Mark tells us in verse 11 that the Pharisees
approached Jesus and argued with Him. They came seeking a sign from Him. The
Lord refused to pander to their demands. It’s a case of the hardness of heart.
They were the perfect illustration of the saying that “None is so blind, as one
who refuses to see.” So the Lord forthrightly told them that no sign will be given
to this generation. With that, the Lord and His disciples departed from there.
As they were traveling in the boat, He began
to warn them about the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. He was warning about
the negative influence emanating from these two sects. There
seems to be a disconnection between the one loaf of bread they brought along
with them and the warning Jesus was giving. But this tells us very obviously
that they had already forgotten about what the Lord had done with the seven
loaves and few fish. So as the Lord referred to leaven, they associated it as a
rebuke from Him that they did not bring enough bread with them. So they discussed
with each other saying “…we have no bread.” They were dull and confused and had
completely misunderstood what the Lord was saying.
Here the Lord was warning them about being spiritually
insensitive to God despite His many obvious signs. He wanted them to see that the
spiritual dullness of the Pharisees made them unperceptive to the truth. The
incarnate Son of God was clearly among them, doing all the wonderful signs and teaching
all the wonderful truths, yet they could ask for another sign. How did they get
to that condition, if not for the hardness of their heart?
The Lord expected the Pharisees to be
spiritually insensitive but not the Twelve whom He had spent so much time with.
They saw Him close-up yet they fail to connect between what He did and with Who
He is. The Lord also wanted His disciples to see what could produce spiritual
insensitivity. He was aware that they had completely misunderstood Him by
referring to the one loaf of bread they had brought. So He asked them a series
of perceptive questions to help them see. In these series of
questions we find God’s answer to our own spiritual insensitivity.
Firstly, we need to use our mind to “…see and
understand.” We need to come to the Word of God with an open mind and reflect on
the truth. Secondly, we need to engage our heart. “Are your hearts hardened?”
Not only do we need to reflect with our mind, we have to believe with our
heart. Truth should bring us to the next level, a believing heart. Not
responding to the truth would harden our heart. Thirdly, we need to be
perceptive by learning to see beyond the physical, hearing beyond just the word,
and making sense of what God is truly saying to us. Fourthly, we need to recall
what the Lord had done. Here the Lord told them to recall what had happened at
the two incidents where the bread and fish were multiplied. They were told to
recall how with Him a little fed the multitude and still have much left
over. We too need to recall all the things that He had brought us through to
where we are today, and to remain joyful and vibrant in our faith. Simply put, to
overcome spiritual dullness and insensitivity, let’s engage our mind, meditate
with our heart, perceive with our spirit and frequently recall the blessings we
have received from God, and give thanks and live gratefully!
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