January 20, 2016 (Wednesday)
This evening at Bethel Baptist Church, Ingleside, we will study Mark 8:14-29, where Jesus cautions his disciples to beware of the teachings of the Pharisees and Herod. After feeding 4,000 people with only seven loaves, he uses the occasion to teach a lesson to his disciples.
His disciples seemed to concentrate on bread. They remembered exactly how many baskets were left over from feeding 5000 and feeding 4000. But they had difficulty in understanding Jesus when he talked of spiritual matters. Jesus compares the teachings of the Pharisees and the politics of the King to yeast, which looks small when added to a recipe, but becomes powerful in the bread. These people impose danger for all those who follow Jesus, and He was warning them.
Unless they remained on their guard against these powerful forces, they might begin to adopt some of their beliefs and agendas, gradually becoming more like them than like Jesus. “Warning!” cries Jesus. Their teachings are like yeast, gradually entering and taking over from within. Destructive doctrine will always be dangerous and the New Testament bears testimony that such was the case among believers from the outset of the church. We fight this battle to the present day, as Christians are turning away from sound doctrine and adopting beliefs that are incompatible with the truth.