See, Hear, Understand, and Remember:

Context:

• Another crowd had been miraculously fed.
• The Pharisees demand a sign from heaven.
• They move on, but the disciples had forgotten to bring bread.
• Jesus speaks to them but they don’t hear what He’s saying.

Matthew 16:6 “...Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees...”

Mark 8:15 “...And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod...”

What would you be thinking if you were in the disciples situation?

• They were thinking about forgetting bread, so they naturally thought Jesus was addressing them about their thoughts.
• We typically think that God is tracking with us.
• We spend too little effort trying to keep up with God.

Matthew 16:8-11 “...But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees...”

Mark 8:17-21 “...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? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 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.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?...”

What don’t the disciples see or hear? What don’t they understand?

• They should have seen enough bread miracles not to worry about earthly bread.
• By now they should understand that Jesus is focused beyond earthly sustenance.

What expectations does Jesus have of His disciples?

• That they will use their eyes to see.
• That they will use their ears to hear.
• That they will understand.
• That they will remember what they saw, heard, and understood.
• That they will live in faith.

What is Jesus warning about?

• The teaching of the Pharisees and of Herod.

What is wrong with this teaching?

• It fails to embrace the reality of Jesus.
• It focuses on earthly things and earthly perspectives.

Do religion and politics still have this same problem?

Should we still “...watch out, beware...”?

What would this look like?