In Mark 8:11-21 Jesus confronts confusion from two directions: faithless antagonism from the Pharisees and clueless questions from his disciples.
- Q: Have you ever doubted your faith?
- Today’s passage shows us the difference between disbelief and doubt
- We all have doubts, confusion about Jesus, still trying to get the right picture of him
- That is different from disbelief – making up your mind that you’re not going God’s way. You’ve already set your course
- John 7:16-17 My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own.
Testing Jesus
The Pharisees demanded that Jesus show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. Jesus emphasized that true faith cannot be tested like this.
Mark 8:11-13 (NLT) When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had arrived, they came and started to argue with him. Testing him, they demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. When he heard this, he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why do these people keep demanding a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, I will not give this generation any such sign.” So he got back into the boat and left them, and he crossed to the other side of the lake.
- Do you ever find yourself wanting to see something magical or extraordinary to believe in it? Well, that’s exactly what the Pharisees in Jesus’ time were doing. They demanded that Jesus perform a spectacular miracle to prove his authority. But here’s the thing: faith is not just about being wowed by miraculous signs. It’s about something deeper.
- But the Pharisees’ problem ran deeper than this. They didn’t actually want to believe in Jesus. They were looking for proof to disbelieve in him, and his response confirmed their preconceptions. They didn’t have ears to hear.
1 Corinthians 1:18-24 (NLT) The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
The Yeast
Jesus warned his disciples about the “yeast” of the Pharisees and of Herod – a symbol that represented a corrupting influence that causes us to miss Jesus. This influence can be religious, sensual, or cultural.
Mark 8:14-15 (NLT) But the disciples had forgotten to bring any food. They had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat. As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.”
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- Have you ever baked bread? If so, you know that just a small amount of yeast can make the dough rise and expand. Yeast, in this context, symbolizes a pervasive and corrupting influence. It’s like a sneaky troublemaker that spreads throughout the dough. Similarly, the teachings and hypocrisy of the Pharisees (and also Herod!) had a negative impact on people’s faith. Jesus wanted his disciples to be aware of this influence and guard themselves against it. Let’s break it down:
- Religious influence: the yeast of the Pharisees
- Two weeks ago, “tradition of the elders”
- Cancel God’s word and substitute our own tradition
- Sensual influence: the yeast of Herod
- Recall the story of Herod and JTB (Mark 6.2)
- John the Baptist had called out Herod’s sin, so Herod (disturbed but also curious) locked him up.
- In a moment of weakness Herod sold out John the Baptist (instead of listening to him) and had him beheaded.
- Other cultural influences that spread misinformation (yeast)
- Examples
- Sexuality, gender
- Abortion – moving the line – “older people who identified as evangelicals were more anti-abortion in 2020 than they were in 2016, while younger white evangelicals became more in favor of abortion rights.”
Still Blind
Jesus rebuked the disciples for their failure to understand his teachings and the significance of his presence with them. This emphasizes the need for spiritual discernment and a deeper comprehension of Jesus’ message beyond the physical realm.
Mark 8:16-21 (NLT) At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “Why are you arguing about having no bread? Don’t you know or understand even yet? Are your hearts too hard to take it in? ‘You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear?’ Don’t you remember anything at all? When I fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread, how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up afterward?”
“Twelve,” they said.
“And when I fed the 4,000 with seven loaves, how many large baskets of leftovers did you pick up?”
“Seven,” they said.
“Don’t you understand yet?” he asked them.
- Imagine being with Jesus day in and day out, witnessing his miracles and hearing his profound teachings. But despite all that, the disciples still struggled to understand the true meaning of his message. They were like people with their eyes wide open, yet unable to see the truth. Jesus confronted them, asking why they were arguing about not having enough bread.
Close
- (New Bible Commentary) We too need to be constantly on our guard against the ‘spirit of the age’ or the thinking and teaching of the other religions that surround us. Christ’s way is totally different from the way of the world, which we read about in papers, hear on radio, or see on television.
- (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Ironically, the Gentiles in the previous story who were “far off” (8:3; Eph 2:13-14) are closer to Jesus than those of his own faith and people like the Pharisees.
