Mark 8:11-21

Be Still: Lord, quiet the noise within me that I may hear your voice. Amen

Read: Mark 8:11-21 

'Be careful,' Jesus warned them. 'Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.' (v 15)

Encounter: A bakery has opened seconds from my house. I call it the magic bread shop because of its indescribably delicious produce. At least two mornings a week, I get my hands on a loaf. When we run low, I'm unsettled. If we run out when the shop is closed, I feel deep grief. OK I’m being dramatic, but when I read today’s passage, I empathise with the disciples. 

They clamber out of the boat after long days of ministry, only to realise they haven’t brought enough bread with them. I can imagine the murmuring: Whose fault was it? What are we going to do? 

Jesus cuts across their conversation with a warning: 'Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees.'  With empty stomachs and bread on the brain, they assume he’s still talking about lunch. But they're wrong!

The Pharisees’ issue wasn’t a forgotten loaf – it was hardened hearts. They'd come to test Jesus. demanding a sign from heaven to prove his divinity, ignoring the miracles he'd already performed. They refused to believe that Jesus was Messiah. Instead, they stir up dissension – a yeast of unbelief that would eventually rise into the crowd calling for crucifixion.

Knowing his disciples' confusion, Jesus questions them: 'How many loaves did you have when I fed the 5,000? Five. How many when I fed the 4,000? Seven. Do you still not understand?'

His point? Don’t worry about bread - I can more than provide. Guard your faith, and I’ll take care of the body. Or, as he said in the Sermon on the Mount: 'Seek first the kingdom of God… and all these things will be added to you.'

Application: The Lord reminds you: I am well able to provide. Your job isn’t to carry the load, but to seek his kingdom. Nurture your soul and trust him to take care of everything else.

Devote: Holy Spirit, show me where I’m wrongly focused. Help me let go of concerns you’ve promised to look after. Lead me into all that you have for me.