Read Matthew 16:5-12 and Mark 8:13-21. When Jesus and His disciples got in the boat to cross back, Jesus warned them to watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herod. Leaven was starter dough with active yeast culture, which, for the most part, was used to make bread. Because they had forgotten to bring bread with them, they thought Jesus was talking about bread made by or for these religious and political leaders.
1. Why did Jesus ask His disciples how many baskets of bread were left over from the feeding of the crowds?
He wanted to remind them that He could provide any physical food needed; therefore, He was not talking about physical bread. He was speaking about something else.
2. What was Jesus talking about when He warned them about the leaven of these leaders?
He was referring to their teachings and specifically the errors of sin in their teaching.
3. What, do you think, were some of the teachings about which Jesus was warning them?
He was warning them about their teachings as to who He was. Herod was convinced He was John the Baptizer raised from the dead. The Pharisees acknowledged that He was a good man, maybe even a prophet, but not the Messiah.
Read Mark 8:22-26. Jesus heals a blind man.
4. How many steps did Jesus take in healing this blind man?
He took two steps. First, he put spit on the man’s eyes, and then he laid His hands upon the man’s eyes again.
5. Jesus obviously did not fail the first time. There was some reason He healed this man in two stages. What did the man do before he was fully healed?
He stared intently. He tried to see.
6. In your opinion, what was the point of healing this man in two stages rather than doing it in one action?
He was teaching His disciples that spiritual sight often requires straining our spiritual eyes. God often gives us fuzzy glimpses of the truth. To really understand it, we must wrestle with it, work at it, strive to “see” it!
Read Matthew 16:13-20, Mark 8:27-30 and Luke 9:18-20. Now Jesus asks His disciples some questions.
7. What two questions did Jesus ask His disciples?
a. Who do people say that I am?
b. Who do you say that I am?
8. What answers did the disciples give to the first question?
They replied the people said he was John the Baptist, risen from the dead, Elijah, or one of the other prophets.
9. Who answered our Lord’s second question, and what was the answer?
a. Peter
b. He said Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah.
10. What connection do these questions have with the warning our Lord gave His disciples about the leaven of the leaders and the healing of the blind man?
He was warning them about the teaching of who He was, and now He was testing them to see if they had exercised their spiritual sight and had clearly seen the truth as to who He was.
Read Matthew 16:21-28, Mark 8:31-9:1 and Luke 9:21-27. Having established who He was, the Messiah, Jesus now begins to teach His disciples what He was going to do. This would be a very difficult task since it ran counter to the traditional teachings about Messiah. The common concept was that Messiah would raise an army, drive out the Romans and establish a kingdom over all the earth that would last forever. That is not what Jesus began to teach His disciples. They would need to strain their spiritual eyes a bit here.
11. What did Jesus now begin to teach His disciples?
He taught them that He would suffer and die and then rise again.
12. What was Peter’s reaction?
He told Jesus that this would not be the case. Jesus was mistaken.
13. What did Jesus tell Peter?
He told Peter he was looking at it from man’s point of view, not God’s.
The Applications:
What are the applications of these passages to our lives today? Identify as many as you are able.
1. To gain spiritual insight, we must strain our spiritual eyes. Understanding many of the truths of God’s Word only comes when we wrestle with the issues. While it is true that the Holy Spirit is our teacher, that the things of God cannot be comprehended by the natural mind, they must be given by God; it is also true that there is human effort involved as well. We are responsible for using our spiritual ears. When our Lord declares, “He that has ears to hear, let him hear.” He is not saying; if you are a believer, you will automatically understand! He is saying if you have the capacity to understand, that is, if you have the Holy Spirit indwelling you; then understand, perceive what I am saying! Work at it, use your mind, think about it! This indicates we are responsible to act.
Our Lord was trying to teach His disciples some very important spiritually discerned truths. First of all, was the issue, who was He. He was the Christ, the promised one, the Messiah. Having grasped that, they then must come to understand what He was going to do. He was not going to set up the kingdom immediately as they thought; He was about to die as a sacrifice for sin. This was a very difficult idea for them. They would have to strain to see it. This was why He healed the blind man in two stages. He first gave the man sight. But it was not very clear. The man could see, but people looked fuzzy, like trees walking around. When our Lord touched him again, he strained to see, and his vision became clear. The disciples had been given vision. They saw our Lord was the Messiah, but they had a fuzzy vision of what He would do. He was telling them they were going to have to strain to see clearly now.
We live in an age of instant access and fast food. We do not want to wait for what we want, nor do we want to exert too great an effort to achieve it. Many seminary students would much rather have their professor give the “right” answers rather than search them out themselves. They would rather memorize an “official doctrinal statement” than search and study the scriptures to determine their theology. Those who take this road may believe the truth, but they probably do not deeply comprehend it. We prefer to have someone tell us what we should do or what God’s will is for us rather than labor at finding it.
How is your spiritual vision? Are there issues you are struggling to understand? That is normal and to be expected. I’ve been in the ministry in one form or another for well over forty years, and there still are many issues I do not fully understand. I may not come to understand them until I stand perfected before Him; perhaps the light may dawn as I struggle with them in this life. Whichever the case, it is a normal part of a believer’s life. Keep straining, and God will give you the insight you need at the right time.
2. In our world, there are many opinions as to who our Lord was. We must be wary of those who in their teaching exalt our Lord but fall short of acknowledging who He truly is, perfect man and God almighty, the coming King of Israel and the Ruler over everything. (See unit 12, application #2.)
3. Just as Peter was sure it was not God’s will for the Messiah to die, so we too often confuse human wisdom with God’s perfect will and plan. Like Peter, we do this because our concept of what must be done is molded more by man’s desires than sensitivity to the Spirit of God. What Peter would have considered a tragedy was, in reality, the greatest triumph in human history. We must see God’s hand in the events around us, even in those which seem to human reason to be tragedies.