God of truth and wisdom, send us your Holy Spirit as we listen to your Word. Refresh our understanding and equip us to respond to you in love, for the sake of Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Gospel Reading: Mark 8:11-21
After a bit of a break over the summer, this morning we’re going to resume our study of the Gospel of Mark. And what a joy it is to return to this powerful, fast-moving account of Jesus’ life and ministry. Mark doesn’t waste time—he plunges us straight into the action, showing us Jesus healing, teaching, confronting, and ultimately heading toward the cross. And as we pick up where we left off, we’re invited once again to walk closely with Jesus, to listen carefully to his words, and to open our hearts to the transforming power of the Gospel. So, let’s turn now to God’s Word with expectation, ready to meet Jesus again and be shaped by the Good News he brings.
When we last left Jesus, he had just finished healing the daughter of a Gentile woman and then restoring the sight and speech of a man who was deaf and dumb. As was the case throughout the time Jesus was here on earth there was a great crowd following him, either wishing to be healed or to witness his next miracle. Some came with faith, some with selfish motives, and others with open hearts searching for God.
And, of course, these crowds needed nourishment. So, for the second time in the Gospel of Mark, we read about Jesus providing them with food. The first time is known as the “Feeding of the Five Thousand” and this time it is the “Feeding of the Four Thousand”. In both instances, Jesus takes a small portion of bread and fish and miraculously provides enough to satisfy a large multitude. But even that wasn’t enough to satisfy his critics. The Apostle Mark says, “The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him.”
This was not the first time Jesus faced such demands. All through the Gospels, he heals the sick, feeds the hungry, drives out demons, and even calms storms. Yet the religious leaders continued to press for more—not out of a desire for truth, but out of a desire for control.
Now the Pharisees were a leading religious group during the time of Jesus and were known for their strict adherence to the Law of Moses. They were influential in both religious and social life, especially among the common people. They saw themselves as set apart to uphold purity, righteousness, and religious devotion. This led them to avoid anything they believed would make them spiritually unclean. Many people respected the Pharisees for their discipline and devotion. However, Jesus often criticized them for their hypocrisy and for focusing on outward appearances while neglecting the heart of God’s commands—justice, mercy, and love.
And they wanted to see a miracle. Not just any kind of miracle, but a miracle that would leave absolutely no doubt that Jesus was the Messiah. It had to be a sign that only God could perform. You would think that Jesus might welcome this chance to prove to them for once and all that he truly was the Son of God. But Jesus said, “There will be no sign given to this generation.”
You might wonder why Jesus didn’t prove it to them. One reason was the state of their hearts. Their hearts were so hardened against the truth that no matter what great miracle he performed, they would still find a way to deny that he was the Messiah. The Pharisees’ approach here isn’t one of sincere inquiry, they’re trying to trap him. You can see this clearly when Mark says, “To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven.” Jesus had already faced temptation in the wilderness and had overcome it. But ever since then, he had been under constant spiritual attack—whether through demonic encounters or the persistent opposition of the religious leaders. And now, once again, they’re at it with the same tactics.
Earlier, Jesus had warned his disciples about such insincere people, he had said, “… ‘To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that “they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.”’ (Mark 4:11-12) He cannot heal those who don’t want to be healed. The Pharisees are part of that generation that is drifting from God and will ultimately reject Jesus as being the long-promised Messiah.
Jesus had already given plenty of signs. The blind were seeing. The lame were walking. The hungry were fed. The outcasts were welcomed. The kingdom of God was breaking in—but the Pharisees were blind to it. They didn’t need another sign; they needed a new heart. At this point Jesus gets in a boat and leaves them. He won’t have any more to do with them until after his final entrance into Jerusalem, just prior to his crucifixion.
But once in the boat, things don’t get any better. The disciples are with him; they’ve just witnessed the feeding of 4,000 people—an incredible miracle of provision. But now they realize they only brought one loaf of bread with them. The disciples started to get hungry, and they come to find out that they had forgotten to bring any bread with them. Anxiety creeps in.
And isn’t that just like us? We can see God move in powerful ways, and yet at the first sign of lack, we panic. God just came through yesterday… and today we’re already worried again.
Jesus, knowing what the disciples are thinking, says to them, “‘Watch out—beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.’” He takes the opportunity to issue a warning. While they’re focused on lunch, he has something far more important to say.
The Pharisees were known for being hypocrites, and Herod was known for being hostile. And that hostility and that hypocrisy was an expression of a blindness of the heart to truth. They refused to believe and to understand. And so, Jesus warns the disciples “‘Watch out—beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.’”.
In the Jewish tradition at that time yeast often symbolized corruption or impurity. It was used as a symbol for something very small that can quickly work its way through a whole lot. During Passover, the Jews were commanded to remove all leaven from their homes. This was to remind them of the haste with which they left Egypt, but it also came to represent cleansing and holiness. Over time, yeast came to represent moral or spiritual contamination.
The Apostle Paul, in his first letter to the church in Corinth, also used yeast as a symbol of something small which can quickly grow and spread. He wrote, “Your boasting is not a good thing. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Corinthians 5:6-8) In the same way, Jesus warned his disciples to watch out for the corrupting influence of the Pharisees, which could grow to create disbelief in him.
But the disciples were so fixated on their stomachs that they completely missed the point Jesus was trying to make, they said, “‘It is because we have no bread.’”. The disciples are preoccupied with bread, but Jesus is trying to lead them to a deeper truth. He grows frustrated when they fail to understand. He says to them, “‘Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear?… Do you not yet understand?’”
They had seen miracle after miracle, yet in that moment, their fear of not having enough food to eat drowned out their memory of God’s faithfulness. They think Jesus is scolding them for forgetting bread. But Jesus is calling on them to understand, to realize that he is the bread, he is enough. That when he is in the boat, you never need to panic about provision. The disciples were worried about bread—but the Bread of Life was right beside them.
So, how often do we do the same thing—misunderstanding God’s voice because we’re fixated on our own concerns? What are we so focused on that we’re missing the deeper voice of Jesus? Where are we letting the “yeast” of pride, fear, or doubt take root? Are we remembering what God has already done in our lives? Memory matters in the life of faith. Forgetfulness is one of our greatest spiritual dangers. When we forget what God has done, we begin to fear. But, when we remember, our faith is renewed.
But here’s the good news: even when we forget, even when our hearts are slow to understand, Jesus stays in the boat. He doesn’t abandon the disciples. He keeps teaching, keeps calling, keeps patiently inviting them into deeper trust. And today, through the work of the Holy Spirit, he does the same.
You may be worried today—about money, health, the future, your family. But hear Jesus’ question: “Do you not understand?” Remember what he’s already brought you through. Remember his power, his provision, his presence. When you have faith in Jesus, you already have enough.
Let us Pray:
Gracious God,
We confess that we often look for signs when you have already given us your presence. We search for proof when you offer us your promises. We long for certainty when you call us to faith.
Lord, forgive us for the times we’ve tested you, for the ways we’ve tried to fit you into our expectations, and for the moments we’ve missed you because we were looking in the wrong place.
Help us to trust you, not because we understand everything, but because we know you, and we have the Holy Spirit who assures us of your presence even now. Give us hearts that believe, even when we don’t see, and faith that walks forward, even in the dark. Amen