Mark 8:12-21
When he heard this, he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why do these people keep demanding a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, I will not give this generation any such sign.” So he got back into the boat and left them, and he crossed to the other side of the lake. But the disciples had forgotten to bring any food. They had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat. As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.”
At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “Why are you arguing about having no bread? Don’t you know or understand even yet? Are your hearts too hard to take it in? ‘You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear?’ Don’t you remember anything at all? When I fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread, how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up afterward?”
“Twelve,” they said.
“And when I fed the 4,000 with seven loaves, how many large baskets of leftovers did you pick up?”
“Seven,” they said.
“Don’t you understand yet?” he asked them.
When I read this passage, I can’t help but feel Jesus’s frustration with the disciples. He was warning them about the corruption of the religious leaders while they were worried about their own stomachs. Yeast, even in small amounts, spreads through dough and changes its form, just like the toxic influence of pride, hypocrisy, or worldly power can affect a heart or community.
The disciples were firsthand witnesses to countless miracles, and they had JUST picked up seven baskets of leftovers from yet another event where Jesus used a few loaves and fishes to feed thousands. How did they still not get it?
It’s easy to shake our heads at them, but the truth is I’m not so different. I would like to think if I saw the multitudes fed, not once but twice, I wouldn’t be overly concerned about whether I remembered to pack a lunch. And yet, time and time again, I am worse than the unseeing disciples. I question God’s provision even when he has been faithful thus far. I ignore His warnings meant to protect me. And more often than I care to admit,
I’m quick to forget how well He has taken care of me and how He never forgets me or leaves me to my own devices.
The disciples’ lack of understanding is kind of a comfort because it reminds me that if the ones closest to Jesus missed the mark, I will, too. And still, God picks me up, reminds me of the truth, and whispers that I’m His—chosen, loved, and adopted through the blood of Christ.