Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod

Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."

And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread." But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?" They said to Him, "Twelve." "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?" And they said, "Seven." So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"

Then He came to Bethsaida: and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking." Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."

- Mark 8:11-26

Yesterday, we read of yet another feeding miracle (the previous one was when Jesus fed five thousand men in the wilderness). Yesterday, we read of Jesus' feeding of four thousand people. The people had followed Him for three days, and He didn't want to send them away. Some, He said, had come from far away to see and hear Him and they would faint from hunger on their way home. The disciples asked, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"

Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation." Clearly, Jesus' reputation is growing. So much so, that the Pharisees are concerned they might truly be missing something. So they demand a sign. Jesus, in the course of His ministry, has already performed many signs of the presence of God. But He has not declared Himself openly; some of these signs He's forbidden others to speak about - especially the spectacular healings like that of Jairus' daughter, or the healing of the deaf man with the speech impediment in the reading from a few days ago. We've read recently that He fed five thousand men in the wilderness, and then again - from a few loaves and fishes - four thousand in yesterday's reading. Still, they want a sign. He has to prove it to them - meet their conditions for acceptance. But that's not the kind of faith that Jesus wants at all. Nor, apparently, is it condoned by the Father. Jesus' words are unequivocal - "Assuredly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."

My study bible says, "A sign from heaven is an indisputable, spectacular act, the kind Jesus rejected in His temptations. Jesus has given countless signs by this time: causing the blind to see, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, and the dead to rise. But these are not good enough for the Pharisees. Jesus sighed deeply, for they seek a sign out of hardness of heart, daring Jesus to force them to faith." That's about the gist of it: they dare Him to force them to faith. But this is not the way the God of love works - God does not compel anyone to love Him. And what He wants is a relationship of love.

And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread." This is one of my favorite passages in all of the Bible. It makes me laugh. It teaches us so much about ourselves, about where the apostles and disciples are, and about love and faith. The Pharisees demand a sign, but in the meantime, Jesus' chosen disciples still don't get it either! They don't understand what He is talking about. They think He's upset with them because they didn't bring bread -- despite the fact that alone in the wilderness with thousands without food (even enough for the apostles), He's fed them all on two occasions! This is a parable, and they fail to grasp a thing He's teaching them.

My study bible says, "Leaven is frequently (but not always) a negative image in Scripture, symbolizing evil. Here it represents the erroneous understanding and evil intent of the Pharisees and Herod Antipas. Though they completely misunderstand the revelation of God in Christ, the Pharisees influence the people. Their teaching is like leaven; it permeates the whole. Their blatant legalism and hypocritical actions damage those who listen to them." I would add that their demands for proof become a way of holding themselves aloof from God and from spiritual sight and hearing, making themselves irresponsible for their own perceptions. This is far away from Jesus' desire for His own, who must come to Him through love and recognition, an inner pull of the heart, and even a revelation inside them from the Father. To have such a disciple is to elevate human beings from the slavish stature the Pharisees are demanding through their understanding (and use) of coercive power, to an independent, uniquely intelligent creature of free will and freedom, who can come to God through spiritual perception of his or her own - and growth by God's grace. It is an entirely different relationship, and a different standing of the creature, of men, in relationship to Creator.

But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?" They said to Him, "Twelve." "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?" And they said, "Seven." So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?" My study bible has a note here which reads, "Jesus is concerned about His disciples. Men who do not yet understand the Lord's provision for them in the feeding of the five thousand and the four thousand are men whose hearts are still hardened. Discipleship without an understanding of Christ is unthinkable." Just as He doesn't want anything to do with the Pharisees' and Herod's demands for proof, so He also doesn't want disciples who follow Him blindly, without real understanding. He is looking for those who will perceive with the heart, the seat (traditionally understood) of spiritual understanding, of spiritual sight and hearing. "Hardness of heart" means one cannot comprehend the things that are of a true spiritual nature, and hence, of love and all the qualities that go with it.

Then He came to Bethsaida: and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. In this following story, we are given a complete metaphor of Jesus' preaching and healing career. The blind man wishes to see -- he is brought by his friends. He wishes for Jesus' touch; that is communion, relationship of love and compassion. Bethsaida is one of the towns where there was no repentance, despite His great works done there, and Jesus' rebuke is given to us in Matthew's and Luke's Gospels. Perhaps this is why the man is led out of town; at any rate, it teaches us once again that He will not compel anyone to faith through "proofs" demanded by hypocrites.

And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking." Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Through Jesus' touch, even His spittle, sight is gradually restored, in stages. This is the perfect metaphor for the disciples of Christ - and for all disciples throughout the centuries - who come to know Christ gradually, as faith develops and blossoms, and we see the more clearly where we are in relationship to Him.

Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town." In Bethsaida, He will let no one know of this "proof" of His messianic status. Those who demand proofs do not have the faith He desires; instead He wants those who truly will see. In a commentary on this passage, C. I. Scofield writes, "The probation of Bethsaida as a community was ended, but He would still show mercy to individuals. 'Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me' (Rev. 3:20)." To make the blind see is a clear attribute of the Messiah, as prophesied. My study bible says, "Jesus leads the man out of the town, to a private place once again, for another special healing [as was the case with Jairus' daughter, for example]. This man is healed in stages, just as our ability to know God grows gradually. Again, He wishes His messianic secret not to be revealed."

So it is still a question of faith, here in Mark's Gospel. There are those who demand proofs and signs in a hypocritical fashion -- they wish to be compelled to faith just as they do not wish to invest any of their worldly power in a new status that would shake up the order in which they take power already. There are those towns in which great signs have already been performed, yet there isn't real repentance, or change of mind. And then there are the disciples, the band of men who follow Him, through whom great things have already happened -- such as the first apostolic missions with their successful healings and exorcisms, and the feeding of two groups of people in the wilderness - one of five thousand and the other of four thousand. Peter, James and John have witnessed the raising of Jairus' daughter. But they still don't understand Jesus when He speaks to them of "the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod." They still think He was upset because they didn't bring bread! The blind man teaches us, just as he must have been a catalyst for understanding all those centuries ago. Our faith comes in stages; we are blind, but gradually, through grace, we can come to see. It is the perfect picture of each of us as individuals, and how we come to Christ. It doesn't matter that the great public of his town has rejected this ministry, we can all come to Christ as individuals that we are, and ask for His healing and blessing, and to be led, to be able to see. Scofield quite profoundly and rightly quotes one of my favorite passages in all of Scripture, that so rightly teaches us our relationship: "Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Rev. 3:20). It doesn't matter where we are, nor who we are, we are all free to come as we are. And that is the great crux of faith - it rests neither on group nor membership nor any other qualification but that we come through love. And, we are reminded, that our friends can bring us there too, so that we stand in the place where healing can come. So then, let us think about friends and community. Who are our true friends, and where do we find community? It all starts with the heart and the relationship we find there - the same place in which we truly see and hear the One who is love itself, and find our faith.