Day Five Mark 8:14-21
14 But the disciples had forgotten to bring any food. They had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat. 15 As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.”
16 At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread. 17 Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “Why are you arguing about having no bread? Don’t you know or understand even yet? Are your hearts too hard to take it in? 18 ‘You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear?’ Don’t you remember anything at all? 19 When I fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread, how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up afterward?”
“Twelve,” they said.
20 “And when I fed the 4,000 with seven loaves, how many large baskets of leftovers did you pick up?”
“Seven,” they said.
21 “Don’t you understand yet?” he asked them. – Mark 8:14-21 (NLT)
Discover
1. What do you think Jesus was warning the disciples about in verse 15?
2. How many questions does Jesus ask and how many statements does He make in verses 17-21?
3. What are the disciples missing?
Respond
How discerning would you say you are when it comes to recognizing false teaching or lies from the enemy? Immediately after another argument with the Pharisees, Jesus takes the opportunity to warn the disciples to watch out for two things: (1.) false teaching from religious leaders that point them away from God (the Pharisees) and (2.) the lure of the things of this world like power and money (Herod). Take a few minutes now to tell Jesus you want to have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to discern all that He's doing in and around you.
For Further Reading: The Disciples’ Hardness
*TPCC does not necessarily endorse all For Further Reading/Learning sources. They are simply meant to be a helpful tool.