Stay Unleavened

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

STAY UNLEAVENED

Mark 8:14-21

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?" 

NIV

Watch out for those religious traditionalist and those worldly non-believers because they both can affect you as yeast does to the bread dough. That is the simple truth Jesus was trying to teach his disciple. Of course that truth is not so simple, or Jesus would not have to be teaching it to them and to us. Why did Jesus use those examples of taking a small amount of loaves and making them into enough for thousands to eat? Wasn’t that to demonstrate his divine power? Wasn’t that to show us that whatever we bring to Jesus, our time, our money, even ourselves, that he will increase it. All that may be true but we actually see hear that it was all about showing them what yeast will do. It is about being aware of those people who are so steeped in traditional religious behavior, following all their enhancements of the law, their man-made rules and regulations in order to appear holy, showing themselves to be a “Good Christian”. It is also about being careful of the yeast of those non-believers, those who live according to whatever behavior suits them. We should be on guard against being infected with their lifestyles of greed, lust, immorality, success, power, and all the things Herod stood for. Both of these kinds of people can infiltrate into our thinking and affect us as yeast does to the dough, spreading throughout leaving nothing unleavened. There is something special about living purely for Christ, without the yeast of the world or the church. Sure we are not to forsake the gathering together with others who believe. Yes we should be a part of the body of Christ. Yes we should serve one another, we should love everyone, we should so all those things Jesus has told us and is telling us to do, which includes not allowing those two types of people affect us and ruin our pure unleavened relationship with him. We need to stay unleavened.