THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 8:14-21
“Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” (Mark 8:15)
The disciples are nervous, they forgot to pack food for the journey.
They think Jesus’s talk about yeast is His critique of their forgetfulness.
Jesus is frustrated because they are being infected by fear and doubt.
He’s already shown them God will provide for their physical needs.
God took care of them when they went on their two-by-two missions (Mark 6:8).
God fed the large crowds in with limited loaves and fish – twice!
Like the Pharisees, and Herod, their closed minds are keeping them from seeing.
Fear and doubt can infect us like yeast, infecting our whole life.
They keep us from hearing Jesus, trusting God, focusing on Him.
Our natural minds see our needs, our struggles, our failures.
And we forget Jesus, what He has done, what He has promised!
Jesus urges us to let His words infect and expand our minds with hope.
Its not that our struggles, failures or needs are petty, insignificant…
But Jesus and God are greater than our biggest struggle, failure and need.
He will take care of things… trust Him!
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, I want to trust You, until the next big struggle, or failure, or need. Keep infecting my mind with hope, that I may be immunized to the subtle influence of fear and doubt.
Jesus follower
trying to find His way
Observation/Application
A little yeast rises the whole bread.
A little ‘yeast’ infects the whole person.
The Pharisees were unable to see that Jesus was Lord. Their pride, rituals, position hardened their hearts and they followed their own truths rather than God’s.
Herod like to hear the Word of the Lord but the world pleasures were more enjoyable and attracted him. Wealth, power, pleasure were thing and lead him away from the Lord.
A little yeast rises and works throughout the whole loaf or throughout the whole body. It hardens the heart. They light which drives their daily living is a false light – a lantern which eventually will go out.
The disciples also had hard hearts thinking only of the immediate even after the miracles of the feedings.
What about me? Do I fix my eyes on Jesus or only think of the here and now? I don’t have to worry about my daily bread because see what the Lord God has done in my life. He has given me much, more than I even dared hope for. Today is His day and I must need focus on His will, His presence, His work and He will continue to take care of me. Live the upward look today and not the downward look.
1
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
2
Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion
For more than conqu’rors we are!
3
His Word shall not fail you, He promised;
Believe Him and all will be well;
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!