“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? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?” (Mark 8:17-18)
In Mark 7:20-23 (looked at yesterday), Jesus spoke about what comes out of our hearts, our inmost being. Here, in Mark 8:17-18, Jesus challenges the receptivity of our hearts.
Jesus has done two miracles of provision: feeding five thousand (Mark 6:30-44) and feeding four thousand (Mark 8:1-10). The latter miracle is followed by the Pharisees demanding a sign (Mark 8:11-13). They have just had numerous signs, not least these two miracles of provision.
But, before we sit in judgement on the Pharisees, we see the disciples failing to grasp what Jesus has done, and who he is. And we must ask the question in response, “What about me?”
Jesus warns the disciples, following the challenge from the Pharisees, “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod” (Mark 8:15), meaning their teaching. But the disciples think he’s commenting on their failure to bring enough bread (v14, 16). What’s wrong with them? Jesus has recently fed 9,000 people with just a few loaves! They don’t see who he is and they jump to the wrong conclusion.
Jesus’ response is that this is a heart problem rather than an intellectual one: “Do you still not see and understand? Are your hearts hardened?”
We can have a measure of understanding through using our intellect. We can make connections between verses, we can recite Christian truths, we can appreciate the beauty of certain doctrines. But a true understanding involves our hearts, our inmost being, as we take the truths and they thrill us, as we reflect on the truth and we submit in awe and wonder to our glorious Saviour and trust him.
The disciples had seen the two miracles of provision. The knew that Jesus had provided for such a great multitude, twice, and had more left over afterwards than was given before the miracles. But a heart that grasped who Jesus is would say something like, “One loaf of bread is more than enough for Jesus; so this talk of yeast must mean something different.” Matthew 16:12 tells us that they finally understood that Jesus was talking about the yeast of teaching.
What about us?
- Does the truth of God’s provision cause our hearts to trust him to meet out needs? Or do we still fear lack?
- Does the glorious sufficiency of Jesus’ sacrifice lead us to rest in his finished work and praise him for his grace? Or are we still gripped by guilt?
- Does the sovereignty of God cause our hearts to rest in his fatherly care? Or are we fearful of the future?
We can partly grasp these things intellectually (God provides, Jesus died for me, God is sovereign). We can even know that these things are good. But when these things are grasped with the heart, then we rest and rejoice in them.
We need receptive, soft hearts, not hard, calloused hearts.
Every believer has a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26). Praise God for it. But, we are responsible for guarding our hearts, and not allowing our hearts to grow hard (or cold) through sin, neglect of the life-giving word and prayer, or through resentment towards people or even God himself.
If you recognise yourself in this at all, come to the Lord today in prayer. Confess where your hearts has become hard, ask him to soften your heart again, and receive the precious words of scripture each day that will feed and nourish you. Finally, pray back the scriptures to him: ask him to help you grasp the scriptures with your heart, and praise him for what the scriptures show you about him.
The best is yet to come 