Mark 8:14-16

Passage

As Jesus leaves the Pharisees, the disciples realize that they didn’t bring much bread with them – only a single loaf.  Jesus, coming off of the interaction with the Pharisees, warns the disciples about the Pharisees and Herod.  He wants His disciples to be wary of the influence of them.  The disciples hear the reference to yeast and begin to talk about how they don’t have any bread.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The disciples bring no bread?  Really?  Are they serious?  Have they learned nothing about going off into the wilderness without bringing food? 

In all seriousness, there is a fairly strong point to be made here.  Notice that the disciples get into a boat with Jesus and immediately start to focus once more on the physical world.  They have the Son of God, who has just gone a round or two with the Pharisees, and they are concerned about their stomachs!

Why do we have a tendency to focus on the physical needs?  Even in spiritual moments, why is it easier to focus on the physical world than it is to stay focused on our spirituality?

Second Thought:

Jesus tries to bring them back into a spiritual and discipleship mindset.  He tells them to be wary of the Pharisees and Herod.  He doesn’t want His disciples to be caught off guard by the misplaced focus of the Pharisees.  He doesn’t want them focusing on the wrong things and missing what God is doing in their midst.

What are some of the things that you can get focused on that take you away from spirituality?  Who are the people and what are the practices that can help keep you rooted in your spirituality?

Third Thought:

The disciples miss the boat.  Well, not literally.  They’re on the boat with Jesus.  But they completely miss Jesus’ point.  Because they were talking about bread and Jesus speaks about leaven (yeast), the disciples assume that Jesus must be upset with them for not bringing any bread.  Jesus gives an invitation for them to engage in a spiritual conversation; the disciples don’t pick up on the opportunity to have a deep moment with their mentor.

How many times have you missed an opportunity to be spiritual?  Why do we miss opportunities to be spiritual?  How many times do we misconstrue spiritual things people say to us?  Why are we not prepared to hear what they are really saying?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 8:17-21