Have Our Hearts Grown Calloused?
Today, I want to remind you that God still performs miracles. He still heals. He still restores. He is still showing up. He is the same God now as he was then.
I’ve had moments in my life where God’s presence has been profoundly evident. Where certain situations can’t be explained any other way except for divine intervention. I can recall several moments when God met me in all my brokenness and plucked me from the darkness.
And then I’ve had moments where I’ve questioned if he’s real. If he loved me. If Romans 8:28 was true when it says, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
How can any good come from losing a child?
“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
In those moments, the fear creeps in. The anxiety takes root. And I forget about all the good he has done.
The disciples had their moment also.
In Mark 8, Jesus has gathered his disciples, performed many miracles, and proven that he is indeed who he says he is, the Messiah. And yet, the disciples have a moment where they still question his ability to provide.
Mark 8:11-21 reads, “The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, demanding of him a sign from heaven to test him. Sighing deeply in his spirit, he said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Then he left them, got back into the boat, and went to the other side.
The disciples had forgotten to take bread and had only one loaf with them in the boat. Then he gave them strict orders, “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” They were discussing among themselves that they did not have any bread. Aware of this, he said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact you have no bread? Don’t you understand or comprehend? Do you have hardened hearts? Do you have eyes and not see: do you have ears and not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of leftovers did you collect?
“Twelve,” they told him.
“When I broke seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you collect?”
“Seven,” they said.
And he said to them, “Don’t you understand yet?”
So much wisdom can be pulled from just a couple of verses.
The Pharisees, the religious leaders of that time, were still demanding more proof, even though they had witnessed countless miracles. They were still trying to discredit Jesus.
How many of us have forgotten the miracles that have taken place in our lives? How many times do we find ourselves demanding more proof of his existence?
Jesus doesn’t just brush this off. It says he was “sighing deeply in his spirit.” He was deeply affected by their demands and by their unbelief.
Then Jesus warns the disciples, “Watch out! Be aware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
The literal definition of the word leaven is a substance, usually yeast, that is used in dough to make it rise. Yeast is a bacteria, a fungus, that changes the composition of the bread. The yeast influences the cells of the dough.
Leaven, in scripture, represents evil, corruption, depravity, or wickedness, and its influence. He is warning the disciples of the negative influence and perspectives of the Pharisees and Herod. Leaven is also used as a metaphor for “something seemingly insignificant that could have enormous influence.” Leaving out one small ingredient, yeast, when mixing the dough, will greatly influence the outcome of the bread.
Where is there leaven in our own lives? Who are we getting our influence from? What are our perspectives being shaped by?
When Jesus overheard the disciples discussing that they had no bread, he intervened by saying,
“Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Don’t you understand or comprehend? Do you have hardened hearts?”
If we were honest with ourselves, how many of us would say that our hearts have become slightly calloused? That despite being a witness to something miraculous God has done before in our lives, our hearts now have become hardened.
Jesus then goes on to say, “Do you have eyes and not see; do you have ears and not hear?”
He is bringing them back to the miracle he performed not too long ago that they seemed to have forgotten.
Going back one chapter in Mark 7:32-37 it reads, “They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking and begged Jesus to lay his hand on him. So he took him away from the crowd in private. After putting his fingers in the man’s ears and spitting, he touched his tongue. Looking up to heaven, he signed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”). Immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly. He ordered them to tell no one, but the more he ordered them, the more they proclaimed it.”
The disciples were so amazed at the miracle Jesus had performed right in front of their eyes, that they couldn't hold it in.
Shortly after their amazement, they lost sight of the significance of his miracle.
I’ve been there. If we’re honest with ourselves we all have. We’ve probably had thoughts that sounded something like, “Yeah God what you did over there was great, but I’ve moved on from that, I’ve forgotten about that. What I’m concerned about is the right here right now, and how I’m supposed to navigate through this current hardship.”
Jesus ends the verse again asking what he had previously asked the disciples. He says, “Don’t you understand yet?”
The repeating of this question is evidence they still didn’t understand that he was going to provide for them. That he was going to continue to show up. That he wasn’t a “one-hit wonder,” and that he was still going to perform miracles.
I think the addition of the word, “yet,” in that question points to the patience Jesus had for his disciples and the patience he has for us.
We’re allowed to bring him our questions. We’re allowed to have moments where we maybe forget what he’s done before in our lives. But we also must listen to the reminders, to the warnings, to the patience he is giving us to remember.
Romans 8:28, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
This doesn’t mean that everything is good all of the time. But it does mean that God is. That we are the ones who are called according to his purpose. The promise this verse gives us is that God will work out everything, even the wickedness we may experience on this earth, together for our ultimate good and the good of his kingdom.
My prayer for today is that we would draw back to the moment when we first encountered the presence of the Lord. That we would remember what that felt like. That we would remember the fire that was lit within us. That despite our hardships, our sufferings , we can trust that God will work it all out for our good in the end.
Let these scriptures act as a witness to the miraculous wonders of God and remind us that he is still that same God.