Blind Eyes & Bad Doctrine

Mark 8:11-21

The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."

Religious people love to argue. It seems to be their favorite pass time. These Pharisees came arguing and sign seeking all at once, which tells us they really were not interested in Jesus proving to them His identity, rather they wanted to prove theirs. Jesus just finished displaying to the gentile crowd He truly is the bread of life and the ones who claimed to want it the most missed it. Seven large baskets remained of miracle loaves and fish, could this prove, or be a sufficient sign? Jesus thinks so!

These religious self reliant Jews did not approach Jesus as if He could teach or help them in any way; rather they wanted to contend with Him over who He claimed to be. Jesus sighed deeply in His Spirit, for this was very grievous to Him, these generational sign seekers had already killed the prophets sent by God all throughout history, and He would be no different. Jesus witness extraordinary faith of alien gentile people, foreign to the common wealth of the house of Israel, trust wholeheartedly when His own people reject Him, what a travesty. Jesus asks a question, and follows it up with a very disparaging answer.

"Why does this generation seek a sign?

Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."

Jesus meant what He said, and while hanging between earth and sky on a wooden cross, He refused to give them a sign!

• Matthew 27:39-40, And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross."

• Matthew 27:41-42, So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.

• Matthew 27:43, He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"

• Matthew 27:44, And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

Through all of this He refused to show them a sign. The reality was the cross was the sign, and His suffering the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? (Isaiah 53:7-8) Jesus Himself could have refused such a love offering of Himself, yet knew the will of the Father must take place for the Glory of the Lord. He said these powerful words and if He wanted to give a sign this one would do it, I’m sure. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and He will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:53)

In Matthews account we have this statement from Jesus when they petition Him for a sign. He answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." So he left them and departed. (Matthew 16:2-4) What did He mean by signs of the times, and what is the sign of Jonah?

The coming of the Kingdom

In answering the first question posed lets look at what was proclaimed by John the immerser.

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.' I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel."… This is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God." (John 1:29-34)

John was seen as a prophet to Israel and the people gathered together unto him in the wilderness as the Spirit and curiosity led them. He paved the way, and was himself a sign and a testimony to them, for all those who had ears to hear and eye’s to see. Israel’s time and season had come and the kingdom was before them, and they knew it not. Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. (Jude 1:5) Faith believes and signs follow, doubt ignores and seeks, and will see no sign given. This is the way of the Kingdom.

The sign of Jonah

Luke 11:30 say’s, for as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

Jesus had already performed a sufficient amount of miracles to more than prove He was the “One to come.” Here we have just one remaining. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:40)

In this He was referring to His death, burial, and resurrection. Just has He told Pilate concerning His life, No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father." (John 10:18) The only sign that would be given would prove once and for all that He is God! Sodoms generation as well as Jonah’s generation, will stand in better judgment than this evil adulteress generation, for a greater than Jonah was there and had appeared to them, and they repented not.

So he left them and departed. (Matthew 16:4) Sign seekers often ignore the greatest sign available to them, because perhaps it is just too plain to see. Jesus turns and walks away, this is what He does to unbelieving men and woman who refuse to trust and believe and will only believe if you can prove something to them. "The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:17) This is the Christians mantra for life. The walk of faith is truly just trusting Jesus at His word.

Forgetful disciples

And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side. Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And he cautioned them, saying, "Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." (Mark 8:13-15)

Did the disciples who just had seven large baskets of leftovers leave them on the shore? How did they forget? Whatever the case may be, they only had one loaf with them to eat and that shouldn’t be a problem since Jesus has repeatedly showed them He is a multiplier of bread. Jesus exhorts them and admonishes them to beware of leaven; by doing this He is exposing the Pharisees as well as the unbelief of His very disciples. Hard headed disciples have been given Jesus trouble since the apostles, so don’t feel so bad about your self. I say that only to reveal they were just like you and I, and Jesus used them in extraordinary ways.

And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. (Mark 8:16) They were tying the two together in their minds; they somehow left a lot of bread behind and Jesus is warning them about leaven, must be for a reason. Jesus perceives their thoughts and counter acts this argument among them. Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? (Mark 8:17) He was looking through them, piercing their souls and still finding stone. Are your hearts still hardened? Had the gospel of the kingdom not taken away your stony hearts? Since the “just shall live by faith." What then are they living by? Like Lazarus lying dead in a tomb, the stone must be removed, in order for the living to emerge in response to the cry and command of Jesus’ beckoning.

Faithless hearts

One theme that repeats throughout the gospels is the response of faith to a faithful Savior, it gets His divine attention every time, but then again, so does unfaithfulness. "O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? (Matthew 16:8) Little faith will leave a heart hard and unmoved by the Words of Jesus. What is amazing for us is Jesus is not talking to the Pharisees, but His disciples. This leads us to why He here is warning them of the leaven they somehow infect and infiltrate people with. Hardness of heart is a wall of self reliance and identity. Repentance to faith is a surrendering of the two into the arms of our great rescuer. Jesus deconstructs our hard impenetrable hearts and re-builds them with a heart of flesh by the Spirit through faith. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26)

Bad doctrine

Bad teaching leaves its students energized with the wrong information. This is a danger for us all. We invariably cling to error with clinched fist, fighting for what we wrongly perceive to be right. We must admit there is error in all our schools of thought and doctrine. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (1Corinthians 13:12)

Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said to him, "Twelve." "And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" And they said to him, "Seven." And he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?" (Mark 8:18-21) Jesus wants them to understand He does not perform miracles haphazardly; they are always for a lesson displaying who He is and what He is up to. The feeding of the multitudes was more for the disciples than for the people, the crowds were feed, but the disciples had to learn.

How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." (Matthew 16:11) The Pharisees in essence were asking for the sign of a prophet, like Moses, Joshua, and the list goes on and on. That bad teaching was like cancer to the good of the miraculous instruction they just witnessed in that wilderness classroom. It must be disregarded.

So it is with this they conclude after a softening blow to their hard hearts by the words of Jesus, that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:12)


Little children, keep yourselves from idols. (1John 5:21)