Lesson 94

LESSON 94 MARK 8:13-21

13And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side. 14Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. 15And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. 16And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.

17And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? 18Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? 19When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. 20And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.

21And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

Matt 16:11-12 11How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? 12Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

1. What was one of the disciples' responsibilities?

2. How much food did they have with them?

3. What is leaven?

4. What did the leaven represent in this passage?

5. What was Jesus doing in saying this to His disciples?

6. We have looked at verses about the Pharisees and Sadducees in earlier lessons. To review, find these verses and note what each tells you about these groups.

Pharisees… Matt 23:1-36, Matt 6: 1-2,5, 7, 16, Matt 15:1-9, Matt 9:11-13, Acts15:5

Sadducees...Matt 22:23-33, Acts 4:1-3, Acts 5:17-18, Acts 23:8,

7. Are there religious people like the Pharisees today, who emphasize external practices, "do's and don't's," teaching rules and laws, but who don't love the Lord or have a true relationship with Him? What makes you different from the Pharisees and Sadducees?

8. Why does Jesus remind the disciples of the miracle of the 5000? What strategy should we get from this?

9. Look at the description of the disciples in vs 17-18. Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? 18Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? 19When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. 20And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.

21And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

Jesus seems astounded that the disciples are still not putting things together. If He had feed 5000 men, why didn't they understand He could provide for 12? What makes them and us have hardened hearts?

10. Keeping our hearts tender toward the Lord is very important. This passage shows what are affected by our hearts?

Answers

1. To have food for their travels.

2. One loaf

3. It is yeast, which is a substance used in baking bread. Yeast or leaven spreads quickly through the flour mixture and causes the bread to rise and increase in size, doubling or tripling the loaf.

4. Mt 16:12 the doctrine (teachings) of the Pharisees, Herod and Sadducees

5. Jesus was warning the disciples to beware of what those groups taught and not accept their wrong teachings and practices.

8. Their worries about a lack of bread made no sense when they had just seen bread multiplied and 5000 fed. When you find yourself worrying, remember what the Lord has done in the past and believe He will continue to provide for His children. The Syrophenician woman knew that (Mk 7:27-28), but the disciples hadn't learned the lesson.

9. Not remembering what God has done for us in the past, not trusting the Lord today when He has shown us in the past that He takes care of us. . . not believing the true character of the Lord and His goodness. Someone once said, "If you truly believe these three words, "God loves me," you'll never doubt Him again. Say them over and over, emphasizing a different word each time. Meditate on each of the three words as to what it means, what it encompasses, etc.

10. Perception--seeing things from heaven's viewpoint; understanding--knowing why certain things have happened the way they have; spiritual vision and spiritual hearing.

Ask the Lord to increase your spiritual eyesight and hearing. Meditate on what He has done for you in the past and have a grateful heart for all that He has done. Ask Him to help you increase your understanding of all that you have seen and heard from heaven. Ask Him to make you more like Jesus.