A Little Yeast Goes a Long Way

(Mark 8:14–21)

14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.” 17 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? 18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” 20 “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.” 21 So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”

Mark seems to have told this story to underline the total failure of the Twelve to understand, and perhaps to give the reason: they were still too much influenced by the thinking of this world. Perhaps they were busy blaming each other for forgetting to bring bread with them on the trip when Jesus gave them the warning. They had failed to see the spiritual meaning and, worse still, had forgotten that Jesus could and would meet any bodily needs of those seeking God’s kingdom; he had shown that in the feeding miracles already. This time, Jesus rebuked them bluntly.

I. The disciples had one loaf of bread with them

A. They had no food in the boat.

Their hasty departure (v. 13) probably accounts for the disciples’ failure to bring bread. We are not told what happened to the many baskets of leftover food that resulted from His feeding the 4,000 just a short time before.

It appears that they were almost as blind as the Pharisees! The men were having a private discussion about their food supply, because somebody had forgotten to pack bread. Who was to blame?

B. Why worry and argue over one loaf of bread when you have Jesus in the boat with you?

It must have grieved Jesus that His handpicked helpers were so spiritually obtuse. The fact that He had multiplied bread on two occasions and fed over 10,000 people had apparently made little impression on them!

Their minds were dull, their hearts were hard, their eyes were blind, and their ears were deaf. God’s people often have a tendency to forget His blessings. It would do us all good to pause occasionally and remind ourselves of His goodness and faithfulness.

II. The disciples misunderstood Jesus

A. Jesus warns the disciples about the Pharisees.

Yeast/Leaven is generally spoken of in the Bible in a negative way. When used in cooking, a small amount of yeast permeates the dough. Once in the dough, it cannot be removed. Jesus was warning the disciples not to adopt the teachings of the Pharisees or their stubborn hard-heartedness.

Without this warning from Jesus, the disciples might have looked up to the Pharisees as very spiritual and pious role models. Perhaps Jesus also wanted to tell them not to accept the prejudiced attitudes of the Pharisees, since they considered themselves superior to unclean sinners and Gentiles.

B. The main lesson had to do with leaven (yeast) and not with bread.

Each Passover season, the Jews had to remove all leaven from their dwellings, and leaven was not allowed with the offerings. Evil, like leaven, is small and hidden, but it spreads and soon infects the whole.

We can never be too careful about detecting and avoiding false doctrine. Only a small deviation from the Word may get into an individual or a church, but before long it will grow and infect everything. Our Lord did not often say “Beware!” but when He did it was important!

III. Why would the Lord’s mention of leaven cause the disciples to discuss their lack of bread?

A. The disciples totally ignored Jesus’ reference to the Pharisees and Herod.

They heard “leaven” and assumed Jesus spoke of their bread shortage. Since He was aware of their discussion, His rebuke was not because of their failure to grasp the meaning of His warning, but at their failure to understand the meaning of His presence with them.

The disciples must have felt guilty about leaving their food behind. As soon as Jesus mentioned “leaven,” they assumed he was blaming them for their lack of bread. For Jesus, however, the physical bread was irrelevant.

B. Jesus asked them two questions to redirect their thinking.

When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up? And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?

Jesus reminded the disciples of the two miraculous feedings of the crowds. He questioned them about what happened, and they responded correctly.8:21. Jesus wanted his disciples to draw a conclusion from the feedings. How could they worry about not having enough to eat when they had witnessed so many miraculous events? If Jesus can feed over nine thousand people, they must have thought, surely he can supply our basic needs.