Mark 8:14-21 // The Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod
Mark 8:13-21
“And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.”And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
“Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.” -Mark 8:14
And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” -Mark 8:15
“Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” -1 Corinthians 15:33
Question to Contemplate:
Who am I allowing to influence me?
And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?” -Mark 8:17
Result 1 – Self-Sufficiency
Result 2 – An Inability to Understand Spiritual Things
Result 3 – A Hardened Heart
Jesus asks, “Are you hearts hardened?”
Question to Contemplate:
Have I allowed what I have been taught about Jesus to influence what I believe about Jesus?
“When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” -Mark 8:19-20
“Failure to understand leads to hardness of heart. The plea for understanding is a reminder that faith is not separate from understanding, but possible only through understanding. An ignorant heart cannot harden itself. Only a knowing heart can harden itself and that is why those closest to Jesus – the Pharisees and the disciples – stand in the gravest danger.
-James Edwards
SERMON IN A SENTENCE:
When I allow the leaven of unbelief to influence my life, I will miss the life God desires for me.
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