The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod. Mark 8:14-21.

By Sanctus Mario Last updated Feb 15, 2022 2,924 40

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Breakfast with the Word Tuesday 6th Week Ordinary Time of the Year B

Mark 8:14-21.

In today’s gospel of Mark 8:14-21, the disciples of Jesus forgot to take food with them. Because of this, they are left with only one loaf of bread. Jesus then begins to warn them to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.

The apostles do not understand what Jesus means. They begin to ask themselves if the question is a result of the lack of bread. Jesus then begins to ask them a series of questions. He questions the reason they are yet to understand Him despite they are with Him all these while.

They have witnessed His miracles and how He fed the multitude only with 7 loaves of bread but they are yet to come to terms with who Jesus is and what He could do.

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What Could Jesus mean by The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod?

Yeast is a leavening agent that one adds to the bread. With the help of the yeast, the bread leavens. Leavening means that the bread rises. So when we add yeast to bread, it combines with it and causes it to rise according to the dough that we use.

As a yeast affects what comes in contact with it, Jesus tends to warn the disciples against the negative effect of the life of the Pharisees, whose legalistic teachings and refusal to believe in Him can also affect the faith of those who observe them, hear them or come in contact with them. Hereby Jesus is warning the apostles to be wary so that the way of life and lack of faith of the Pharisees will not influence them.

This warning was as a result of what happened in the previous verses when the Pharisees came to Jesus to ask for a sign from heaven to prove to them that He is the Messiah. So while the apostles were busy worrying about the lack of food, Jesus began to warn them never to allow the unbelief and life of the Pharisees to influence them. Therefore, they should not imitate the unbelief of the Pharisees. In the sense that they do not need to worry about their lack when He is with them. With His presence, there is nothing to worry about.

In the sense, that they should not have become worried since they are with Him. Yeast has the power of permeating the host substance, So, Jesus warns them against allowing what the Pharisees did to influence them.

In essence, the disciples must avoid looking only for external signs to validate their faith. His presence is enough. When He is with us, we do not need to worry about anything.

In the same way many of us say they are close to God or God is with them,yet they worry and complain about everything.

Therefore, If the Lord is with us, why then do we worry? what we need to do is to strongly exercise our faith in Him and not our exercising our unbelief. If God is with us, we do not only have to profess it, we have to show it in our actions. We have to live it out.

The Yeast of Herod.

Jesus also warns against the yeast of Herod. It is very difficult to understand the reason Jesus makes this statement making reference to Herod, but we can give one reason to this.

People fear Herod greatly as a mighty ruler as of that time. He then used that opportunity to accumulate and store treasures for himself. So, Jesus is warning the disciples not to be carried by the things of this world either by their possession or lack of them.

Their concern over the lack of food should not make them lose the sight that the great provider is with them. Jesus rebukes His apostles for their lack of understanding despite the things they have seen Him do.

In the same way, He warns us not to be carried away over the lack of material things that we lose sight of the most important thing: which is deep trust and relationship with Him