What Did The Pharisees And Herod Have In Common?

I've heard a lot about Pharisaism but never before did I notice it's connection with King Herod. It is recorded in Mark 8:11, "Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  As this Study Bible notes: "The Pharisees and Herod seem to be an odd combination."[1] What is the connection with Herod?  The KJV Bible Commentary continues with this reasonable explanation: "Matthew unites the Pharisees and the Sadducees (Matthew 16:6) with a common leaven, If Herod belonged to the Sadducee sect, as many scholars believe, the common denominator would be their attachment to a false religion." [1]  "They were the deists or sceptics of that age." [2] Jesus called them hypocrites, wicked and adulterous (Matthew 16:1–4; 22:23).  The did not believe in the doctrine of the resurrection.

I think another possibility is that Jesus did not equate the concept of Herod with him as a person, but with a group that are called Herodians.  They were a Jewish political party who sympathized with the Herodian rulers in their general policy of government, and in the social customs which they introduced from Rome. They were at one with the Sadducees in holding the duty of submission to Rome, and of supporting the Herods on the throne.[2]

Now the Pharisees were "noted for their self-righteousness and their pride (Matthew 9:11; Luke 7:39; 18:11, 12)." [2]  But if Christ meant to warn the disciples of a common "leaven" that existed between the Pharisees and Herodians it had to be that the both hated Christ and sought to obstruct His Messianic mission. “The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.” (Mark 3:6, ESV).

"What seems like an innocent, indeed legitimate request for a sign (on Herod’s desire for miracles, see Luke 23:8) is actually a rejection of His ministry and all His previous signs." [3] Could it be that self-righteous pride, hypocrisy and rationalism really obstruct the ministry and work of Christ? These attitudes lead us to being enemies of Christ rather than followers of Christ. Submission to rules or rulers apart from Christ position us as foes of Christ, not followers.

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1. KJV Bible Commentary. 1994 (E. E. Hindson & W. M. Kroll, Ed.) (1985). Nashville: Thomas Nelson
2. Easton, M. G. (1893). Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.
3. Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: Bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version (Mk 8:15). Nashville: T. Nelson.