Beware of the Leaven - Mark 8:11-21

How easy it is for us to get overwhelmed with worry in our lives? Whether it’s to do with money, issues in our family, our children, or the state of the country. All real issues that we face. It can be easy for us to despair in these things and lose heart. We can begin to doubt God’s faithfulness and goodness in the midst of all these things. We can easily lose perspective and get caught up in our worldly worries.

We see something similar happen in our text in Mark 8 with Jesus’ disciples. They had been with him, witnessed his many miracles which all pointed to his identity as God’s promised Messiah, and indeed God himself. Yet despite all this, they still don’t seem to get it. They allow their worldly worries to consume them and fail to grasp that God himself is in the midst of them. Instead of being filled with wonder and awe before Jesus, they are still plagued with doubts and hardness of heart.

In this passage we see Jesus warn and rebuke his disciples against hardening their hearts towards him – against the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod, as he puts it. It is therefore a warning to us as believers in Christ too – don’t allow our hearts to grow hard toward the Lord. In Christ, we’ve been given a new heart by the power of his Spirit – therefore guard your heart against the sin of unbelief!

Preacher: Rev. Antonio Coppola.