God's faithfulness to our doubts

Mark 8:11-21

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Hear the Words of the Lord

Mark 8:11–21 NIV

11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. 14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” 16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.” 17 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? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. 20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.” 21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

We are going to look at 2 sections of scripture in Mark because they flow into each other.

Before let’s do an overview of what has happened leading up to this because there is a pivot after Mark 8:10.

Overview all leading to a confession of Faith.

I almost used the video clip from anchor man

Mark 8:11–13 NIV

11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

Vs 11

Pharisees “come out” in military rank style to “Test” him.

Mark uses test 4 times

Satan temptation 1:13

Pharisees 8:11, 10:2, 12:15

Come asking for a sign

What is a sign? It is not a miracle, that word is different.

They want a sign of divine authority.

Mark wants us to see that the Pharisees seem to understand the claims Jesus is making yet it does not result in faith in Jesus.

Knowledge about God doesn’t always produce faith.

American Christianity has become very intillectual, the greatest theologians will always point us back to the simple yet profound truths that God loves us and calls us into his resurrection of new life.

Hard Hearts and unwillingness to acknowledge Jesus as Lord results in division.

Understanding who Jesus is does not mean allegiance to him.

The disciples trusted Jesus because they had lived life with him. Jesus produced faith in them because of his faithfulness to the many and the disciples.

Why does this generation ask for a sign? None will be given to it

Jesus is talking metaphorically here which makes these texts difficult.

Jesus is actually about to show some incredible signs (it’s Marks Purpose in writing his gospel)

the Transfiguration, triumphal entry, so many more but the pharisees will miss out in it because they refuse to get in the boat with Jesus.

Getting in the boat and traveling with him requires trust and faith.

The disciples trusted Jesus because they had lived life with him. Jesus produced faith in them because of his faithfulness to the many and the disciples.

This is a splitting point in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus is done with the Pharisee’s. We will see them a few more times, but Jesus only condemns them after this.

Transition to the disciples in the boat

Mark 8:13–21 NIV

13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. 14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” 16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.” 17 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? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. 20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.” 21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

Story of Roadhouse auction.

I meant for Brea to buy me (sounds terrible) so we could go on our date.

That didn’t happen, bad miscommunication on my part, big misunderstanding

The disciples are so clueless and confused in this story.

They think Jesus is talking literally when he is calling our their issues of understanding who he is.

vs 14 They forget bread which is ironic because the dude in the boat just made some fresh bread on 2 separate occasions, so why are they even worrying?

vs 15 “be careful”

vs 16 is it because we have no bread?

Who let it slip to Jesus, we were going to buy some at the next town!

vs 17 Jesus is aware of their discussion. These aren’t just harsh questions

He lays on them God’s Questions to Israel while they are unresponsive to his “signs” of prophets before exile.

Why doesn’t Jesus leave them like he did the Pharisee’s?

Jesus reveals himself to those that seek him. Seeking requires honesty.

Faith isn’t blind and shouldn’t be. Faith is a response to God’s faithfulness.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Faith come from community and looking at our past. Do you know that God is faithful?

2. Discipleship doesn’t start at conversion, it starts when faith begins to form.

Discipleship doesn’t start with head knowledge. Jesus didn’t do it that way.

THEY WERE JESUS”S DISCIPLES AND DIDN’T KNOW WHO HE WAS!! THINK ABOUT THAT.

Discipleship is the formation of faith as a result of your faithfulness to that person. It is what God does for us.

The cross is all about God’s faithfulness to create a way for all people to enter into his kingdom promise. The pharisees trusted in the Torah which never allowed God’s full plan. It is why paul calls the Torah incomplete.

3. Allegiance to Jesus results in his Kingdom first, not ours.

When Jesus bids a person to die to oneself and come after Jesus, it isn’t for Jesus’s sake, it is our eternal purpose. The Cross and power of the resurrection wasn’t because God needed us to be apart of his Kingdom, it is because he desires us to rule and reign with him. Co Heirs. You want to know if you are loved by God, when was the last time a billionaire asked you to sign onto their estate? When when the last time a world leader asked you to govern with them?

Jesus invites us, holding pieces of bread that we didn’t earn, sitting in boats often clueless to his mission for our lives, to come to the other side with him, because in him and with him is life and life to the fullest.

You are a daughter and son of God who invites you, now and forevermore, to a calling so grand, it requires an act of love so radical, and a gift of faith we didn’t have on our own to even begin to understand the totality of his purpose for our lives.

Questions

What is hard to believe when you think about God’s faithfulness to us in the midst of our struggles and fears

How does Jesus’s faithfulness to his disciples reveal discipleship?

What other questions do you have?

We don’t give people bibles because in it is life, we seek God in our bibles because the words of Jesus lead us to Jesus himself. If we seek, he finds, because he was seeking us first.

Are you seeking those who don’t even know they need sought after?

This is the gospel.