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Commentary on Mark 8 verses 10–21
Still Christ is upon motion; now he visits the parts of Dalmanutha, that no corner of the land of Israel might say that they had not had his presence with them. He came thither by ship (Mar 8:10); but, meeting with occasions of dispute there, and not with opportunities of doing good, he entered into the ship again (Mar 8:13), and came back. In these verses, we are told,
I. How he refused to gratify the Pharisees, who challenged him to give them a sign from heaven. They came forth on purpose to question with him; not to propose questions to him, that they might learn of him, but to cross question with him, that they might ensnare him.
1.They demanded of him a sign from heaven, as if the signs he gave them on earth, which were more familiar to them, and were more capable of being examined and enquired into, were not sufficient. There was a sign from heaven at his baptism, in the descent of the dove, and the voice (Mat 3:16, Mat 3:17); it was public enough; and if they had attended John's baptism as they ought to have done, they might themselves have seen it. Afterward, when he was nailed to the cross, they prescribed a new sign; Let him come down from the cross, and we will believe him; thus obstinate infidelity will still have something to say, though ever so unreasonable. They demanded this sign, tempting him; not in hopes that he would give it them, that they might be satisfied, but in hopes that he would not, that they might imagine themselves to have a pretence for their infidelity.
2.He denied them their demand; He sighed deeply in his spirit, Mar 8:12. He groaned (so some), being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, and the little influence that his preaching and miracles had had upon them. The infidelity of those that have long enjoyed the means of conviction, is a great grief to the Lord Jesus; it troubles him, that sinners should thus stand in their own light, and put a bar in their own door. (1.) He expostulates with them upon this demand; "Why doth this generation seek after a sign; this generation, that is so unworthy to have the gospel brought to it, and to have any sign accompanying it; this generation, that so greedily swallows the traditions of the elders, without the confirmation of any sign at all; this generation, into which, by the calculating of the times prefixed in the Old Testament, they might easily perceive that the coming of the Messiah must fall; this generation, that has had such plenty of sensible and merciful signs given them in the cure of their sick? What an absurdity is it for them to desire a sign!" (2.) He refuses to answer their demand; Verily, I say unto you, there shall no sign, no such sign, be given to this generation. When God spoke to particular persons in a particular case, out of the road of his common dispensation, they were encouraged to ask a sign, as Gideon and Ahaz; but when he speaks in general to all, as in the law and the gospel, sending each with their own evidence, it is presumption to prescribe other signs than what he has given. Shall any teach God knowledge? He denied them, and then left them, as men not fit to be talked with; if they will not be convinced, they shall not; leave them to their strong delusions.
II. How he warned his disciples against the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod. Observe here,
1.What the caution was (Mar 8:15); "Take heed, beware, lest ye partake of the leaven of the Pharisees, lest ye embrace the tradition of the elders, which they are so wedded to, lest ye be proud, and hypocritical, and ceremonious, like them." Matthew adds, and of the Sadducees; Mark adds, and of Herod: whence some gather, that Herod, and his courtiers were generally Sadducees, that is, deists, men of no religion. Others give this sense, The Pharisees demanded a sign from heaven; and Herod was long desirous to see some miracle wrought by Christ (Luk 23:8); such as he should prescribe, so that the leaven of both was the same; they were unsatisfied with the signs they had, and would have others of their own devising; "Take heed of this leaven" (saith Christ), "be convinced by the miracles ye have seen, and covet not to see more."
2.How they misunderstood this caution. It seems, at their putting to sea this time, they had forgotten to take bread, and had not in their ship more than one loaf, Mar 8:14. When therefore Christ bid them beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, they understood it as an intimation to them, not to apply themselves to any of the Pharisees for relief, when they came to the other side, for they had lately been offended at them for eating with unwashen hands. They reasoned among themselves, what should be the meaning of this caution, and concluded, "It is because we have no bread; he saith this, to reproach us for being so careless as to go to sea, and go among strangers, with but one loaf of bread; he doth, in effect, tell us, we must be brought to short allowance, and must eat our bread by weight." They reasoned it - dielogizonto, they disputed about it; one said, "It was owing to you;" and the other said, "It was owing to you, that we are so ill provided for this voyage." Thus distrust of God makes Christ's disciples quarrel among themselves.
3.The reproof Christ gave them for their uneasiness in this matter, as it argued a disbelief of his power to supply them, notwithstanding the abundant experience they had had of it. The reproof is given with some warmth, for he knew their hearts, and knew they needed to be thus soundly chidden; "Perceive ye not yet, neither understand, that which you have had so many demonstrations of? Have ye your hearts yet hardened, so as that nothing will make any impression upon them, or bring them to compliance with your Master's designs? Having eyes, see ye not that which is plain before your eyes? Having ears, hear ye not that which you have been so often told? How strangely stupid and senseless are ye! Do ye not remember that which was done but the other day, when I broke the five loaves among the five thousand, and soon after, the seven loaves among the four thousand? Do ye not remember how many baskets full ye took up of the fragments?" Yes, they did remember, and could tell that they took up twelve baskets full one time, and seven another; "Why then," said he, "how is it that ye do not understand? As if he that multiplied five loaves, and seven, could not multiply one." They seemed to suspect that the one was not matter enough to work upon, if he should have a mind to entertain his hearers a third time: and if that was their thought, it was indeed a very senseless one, as if it were not all alike to the Lord, to save by many or few, and as easy to make one loaf to feed five thousand as five. It was therefore proper to remind them, not only of the sufficiency, but of the overplus, of the former meals; and justly were they chidden for not understanding what Christ therein designed, and what they from thence might have learned. Note, (1.) The experiences we have had of God's goodness to us in the way of duty, greatly aggravate our distrust of him, which is therefore very provoking to the Lord Jesus. (2.) Our not understanding of the true intent and meaning of God's favours to us, is equivalent to our not remembering of them. (3.) We are therefore overwhelmed with present cares and distrusts, because we do not understand, and remember, what we have known and seen of the power and goodness of our Lord Jesus. It would be a great support to us, to consider the days of old, and we are wanting both to God and ourselves if we do not. (4.) When we thus forgot the works of God, and distrust him, we should chide ourselves severely for it, as Christ doth his disciples here; "Am I thus without understanding? How is it that my heart is thus hardened?"
(Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) Matthew says, of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees; Luke, however, of the Pharisees only. All three, therefore, name the Pharisees, as being the most important of them, but Matthew and Mark have each mentioned one of the secondary sects; and fitly has Mark added of Herod, as a supplement to Matthew's narrative, in which they were left out. But in saying this, He by degrees brings the disciples to understanding and faith.
(in Marc. 2, 33) The Pharisees, then, seek a sign from heaven, that He, Who had for the second time fed many thousands of men with a few loaves of bread, should now, after the example of Moses, refresh the whole nation in the last time with manna sent down from heaven, and dispersed amongst them all.
(ubi sup.) When, as related above, He was about to refresh the believing multitude, He gave thanks, so now, on account of the foolish petition of the Pharisees, He groans; because, bearing about with Him the feelings of human nature, as He rejoices over the salvation of men, so He grieves over their errors. Wherefore it goes on, And he groaned in spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say unto you, If a sign shall be given to this generation. That is, no sign shall be given; as it is written in the Psalms, (Ps. 89:36) I have sworn once by my holiness, if I shall fail David, that is, I will not fail David.
(ubi sup.) For a sign from heaven was not to be given to a generation of men, who tempted the Lord; but to a generation of men seeking the Lord, He shows a sign from heaven, when in the sight of the Apostles He ascended into heaven. It goes on, And he left them, and entering into a ship again, he departed to the other side.
(ubi sup.) Some may ask, how they had no bread, when they had filled seven baskets just before they embarked in the ship. But Scripture relates that they had forgotten to take them with them, which is a proof how little care they had for the flesh in other things, since in their eagerness to follow the Lord, even the necessity of refreshing their bodies had escaped from their mind.
(ubi sup.) Or, the leaven of the Pharisees is making the decrees of the divine law inferior to the traditions of men, preaching the law in word, attacking it in deed, tempting the Lord, and disbelieving His doctrine and His works; but the leaven of Herod is adultery, murder, rash swearing, a pretence of religion, hatred to Christ and His forerunner.
(ubi sup.) Taking occasion then from the precept, which He had commanded, saying, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herod, our Saviour teaches them what was the meaning of the five and the seven loaves, concerning which He adds, And do ye not remember, when I brake the five loaves amongst five thousand, and how many baskets full of fragments ye took up? For if the leaven mentioned above means perverse traditions, of course the food, with which the people of God was nourished, means the true doctrine.
And they reasoned among themselves, saying: We have no bread. Which knowing, Jesus said to them: Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see, and having ears, do you not hear, nor remember when I broke the five loaves among five thousand, and how many baskets full of fragments you took up? etc. Because of the command which the Savior had given, saying: Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod, he teaches them what the five loaves and the seven, or the small fish, mean, and the five thousand men and the four thousand who were fed in the wilderness. Though the greatness of the signs is clear, yet something else is shown by spiritual understanding. For if the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees and the leaven of Herod signify not physical bread but perverse traditions and heretical doctrines, why should not the food with which the people of God were fed signify true and complete doctrine? This kind of leaven, which must be avoided by all means, Marcion and Valentinus and all heretics have had. Leaven has this power, that if it be mixed with flour, what seemed small grows larger and attracts the whole mixture to its taste. Likewise, heretical doctrine, if it casts even a small spark into your heart, in a short time will grow into a huge flame and draw the whole possession of a man to itself. This is what the Apostle also speaks of: A little leaven corrupts the whole mass (Gal. V).
After that our Lord had worked the miracle of the loaves, He immediately retires into another spot, lest on account of the miracle, the multitudes should take Him to make Him a king; wherefore it is said, And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.
Or they seek for a sign from heaven, that is, they wish Him to make the sun and moon stand still, to bring down hail, and change the atmosphere; for they thought that He could not perform miracles from heaven, but could only in Beelzebub perform a sign on earth.
Now the reason why the Lord did not listen to them was, that the time of signs from heaven had not arrived, that is, the time of the second Advent, when the powers of the heaven shall be shaken, and the moon shall not give her light. But in the time of the first Advent, all things are full of mercy, and such things do not take place.
The Lord indeed quits the Pharisees, as men uncorrected; for where there is a hope of correction, there it is right to remain; but where the evil is incorrigible, we should go away. There follows: Now they had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.
By a special providence1 also the disciples forgot to take bread, that they might be blamed by Christ, and thus become better, and arrive at a knowledge of Christ's power. For it goes on, And he charged them, saying, Take heed, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herod.
He means by leaven their hurtful and corrupt doctrine, full of the old malice, for the Herodians were the teachers, who said that Herod was the Christ.
But the disciples themselves thought that the Lord spoke of the leaven of bread. Wherefore it goes on, And they reasoned amongst themselves, saying, it is because we have no bread; and this they said, as not understanding the power of Christ, who could make bread out of nothing; wherefore the Lord reproves them; for there follows, And when Jesus knew it, he said unto them, Why reason ye because ye have no bread?
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SUMMARY
Mark 8:16 captures the disciples' profound spiritual dullness and misplaced concern following Jesus' warning about the "leaven of the Pharisees and Herod." Instead of grasping the spiritual implications of Jesus' caution against corrupting doctrines and worldly ambition, they fixate on their forgotten physical bread, revealing a startling lack of understanding and faith despite having just witnessed two miraculous feedings of thousands. This moment underscores their persistent struggle to move beyond a literal interpretation of Jesus' words and to perceive His divine power and spiritual truths.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Mark 8:16 is rich in Irony. The disciples, having just witnessed Jesus supernaturally feed thousands with meager provisions on two separate occasions, are now consumed with anxiety over their lack of physical bread. This dramatic irony highlights their spiritual blindness and the vast gap between their understanding and Jesus' divine power and purpose. The "leaven" itself functions as Symbolism, representing the pervasive, corrupting influences of the Pharisees' legalism and hypocrisy, and Herod's worldly ambition and moral decay. The disciples' literal interpretation of "bread" versus Jesus' metaphorical use of "leaven" also showcases a form of Misdirection or Misunderstanding, common in the Gospels where Jesus' parables and warnings are often initially misinterpreted by His audience. This passage also serves as Foreshadowing, hinting at the disciples' ongoing struggles with spiritual comprehension throughout Jesus' ministry, which will only be fully overcome after His resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Mark 8:16 serves as a poignant illustration of the human tendency to prioritize the tangible over the spiritual, often missing profound divine truths due to worldly preoccupations. The disciples' inability to grasp Jesus' warning about the "leaven" demonstrates a fundamental lack of spiritual discernment, a condition that plagues humanity and hinders a deeper relationship with God. Their anxiety over physical bread, despite witnessing Jesus' miraculous provision, underscores a recurring biblical theme: the challenge of trusting God's faithfulness in the face of perceived lack. This passage calls believers to move beyond superficial interpretations of God's Word and to seek the deeper spiritual realities, recognizing that true sustenance comes not merely from physical bread but from every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. It also warns against the subtle, pervasive influences of false doctrine and worldly values that can corrupt faith, reminding us that spiritual vigilance is paramount.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The disciples' bewildered reasoning in Mark 8:16 offers a profound mirror for our own spiritual lives. How often do we, like them, become preoccupied with our immediate physical needs or perceived lacks, missing the deeper spiritual truths God is trying to convey? This verse challenges us to cultivate spiritual discernment, to look beyond the surface, and to ask ourselves if our anxieties are blinding us to God's past faithfulness and present provision. It reminds us that true security and understanding come not from what we possess or lack physically, but from our spiritual perception and trust in the One who is able to provide abundantly beyond our imagination. We are called to guard our hearts and minds against the "leaven" of our age—whether it be the subtle pull of materialism, the deceptive allure of worldly ideologies, or the corrosive nature of spiritual apathy—that can subtly corrupt our faith and dull our spiritual senses.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "leaven" symbolize in this context, and why did the disciples misunderstand it?
Answer: In this context, "leaven" (Greek: zymē) symbolizes a pervasive and corrupting influence. Jesus specifically warns against the "leaven of the Pharisees" and the "leaven of Herod." The "leaven of the Pharisees" refers to their hypocrisy, legalism, self-righteousness, and false teachings that emphasize external observance over genuine heart transformation (Luke 12:1). The "leaven of Herod" represents the worldly ambition, political maneuvering, moral corruption, and materialism associated with the Herodian dynasty. The disciples misunderstood Jesus' warning because their minds were still fixed on physical concerns. They had forgotten to bring enough bread for their journey, and their immediate thought was that Jesus' warning was a literal reference to their lack of physical bread, or perhaps a prohibition against buying bread from certain sources. Their spiritual perception was dulled, preventing them from grasping the metaphorical and spiritual nature of Jesus' teaching, despite having just witnessed His miraculous power to provide physical bread in abundance.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Mark 8:16, with the disciples' profound spiritual dullness, serves as a powerful backdrop for understanding the necessity of Christ as the ultimate revealer of truth and the true Bread of Life. The disciples' inability to comprehend Jesus' warning about spiritual "leaven" and their fixation on physical bread highlights humanity's inherent limitation in grasping divine realities without divine illumination. This passage foreshadows the greater truth that Jesus is not merely a provider of physical sustenance, but the very source of spiritual life. He is the "bread of God... which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world" (John 6:33). The disciples' need for Jesus to open their eyes and understanding, as He later did on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:45), underscores that true spiritual insight is a gift from Christ. Their struggle emphasizes that without the Spirit of Christ, human reasoning alone is insufficient to discern the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). Ultimately, this episode points to Jesus as the one who not only provides for our physical needs but also delivers us from the corrupting "leaven" of sin and false teaching, offering Himself as the spiritual nourishment that truly sustains and transforms.