DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE LEAVEN

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THE LEAVEN

"Then He charged them, saying, 'Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.' " (Mark 8:15)

This is a strange saying and worthy of some meditation. What was Jesus saying to His disciples?

Let's go back and get the context. The chapter begins with the feeding of a multitude of people who had come to listen to His teachings. At the end of the day, Jesus recognized that because they had been there three days, that they had run out of food. Rather than send them away hungry, He had compassion and multiplied a few loaves and a few fish to feed about 4,000 people. In fact, there were seven basketsful of leftovers. Now they were in a boat the sea, but had forgotten to bring sufficient bread with them. They had brought only one loaf of bread. Who knows what happened to all the leftovers.

Jesus used this as a teaching point and told them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. What in the world is He talking about? A clue is in verses 11 and 12 where the Pharisees tested Him seeking a sign from heaven. They didn't believe in Him, even after seeing the miracles of the loaves and fish. Jesus said to His disciples, "Don't you remember how I provided in feeding the 4,000 and 5,000?" It is like He was saying, "Why don't you trust me? Are you like the Pharisees who see all the signs and still don't believe in Me?" He had shown that He was able to meet their daily needs, and that they needed to trust Him.

How often are we like that? God has been so good to us and showed His care for us. But in times of stress, we forget how God has met our needs in the past, and we fail to trust Him for the present. This is the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod. Unbelief.

Let's not be like the disciples. Remembering how God has helped us yesterday give us faith for today.

Love, Dad