seem a trifiing and unimportant matter in the eyes of some. But it is not so in reality.