NOTES for Mar 8:1-26

Today's passage once again brings us back to the account of the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. It is certainly no accident that the evangelist dwells on this event in such detail, emphasizing again and again that the apostles do not understand the meaning of what is happening (vv. 15-21). Here, however, the warning about the "leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod" (v. 15) is preceded by a reference to Jesus' dispute with the Pharisees, who demanded some "sign" from Him (v. 11). The meaning of the dispute becomes clearer if we remember that the Pharisees had their own fairly well-developed theological concept of what the true Messiah-Christ should be like, as they understood Him, precisely how and when He was to appear, and what natural and supernatural phenomena were to accompany His appearance. Apparently, the assembled Pharisees demanded that Jesus demonstrate something that would convince them that He really was the very Messiah-Christ they were awaiting. But Jesus refuses, and then tells His disciples about the danger of the "leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod," answering their bewilderment by reminding them of the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. This is hardly surprising: it was precisely in this miracle that many people could see quite clearly and unmistakably the characteristics of the very Kingdom of God that Jesus brings into the world. But such evidence does not satisfy the Pharisees, immersed as they are in their own theological theories. They need signs that would confirm those theories, while a Kingdom that does not conform to them is evidently unacceptable. With such a stance of predetermined rejection, any proof is of course useless, and the stance itself often prevents a person from seeing what is obvious. That is why Jesus warns His disciples about the danger of the "leaven of the Pharisees."