14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”
16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”
17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they replied.
20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
They answered, “Seven.”
21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
-Mark 8:14-21
To help understand this passage a bit better, it's good to revisit the events that happened immediately before this passage takes place. After Jesus feeds the four thousand, a group of Pharisees proceeds to question and test Jesus by demanding a sign. Jesus is not thrilled by this and is not happy with their unbelief and lack of faith even after seeing the many miracles already performed.
After that event, in the conversation we read today between Jesus and his disciples, Jesus warns them to "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod". However, due to their shortage of bread, the disciples continue to focus their attention on their need for food and how they are going to get it.
Sound familiar? The disciples are back at it again with worrying about how they are going to eat, even after Jesus just performed a great miracle of providing food to thousands! To make matters worse, as discussed in yesterday's devotion, the disciples seem to have lost their faith even with the previous feeding of the five thousand, and even after the feeding of the four thousand that just happened, they still don't seem to get it.
When we think of people or groups in the Bible that don't follow or believe in Jesus, we might often think about the Pharisees that continually challenge and try to compromise His ministry. As mentioned earlier, the Pharisees display their lack of faith by demanding signs from Jesus even after all the miracles already performed. After all, we see here that Jesus warns his disciples to watch out for them (and Herod, another "villain" who doesn't follow Jesus).
However, it is clear that even followers of Jesus, those who try to devote themselves to Him like the disciples, still struggle to put complete faith in Him and to surrender all their needs even after witnessing Jesus provide multiple times. It seems that even though we are told and know what types of people not to be or how not to act, we do exactly that and forget what we've learned or experienced in the past.
It's difficult to put our complete faith in God at all times, not only during times when we see and feel his presence and provision. Jesus calls us to do this but knows that it is a struggle - even his closest friends, who spend so much time with Him and see first-hand the miracles He performs, still struggle with this. This can serve as an encouragement that we are not alone in this difficulty and should not be discouraged when we fail to trust in God.
However, as Jesus asked his disciples, "Are your hearts hardened?" "Do you still not understand?" God has compassion for us and shows us grace by continuing to provide. But as Christians, we need to continue to increase our faith and strive towards complete trust and surrender to Jesus with our needs and not worry about how we will get what we need. While we may still struggle, especially during uncertain times like these, God will continue to provide and remind us of his presence, and we have to try to not fall into a pattern of continuing to worry about things, but rather take steps in trusting him in the various parts of our lives.
What's one area in your life in which you would like to have more faith in God's provision?
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