Do you still not understand?

David Johnson

Mark • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago

Mark 8:1–21

0 ratings

· 7 views

Notes

Transcript

A movie that starts with the end...

If you have ever seen the movie, “saving private Ryan” it starts with an elderly private ryan walking through the graveyards at the D-day landing sites in France where he stops at a grave and gets emotional…From there there you go back to the whole war story

Its a movie that starts with the end because then when everything unfolds you see why this character is getting so emotional

Now I am telling you this today because I am going to skip way ahead to chapter 8 Because I am convinced that a few verses in chapter 8 explain most of chapters 6, 7 &8

So if you are with me today then we are going to go all the way to Mark 8:13-21

So lets go back to the end of the story so we can look at three chapters in one day and ask what God is trying to show us

Mark 8:13–21 NIV

Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.” Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.” He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

Now I know starting with this verse today is strange...

Because No, initially I don’t get it right...

This verse is complicated since we don’t know what happened before this...

But this is a de-brief that Jesus is having with his disciples on a boat…

They had just come from feeding the 4000 and the disciples…They are probably all excited and then Jesus says something that throws them off

“Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod”

and so they are thinking, maybe Jesus is saying this because we forgot bread...

But there is this misunderstanding around the word yeast…They are like..>Dang we forgot bread and we made Jesus mad...

But when Jesus says “Yeast” he is talking about their deeds…Their sin... so he is saying watch out for these guys...

So what is the deal with the warning that Jesus had given them?

Lets talk about the yeast of Herod first

There are 4 Herod’s in the New Testament and this is the 2nd one

This sect of Jesus followers including John the Baptist had given him problems

John the Baptist had been speaking out against Herod because Herod decided that he liked his sister in law and wanted to marry her...

And now Herod is having his wife’s daughter dance for him at a birthday party he is throwing for himself

And I am not sure what type of dance this was…But we know that he is pretty taken with her…It is just as scandalous as you might be thinking...Herod lusts after his step-daughter

If this happened today...Chris Hansen would pop out from around a corner with a camera crew and says, "Hi I am Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC and I am doing a show called to catch a predator”

So Herod is perverse

So he likes this dance so much that he is like…Ask me for anything and its yours...

Well John the Baptist had been making life hard for her family so here is what happened next...

Mark 6:25 NIV

At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

if you speak out against Herod then guess what happens to you?

You get beheaded…Your capa gets detated

So when jesus says to his disciples…hey watch out for the yeast of Herod....

This is what he is taking about...

Well in this scenario, there is a lavish party, there is sexual perversion and the swift power of killing

The Yeast of Herod is Money, Sex & Power

The power of the state will crush you...

and in this example of Herod killing John it is with obvious force and power

But today the power of Herod comes less from obvious shows of power by the state and more from a public opinion machine that is crafted by private companies and the state and if you don’t fall in line with that public opinion then you’ll just be canceled…

Which in America is basically the new exile…

So when Jesus says Beware of the yeast of Herod

To the disciples that was a warning…Look what he did to John the Baptist

and to us today it is the same warning…Not that our government wants to kill us or anything…

The Yeast of Herod is to use violence to achieve his will

And you might think. I would never get suckered into this kind of kingdom…I would never fall for the yeast of Herod and his violence

But we get wrapped up in this world of violence all the time

But the church is an alternate kingdom to the kingdom of that of Herods

Jesus is leading a kingdom movement that wants to shape and mold people to look like himself

Herod just says if you don’t fall in line I’ll chop your head off

The Herod of today is a whole public opinion machine that will tell you that we have re-written morals in the name of Justice…

And if you don’t follow the new moral code of public opinion then you wont get decapitated but you will be canceled and no one will deal with you any longer

Beware of the yeast of Herod!

But following Jesus is a counter kingdom to the kingdom of this world.

You are in a counter revolution.

Ok so in Jesus’ staff meeting on the boat he says beware of the yeast of the pharisees and Herod…So we don’t want to leave the pharisees out

Pharisees

Some Pharisees had heard about Jesus from Jerusalem and they come to search him out...

and they saw that his disciples didn’t follow their traditions

They didn’t ritually wash their hands before they ate

Mark 7:6–8 NIV

He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

So then Jesus goes on to give all these example of how they set aside the word of God and elevated their own oral tradition

So the yeast of the Pharisees is to live these very religious lives that are just for show…In fact the pharisees achieve power by being religious

They follow God’s law when it suits them. But they just as easily set it aside when it doesn’t...

As evidence by the fact that the Pharisees know they shouldn’t murder but when Jesus starts to become a problem back in chapter 3 they begin to go plot with Herod.

So On the boat Jesus says to be ware of the yeast of these two groups

Herod will crush you with the power of the state…Herod wants to remake you into his image

The yeast of Herod is this false power that leads to death...

And the yeast of the Pharisees is something totally different...

The pharisees will produce this false faith with in you…

This faith that is just showy…it is a faith for others to see but there is no real devotion to the Lord.

The Yeast of the pharisees is to achieve power through reputation

He is warning them not to get wrapped up in their way of life

His kingdom isn’t political and it certainly isn’t showy

The yeast of the pharisees is to subordinate the word of God to achieve their political purposes

So Jesus asks his disciples…Are you just like everyone else…Do you have eyes but you don’t see?

Do you have hears and you don’t hear?

then he says something really cryptic

Mark 8:19–21 NIV

When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.” He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

So Jesus is saying…Watch out for the power structures of this world...

Weren’t you there when I fed the 5000 and the 4000? Don’t you get it?

See the disciples were concerned about a lack of bread and Jesus was concerned about a lack of faith

OFTEN TIMES THIS IS HOW IT GOES FOR US...

We are concerned about the things that we lack but God is concerned about our faith

When we get so concerned with the things we lack, it becomes very difficult to see past that

What the disciples are chastised for here is not that they weren’t believers but that they saw all that Jesus did and didn’t understand it.

So....

Lets look at what jesus did

Somehow these feeding narratives where Jesus multiplied food is the capstone on the whole first section of the book of Mark.

Its almost as if Jesus says if you get these two things then you will get me!

So lets look at the feeding of the 5000 and all that results from this

So back now in Chapter 6: Jesus invites the disciples to rest with him...

But he is so popular that even though they sailed on a boat these huge crowds followed Jesus

And 5000 people came

Mark 6:34–44 NIV

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.” Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

Ok, so feeding the 5000 is probably one of the most commonly known miracles of Jesus…But what is not fully understood is how this might have effected Jesus’ ministry overall

The Jewish messiah collecting a crowd of 5000 people in Rural Galilee would have seemed really scary for the Romans…particularly Herod

Rural Galilee was a stronghold for the Zealot movement in israel....The zealots something of a political party in Israel…They believed that in order to save Israel, they had to kill Roman officials…They practiced targeted assassination of Roman officials...

So if you see this Jewish Rabbi that everyone is calling a Messiah (Which is also a term for a military leader) go outside of town and gather 5000 Men....

Then what do you think Rome is thinking?

That’s not a church service…Thats an army…They are gathering Zealots

and of course Rome is probably thinking that because that is what they would do....

But Jesus isn’t a populist strong man...

No Jesus is going to reveal something much deeper than that

No, Jesus isn't a populist military leader. He is a shepherd that has compassion on his people…In both this account and the feeding of their 4000, the text uses the same phrases that Jesus had compassion on these people

So the text says that he asks his disciples how much food they have and they had 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish

And he looked up to heaven and prayed for the food.

This is the common Jewish blessing that is recited before all meals

“Praised be you, Adonai our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth”

Even the prayer of Jesus shows that when your faith is settled in Jesus then he will just provide bread from the earth

So, 5 loaves and 2 fish feed 5000 men plus we have to imagine women and children

And not only that…But he had 12 baskets full when he was done...

Now that is more than when we started with right?

Elisha had done the same thing in 2 Kings 4…where he fed 100 men with 20 loaves of barley and there were leftovers…

And then if you think back to even before then, when the 12 tribes were wandering in the dessert, God fed them with mana!

The 12 baskets were so significant because the represented God’s love and provision for these Jews who had come to see Jesus

Just like God provided the mana in the desert, Jesus provided bread for 5000…

Way back in the first week of this series I made the point with Jesus baptism that he is leading a new exodus from Sin!

There was a rabbinical belief about the coming messiah that said this:

“Just as Moses rode out of Egypt on a donkey, the messiah will come riding one”….

“just as Moses called manna down from heaven the messiah will bring it down…”

So the feeding of the 5000 is hugely significant as to who Jesus is....He is the messiah

He is the real power…Not Herod or the Pharisees

But what we have to remember is that Jesus asked the disciples to compare the feeding of the 5000 to the feeding of the 4000...

And Jesus is like…Hey look at these two feedings don’t you get it? Don’t you understand

So after feeding the 5000

Jesus criticizes the Pharisees which we already looked at

Thats the first half of Mark 7

Then he goes way north to a pagan region, its kind of a strange detour

and there he meets this woman just called the “ Syrophoenician Woman”

She is y part Syrian & part Phoenician…So she is a non-jew mixed race woman who in the Jewish mind did not have status or honor

This woman had a child who was demon possessed and she went to Jesus to ask for healing…In fact…if you were with us last week, you’d notice this…the woman went and fell at Jesus’ feet…Prostrate…like an act of worship...

And what Jesus says to here is highly misunderstood

and people think that Jesus is actually being mean or racist but he is absolutely not

Now we are getting to the feeding of the 4000 but this happens along the way and it is really impotrant

So this woman asks for healing and here is what Jesus says:

Mark 7:27–29 (NIV)

“First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

“Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

Do you notice the talk about food here?

And wait…The children of Israel were fed first…quite literally: just last chapter the 5000 ate until they were satisfied....

And that was in a Jewish region

And this woman

Acknowledges Jesus by calling him “Lord” & falling at his feet, but her response is so brilliant…

She acknowledges that yes it is right for Jesus to go to the Jews first…

But two: and we have to understand this because the word “Dogs” here can make it sound like Jesus called this woman a “Dog” but that is not what he is doing…he is making an illustration

Jesus is making an illustration: the children must be fed before the pets, and the Jewish people therefore had first claim

So this woman is saying…Sure feed them all you want…but my daughter just needs a crumb of your bread or..power to be healed!

In the last chapter the Jews ate till they were satisfied but this woman is like…if my kid just had a crumb then she would be well!

So here is this woman who is extremely low in society…She lives in a pagan area…she is a woman, there is no mention of a husband…and she shows this great faith…

And for this, Jesus heals her daughter

Now what is even more key about this story is that Mark puts it right after Jesus just ripping apart the Pharisees…calling them white washed tombs…He says: you honor me with your lips but your hearts are far from me…

This woman actually honors Jesus with her actions and her words...

Then it is right after this that Jesus again travels back to the gentile area

Near the area where a few weeks ago we talked about the man who was demon possessed had all the demons cast out of him into pigs.

So Just as Jesus reveals to the 5000 that he is their Shepherd, a new Moses bringing mana

he now goes to the other side of the lake

and this is worth pointing out

So Moses was responsible for bringing the Israelites to the promised land...

But there were already other nations there…so what happened to them?

Well Deuteronomy tells us:

Deuteronomy 7:1 NIV

When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you—

So there are 7 nations and they get driven out…They go beyond the lake...

Where Jesus happens to go and now feed 4000

So the story is virtually identical so I am only going to read a couple of verses:

Mark 8:6–10 NIV

He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. About four thousand were present. After he had sent them away, he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

Jesus had seven basketfuls left

Just like there were 12 baskets for the 12 tribes…that reveal that God cares for the lost sheep of Israel

There are 7 baskets left that reveal that Jesus is bringing Mana to the nations

The two stories back to back of the Syrophoenician woman and the feeding of the 4000 would have just been so offensive to the Jews

But Why does Jesus tell these two stories as if they are the antidote to the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod?

Because when you have faith in Jesus you will always end up with more than you started with

In all these situations the 5000 & the 4000 ended up with way more food than they started with

There is another even simpler point

I think Mark really wants to show us these two stories because Jesus is equally for the Jews, the circumcised, the people of the covenant…The people who go to synagogue every week, those who grew up emerged in the prayers of the faith

And He is for the outcast…He goes way out of his way, like absurdly out of his way to show 4000 non Jews that God is for them...

And in so doing, he shows his disciples that his kingdom is nothing like Herod or the Pharisees because if it was…He could have had 9000 troops at his disposal to fight the Romans....

Instead his kingdom is about

The feeding of the 5,000 & 4,000 reveals that Jesus kingdom is a counter kingdom to the Pharisees and Herod

As the band comes

This counter revolution of Jesus doesn’t buy into the lies of the Pharisees and Herod

Response: Don’t buy into the lies of the pharisees and Herod

Herod & The pharisees had to maintain power through cohesion…they had to get power through violence…through scaring others…That is all the way of a foreign kingdom....They literally achieve their power and their significance through sin! ‘

They bait you into thinking that you will never have enough unless you participate in their kingdom

But the reality is that: Jesus is unfolding a kingdom that leads you to abundance through faith

It is a kingdom where you literally end up with more than you started with

It is a kingdom that extends to all, It is an all inclusive kingdom that loves people on the outside

Jesus is standing in the boat and I think before us today and saying: Be wary of the power structures of our world…Don’t find your worth in them

Which kingdom will you stand with?

Herod’s kingdom has a ton…There is money, sex & power there