On Colorado’s Long Peak lie the remains of a giant 400-year-old tree. Age, storms, and avalanches couldn’t bring it down. What did? A tiny beetle you could crush under your foot. It ate right through the bark and devoured its heart.
Be careful of little things.
• Little attitudes; but if you practice them often enough, they become a part of you.
• Little indulgences; but if you give place to them long enough, they desensitize you to sin.
• Little wrong thoughts; but if you keep dwelling on them, they soon convince you it’s true.
Paul says in 1 Cor 5:6 “Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?”
• Jesus’ warning here: “Be careful, watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”
It started off when the disciples talked about not having enough food.
• There was only one small loaf in the boat and more than a dozen people onboard.
• The bible says they have forgotten – maybe one of the disciples has forgotten to stock up.
• It looked like any other ordinary event. People forget things. But to Jesus, it wasn’t.
Jesus saw a potential danger and gave the warning.
• It wasn’t about a lack of food – it was the way they think.
• Just before this Jesus did a miracle - miraculous feeding of a large crowd of 4000 people – and the disciples gathered up 7 baskets full of leftover bread.
• This was the 2nd time that Jesus did a miracle to feed large crowd – the first one was more than 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 fishes. They had 12 baskets of left over then.
• This time around, they had 7 baskets! Where did they go to? We do not know. The text was silent about it.
But critical in this story is this: Very soon after they collected so much, the disciples find themselves out of food and they were talking about the need!
• The past experiences with Jesus did not really change their perspectives of things.
• Jesus needed to remind them of His miracles of feeding the crowds.
• Have they forgotten? No! It wasn’t the problem of a loss of memory; it has to do with, according to Jesus, the “yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod”.
Yeast, or leaven, is a powerful fungus that can cause a lump of dough to rise into bread
• A very small amount and it can cause a huge change. The word is being used in the Bible to describe corruption or evil.
• It was not just yeast but the yeast of the Pharisees – Jesus was referring to the corrupting influence of the Pharisees.
• What kind of influence? Of unbelief.
The disciples did not suffer a loss of memory and couldn’t recall the miracles of feeding the crowds.
• They know but couldn’t understand. They have eyes but cannot see; ears and cannot hear.
• Despite what they have gone through, they were worried about not having enough bread.
That’s why Jesus responded: “Why are you talking about bread?”
• The problem wasn’t with the bread. It was their unbelieving mindset.
• They are acting and thinking like the Pharisees.
• Jesus warned them to be careful, not to let the ways and attitudes of the Pharisees corrupt their hearts and minds.
Look at verse 11 - the Pharisees had demanded that Jesus perform a miraculous “sign from heaven.”
8:11-13 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 miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it." 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.
• The Pharisees had been following Him and saw all the miracles, yet they refused to believe.
• It was not a desire to know more about Jesus – I think Mark puts it straight to us that they were out to test Him (v.11). It was the attitude of unbelief.
The truth is - no matter what Jesus did, it would never be enough to convince them He was the Christ.
• They would always find a way to impeach His credibility.
• When He cast out demons, they said it was by the devil’s power that He did it.
• When he healed people in the Temple, the Pharisees complained he had broken the Sabbath.
• And so it didn’t matter what Jesus has done. To them He was a lawbreaker and a lawbreaker could never be the Messiah
Jesus was disappointed that the religious leaders – who should know better – were so hardhearted and spiritually blind.
• Their desire for a sign from heaven despite the many miracles they’ve seen – showed the great unbelief in their hearts.
• For faith does not ask for signs. It only shows that they refuse to put their trust in Jesus.
• The ordinary folks showed greater faith – Mark 7:37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."
Did the disciples showed a similar attitude? Yes! And that calls for the warning from Jesus.
• They have just seen Jesus fed 4000 with 7 baskets left over. And this wasn’t the first time! Before that there was another crowd of 5000 and Jesus multiplied loaves and fish to feed them with 12 baskets left over!
• The disciples had seen it all and now they were talking about not having enough food.
Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod - beware of the little things – the unbelieving, doubting, worldly thoughts of man.
• Don’t be influenced by these unbelieving ways and attitudes.
• Don’t be infected with unbelief - a choosing to believe everything only in the natural.
And we write off what God can do in our lives.
17b-19: 17…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?"
• In order words, don’t lose our senses! We need to see, feel, hear… spiritually.
• Don’t lose your spiritual sense! Have you seen His work lately? Did you just hear what He said?
Like yeast in dough, a lack of faith can permeate one’s life until it breaks out in open rebellion against God.
• No wonder the Lord was so displeased with the disciples’ lack of perception (8:17-18).
• They missed it the first time - they failed to understand the significance of a feeding of 5000 the first time around (6:52); now they were missing it a second time!
Jesus had grave concern about the condition of His followers’ faith. He is concerned with yours too.
Don’t let the yeast of unbelief gain a foothold, and break down our trust in God.
STORY OF MARK TWAIN - Clarence Macartney wrote about the unbelief of Mark Twain.
Mark Twain (1835-1910) was one of our best-known American authors and humorists. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He is best known for his novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Mark Twain married Oliva Langdon. She was a simple and devout Christian, but he was not a believer. For a while after they were married, they had prayer at meals and read the Bible each day. But this was soon given up. According to a conversation she had with her sister, Oliva said she had given up some of her religious beliefs. Her faith was shaken by people, places, and philosophies to which she was exposed as she traveled the world with her husband.
Oliva’s pet name for her husband was, "Youth." Their only son, Langdon, died in infancy and two of their three daughters - Susy and Jean - died as young women. During one of those sad times in their lives -it could have been after the death of one of their children - Twain said to Livy, "If it comforts you to lean on the Christian faith, do so."
"But I can’t, Yuth; I haven’t any," she sadly replied.
Twain felt responsible for causing Livy to lose her faith and the thought came back to haunt him many times after her death in 1904.
Mark Twain loved Livy devotedly, but apparently his unbelieving attitude had an effect on her that even he didn’t want.
Clarence Macartney, Macartney’s Illustrations, (New York and Nashville: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1945) 225
We have seen many couples going through similar struggles, when one party does know Christ.
• They were once faithful church-goers, but when they came to know their spouse or a close friend who wasn’t, they drifted away.
• It’s easier to pull someone down, then up. That’s why Jesus has to say, “Be careful…”
Has God given us, in our own life, sufficient evidences? Or are you still struggle to believe Him?
Are you looking for signs, and more signs, so that you can trust Him?
• The day would not come. It has to do with the condition of the heart, not signs.
• It has to do with faith, not sight. If you base on sight alone, you’ll be a very weak Christian.
John 20:30-31 30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.
Have our hearts been hardened, or softened over the years?
We can be truly prosperous Christians, if we decide to put our trust in Jesus. Take His Word for it!
POVERTY BECAUSE OF UNBELIEF
On the corner of Park Row and Beekman Street, New York City, where Horace Greeley’s Statue now stands, stood a man offering $20 gold pieces for $1 each. All day he kept up loudly announcing his wares, but of the thousands that passed him, most paid no attention and others either laughed or scowled at him.
About 15 minutes before six o’clock, when he was about to quit, a woman timidly approached him and, after carefully investigating the gold piece, by biting it and testing its sound, but throwing it on the pavement, she reluctantly paid the dollar and pocketed the golden double eagle. Ten minutes later, just as the man was about to go home, the woman reappeared accompanied by two friends and between them they purchased the rest of the man’s stock, worth $160, for $8 in bills.
The next and for several following mornings, the street was crowded for blocks with the same woman in the lead waiting for the vender of gold coins, but he never appeared again.
This story is known to be true and Horace Greeley is responsible for the incident in demonstration of his theory that most poverty is due to the fact that the general public refuses to believe even in the face of overwhelming evidence and there is the point.
1. Build Your Faith upon His Word, Not Signs
• Don’t go around looking for signs. That’s not faith. That’s unbelief.
• Live by faith in His Word
2. Take More Notice of What God Is Doing, Not What the Devil is Doing
• Satan has not been removed. We may see some of his works. It should not bother us because our victory is certain and sure.
• Why focus on his works? Look at what God is doing. Rejoice at what God is doing.
