Mark
By Joyce Webb 2022
Chapter 8 Vs. 14-21
Verse 14 The disciples were in boat with Jesus. They had forgotten to take bread with then. They had only one loaf.
Verse 15 Jesus began to warn them. Be careful of the leaven bread of the Pharisees (Jewish church leaders).
And be careful of Herod (Roman ruler over the Jews).
Verse 16 The disciples wondered why Jesus was talking about the bread of the Pharisees and Herod.
They thought he must be talking about bread because we only have one loaf of bread.
Verse 17 Jesus understood what they were thinking.
He said, “Why are you talking about not having brought bread?”
Don’t you understand what I am talking about? Is your heart hard?
Verse 18 You have eyes, but you do not see. You have ears, but you do not hear. You do not remember.
Verse 19 Jesus said, When I was breaking the bread to feed the 5,000 people—how many baskets full were left over?
They said, 12.
Verse 20 When I broke bread for the 4,000 people —how many baskets full were left over? They said, 7.
Verse 21 Jesus said, Do you still not understand?
In other words, Jesus is saying—why would I talk about not having enough bread?
Did I not just feed thousands of people with a few pieces of bread? If I did it then, could I not do it now for us?
Explanation:
When Jesus warned the disciples to be careful of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod—-he was not talking about real bread.
Leaven—yeast— makes bread rise and get bigger and be fluffy.
Yeast—even a little of it—when put into the flour mixture—goes all through the mixture and affects all it.
Yeast is compared to sin. Sin—even a little of it—-affects everything it touches.
A little sinful thought, a little sinful imagination, a little sinful sex, a little lie, a little doubt, a little stealing, a little anger, a little bitter attitude—-on an on.
A little sin grows—like yeast—it makes the bread dough get bigger, and bigger.
A little sin—-grows into a big sin. Soon it affects everyone, and everything.
Look at all the evil in the world. It gets more and worse every year.
In the Bible, there were times that God told them to make bread but not use yeast in it.
This would be like a flat bread—like pita bread—or maybe a tortilla.
When the Bible speaks of “loaf” of bread—-the loaf was probably a round one—-or maybe like a smaller roll—-or maybe a flat bread. Not a loaf like we shape bread.
Jesus said to the disciples—-Be careful of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.
In Matthew 16:5-12 The same story is given.
The Pharisees and the Sadducees and the Herodians were Jewish leaders.
The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection from the dead.
The Herodians were Jewish leaders who were very friendly to the Roman government and rules by Herod. They went along with many of his ideas and rules.
All of these 3 groups—-did not believe that Jesus was God’s Son. They heard him speak. They saw his miracles. They still did not believe.
They asked Jesus for a “sign” to prove his was from God.
Really? They had heard about and seen dead people raised up to live again. They had seen many healed of all kinds of disease and problems. They had seen demons and evil spirits cast out of people. Yet they still wanted a “sign”. What more could Jesus do to show them?
This kind of unbelief and doubt was like a “yeast” that would grow and grow—and other people would doubt and not believe.
In Matthew 16:12 It says that the disciple finally understood that Jesus was not talking about real bread. He was talking about the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders unbelief. Jesus was talking about the doctrines (teachings) of those leaders.
Jesus was warning the disciples to be careful about trusting the teachings of those leaders.
That was a little surprising—-because those men were the Jewish religious leaders and teachers. Jewish people had trusted them for years.
But—those men taught many rules that were not in the Old Testament. They were man-made rules.
Many of the rules were hard to live with and follow.
Also, those leaders did not want any one to believe in Jesus.