“Toxic Leaven”
Text: Mark 8: 11-21 Esv
11The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."
13 And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side. 14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, "Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said to him, "Twelve." 20 "And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" And they said to him, "Seven." 21 And he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"†
Message Missed
“Get it? Get it?” When one of my nephews was very small, he entered that age when he first figured out jokes. I was smothered in knock-knock jokes. They were totally nonsensical; he just made up answers, but immediately followed with an enthusiastic “Get it? Get it?” Certainly the point of a good joke is that the hearer get the punchline and have a nice laugh. If you don’t get it, then that’s just awkward for everyone.
Our text is an account of the Disciples not getting it, which was predictably awkward and frustrating for Jesus. Our intention is to understand Jesus—to get it—and to allow our lives to be shaped accordingly.
The story begins in Dalmanutha, which is Magdala, the setting of the raising of Jairus’ daughter. You’ll remember that Magdala was a fishing village of some affluence. The elite of Galilee were surely either residents or regular visitors there. While there, the Pharisees approach Jesus and attempt to test him. In short, they demand a sign from Heaven that he is legitimate. Jesus sighs (he seems to be doing a lot of sighing lately), and tells them no.
Jesus and the Disciples sail across the lake toward Bethsaida in the northeast corner of Galilee. As they are going, the Disciples notice that they forgot to bring bread with them. All they have is one loaf. The way the word “forgot” is used suggests they were expected to shop but simply failed to follow through. Those who dropped the ball are probably hoping no one will notice and avoiding the topic as long as possible.
Jesus says:
“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."
Immediately, one of the Disciples nudges the guy next to him:
“I told you not to forget bread! We’re in for it now; he’s on to us!”
“It’s not my fault—Phillip was supposed to get it!”
“What?” says one of the others, “You forgot to get bread? Really, idiots—and what do you think we’re supposed to eat?”
And yet another: “Oh, this is great! Any of you guys got friends in Bethsaida we can borrow from?”
And so on and so on.
Jesus hears them arguing about bread, and most likely, he sighs deeply again.
“Boys!” says Jesus (I’m paraphrasing here), “What on Earth is wrong with you!? Do I really have to talk to you like kindergartners?”
[Silence.]
“When I broke 5 loaves for 5,000 men, how many baskets of leftovers did we collect?”
[Dejectedly]: “Twelve.”
“And when I broke 7 loaves for 4,000, how many baskets left over?”
“Seven.”
“Do you not yet understand?”
Two Leavens
What the Disciples are meant to understand is the danger of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod. What is the leaven of the Pharisees, and what is the leaven of Herod? In order that we, unlike the Disciples, understand that Jesus is not talking about bread, we need to consider these two leavens—what they meant in Jesus’ day and what they mean for his disciples today.
First, who were the Pharisees and Herod? Answering that question is necessary if we are to understand what Jesus means by leaven. The Pharisees were the most committed, most devout Jews of their day. They were referred to as “the Righteous Ones,” and they were fundamentalists when it comes to practicing obedience to the Mosaic Law, though we’ve heard already a few times when Jesus exposes their hypocrisies. Certainly there is nothing wrong with being devout and deeply committed—to the contrary, these are virtues of faithfulness—but in the process of trying to be obedient, they built up an enormous body of commentary and tradition. To be a Pharisee, then, was not only to be a loyalist to Old Testament Law, but also to the acquired and accrued traditions. To be a member of the Pharisee Club meant you were to be a legalist, and with centuries of tradition in tow, you were certain to be burdened by many layers of barnacles.
Herod was crowned King of Israel by Rome rather than one of the prophets, which makes him a fake king—a symbolic king and a kind of royal only to Roman eyes—placed by Rome as a concession to Israel’s need to feel independent. But Israel was not independent; in spirit and truth, it was a Roman colony. Herod had no real rule and wore a crown only by Caesar’s patronizing generosity. We also remember how Herod, indulging himself and his guests at a lavish banquet, caused the beheading of John the Baptist, the greatest prophet.
Now in our story, the Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign from Heaven, which means they were demanding a visible guarantee from God that Jesus was to be trusted and followed. In demanding that Jesus provide proof directly from Heaven, they show themselves to be incapable of faith. They wanted guarantees—absolute certainties verified by God’s own hand. To this, Jesus says no. The leaven of the Pharisees was materialistic, demanding proof and guarantees. In doing so, they rejected faith in favor of certainty. They denied Christ in favor of their religiousness. They said no to Jesus and yes to all their barnacles.
The leaven of Herod is trusting in worldly power and politics over and above faith in Jesus. Herod and the Herodians represented the powers of this world—Rome in particular—and Herod’s toxic leaven involves trusting in the known and visible powers of this world to do the work of God; or as in Herod’s case, to avoid God altogether and simply do whatever you want to do.
The Leaven of Christ
The Disciples’ dilemma comes at the moment Jesus warns them of the toxic leavens of the Pharisees and of Herod. They immediately begin arguing about bread. It’s not hard to imagine their avoidance and blaming, which tend to go with arguing. Their problem, simply put, is that they cannot see that it is not about the bread! Because they think it is all about bread they miss Jesus’ real message and travel in distrust.
Our task is to reject the leavens of both Pharisees and Herod, and to embrace the leaven of Christ. Unlike the Pharisees, who had religion but not faith, we walk by faith and not by sight.
we walk by faith, not by sight.
—2 Corinthians 5:7
God owes us no guarantees. On the contrary, we owe God our entire faith and commitment despite what our eyes see. We do not put conditions upon God. As a result, we are the polar opposite of being risk averse. Where we are called, where we go, no matter how risky or dangerous it looks ahead—that is where we go—that is what it means to take up our cross and follow Jesus. That is following.
And unlike Herod, our faith is not in worldly powers. We do not put our trust in political machinery or solutions. Our trust is not in worldly institutions. Our faith is centered in Christ. Our faith and hope must be in God and in God’s power.
It’s Not About the Bread
“It’s not about the bread.” The materialist worldview undercuts and undermines true faith. Jesus tells us again and again:
Be not anxious, don’t worry, and that food and clothing are insignificant.
All these things as anxieties undercut our simple faith in God’s Providence.
Neither, of course, should we be foolish—thoughtless or reckless—in our stewardship of God’s gifts. But in the balance between:
Trusting God or Trusting Self
Walking by Faith or Walking by Sight
God-dependence or Self-reliance
What God can do. or What we can do
We err on the side of faith.
We err on the side of trust.
We err on the side of belief.
Before we plan, we pray.
Before we submit a budget, we submit our hearts in prayer.
We do so much—too much—in our own strength. It is only too easy for us to be too much like the the Disciples arguing over one loaf in the boat.
Jesus answers us and our anxieties in the same way: “Why are you flapping your jaws about money?”
Don’t forget: the Lord magnifies, multiplies and makes wholeness out of our brokenness.
Whatever our budget, it’s always only a few loaves and a few fish. It is never rationally sufficient.
We are not in control: The Lord is in control. Our role is to align ourselves with what he is doing and what he wants for us, period. We must trust in God and his plans, not our own.
The Lord is the source of our daily bread as well as our annual budget.
Your and my giving must be by faith and not by sight.
An Amazing Journey
Again, it’s not about the bread.
Here’s the good news: if you’ve never believed—really believed—you’ve never experienced faith, just religion. If you’ve never really trusted in God, then you’ve never truly experienced God. If you never obey, you’ll never know, never hear, and never see.
2017 is coming. God is calling us to thrive. God is calling us to grow. Putting together a budget is not about “doing Church” but about embarking on an new journey, a new adventure. 2017 is a new frontier, and the beginning of a new era for First Presbyterian church.
We are voyagers, explorers going where no one has ver gone before. Like the old maps once said, “Beyond here there be monsters.” That’s always true of the future. We can either let it intimidate us into inaction or we can sail ahead undaunted.
God has not called us to “play church.” He calls us to follow—to cross the lake with him and not worry about the bread.
God will provide.
We either really believe it or else we really don’t.
“Do you not yet understand?”
†