Mark 8:14-21

Leaven, Loaves, and Lies

Devotional 40 of 50 · Mark chapter 8

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After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards trembled in fear of him and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ See, I have told you.” So they hurried away from the tomb in fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped Him. “Do not be afraid,” said

Mark 8:14-21 · BSB

¹⁴Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ¹⁵“Watch out!” He cautioned them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.” ¹⁶So they began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread. ¹⁷Aware of their conversation, Jesus asked them, “Why are you debating about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Do you have such hard hearts? ¹⁸‘Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?’ And do you not remember? ¹⁹When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?” “Twelve,” they answered. ²⁰“And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?” “Seven,” they said. ²¹Then He asked them, “Do you still not understand?”

Jesus

Jesus speaks up and says, “Watch out!” and “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.” This must have seemed so out of place for the disciples. Why is Jesus talking about the leaven of the Pharisees? Leaven is used to make dough rise and make bread fluffy. Only a little bit of leaven does the job and affects the whole loaf. In like manner, the teachings of the Pharisees and Herod—no matter how small—can spread and take over.

Based on the verses before, we remember the Pharisees were insisting that Jesus must do something to prove Himself. They were seeking to test Jesus instead of trusting in Him.

In this passage, the disciples are being fearful and worried that they will go hungry because they only brought one loaf. And their fear and doubt is what Jesus is ultimately addressing. Much like the Pharisees, they still don’t see. The Pharisees doubted Jesus was the Messiah and needed a sign. The disciples had seen signs and doubted if He was able to rule over the physical world and provide for their needs, despite what they witnessed.

Jesus is surprised that they still don’t understand who He is and how He is going to take care of them. Yet, we don’t see Jesus rejecting them or giving up on them. Jesus corrects them and calls them deeper.

His Desires

Jesus does not want His disciples to operate out of a place of fear and worry, but trust and peace. He proved to them that He can feed thousands of people miraculously—surely His twelve disciples can trust Him for their lunch. We can operate in the same manner.

We read about the miracles Jesus did, we look to Him for salvation, but we still worry before we look to Him and ask Him to provide for our needs. Our default reaction becomes “I am doomed” or “everything is falling apart” instead of looking to Jesus to meet our needs with patience and faith.

Jesus directly warns His disciples—and us—to be on guard and watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod. This seems to be a warning to not harden our hearts when we don’t understand Him, to not seek for a sign, or doubt that He will provide.

Jesus desires that His disciples would see who He truly is. He uses the word “still” in verse 17 to reveal that He desires for them to understand who He is and what He can do. In this chapter, we will see the disciples finally come to a full revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah.

Follow Through

Believe in Jesus and His ability to take care of you.
Be on guard for a doubting heart like the Pharisees.
Strengthen your faith by believing in the miracles and authority of Jesus.
The Blind Man at Bethsaida

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