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Jesus Issues a Warning to His Disciples

Text: Mark 8:14-21, Matthew 16:5-12
11 May 2014

JESUS ISSUES A WARNING TO HIS DISCIPLES

1. Occasion

a) Jesus had left the region of Dalmanutha
b) He was in a boat with the disciples            Mark 8:14
c) They had only one loaf of bread among them            Mark 8:14

2. Solemn word of warning by Jesus concerning the Pharisees

a) Take heed            Mark 8:15

b) Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees            Mark 8:15

c) And the leaven of Herod            Mark 8:15

3. The disciples reasoned among themselves

a) They did not fully understand Jesus’ warning
b) They reasoned and concluded:-

“It is because we have no bread”            Mark 8:16

JESUS REMONSTRATES WITH HIS DISCIPLES

1. Note series of questions!            Mark 8:17-19

a) Why do you reason because you have no bread?
b) Do you not yet perceive nor understand?
c) Is your heart still hardened?
d) Having eyes, do you not see?
e) And having ears, do you not hear?
f) And do you not remember?
g) When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up? They said to Him, “Twelve.”
h) Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up? And they said, “Seven.”

2. Further query of Jesus

So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”            Mark 8:21

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LINE OF REASONING JESUS TOOK

1. A defective reasoning process

2. Problem of perceiving and understanding

3. Problem of a hardened heart

4. Problem of having eyes that are unable to see beyond the immediate physical

5. Problem of not hearing well (spiritual auditory problem)

6. Problem of not remembering how Jesus wielded power to bring about miracles

THE LACK OF SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING IS STILL A PROBLEM TODAY!

POEMS – CHARLES TAN

#44 WHY DOES THIS GENERATION SEEK A SIGN?

The Pharisees and the Sadducees never got along well together,
But now as the faced Jesus, they felt that they needed each other.
Alone they were easily defeated by Jesus of Nazareth, a man they now feared,
Perhaps together they would do better, at least that was what they desired.

They schemed together and came up with a plan to ask Jesus to give them a sign,
They were not interested in the Person of Jesus, whether He was human or Divine.
They were determined to find fault with Jesus anyway they can,
But they did not figure out that Jesus could read their hearts’ evil plans.

He refused to give them a sign for that was a prerogative that was totally His,
He exposed their hypocrisy out in the open- this was a move that they missed!
They prided themselves with their skill in reading the weather-signs that appear,
How was it that they were not able to discern that God’s Power was evidenced here?

Jesus knew the wickedness that was in the heart of the people in His generation,
They had closed their hearts to what He had said about the need for confession.
The only sign that He would give to them would be the sign of the prophet Jonah,
His death, His burial and His resurrection would be proof enough that He was Messiah!

Inspiration: Mark 8:12
(Matthew 16:1-4)