“Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?” Mark 8:17b-18 ESV1
Read Matthew 16:1-12 & Mark 8:11-26
Jesus spent most of His time during His earthly ministry near the Sea of Galilee. “The sea’s location makes it subject to sudden and violent storms as the wind comes over the eastern mountains and drops suddenly onto the sea. Storms are especially likely when an east wind blows cool air over the warm air that covers the sea. The cold air (being heavier) drops as the warm air rises. This sudden change can produce surprisingly furious storms in a short time.”2 In this next account, an “east wind” was blowing, and a storm was brewing, but not in the physical sense.
“From any point on the rocky shore [of the Sea of Galilee], all other locations along the shoreline are visible.”2 That means those in “the region of Magadan” (Matthew 15:34b-39), in “the district of Dalmanutha” (Mark 8:10b), to whom Jesus had just come, would have seen that Jesus had just spent the last few days across the Sea in the pagan area of the Decapolis.
“The religious Jews of Galilee struggled against this pagan worldview [of the Decapolis with its] …glorification of sexuality, violence, wealth, and the human form, and the view that only what the human mind can understand and formulate can possibly be true.”3 These religious Jews had a hard time with Jesus hanging out with the “less thans” of their own society (see Matthew 9:11 and Luke 19:7). They were likely horrified that Jesus, the One who claimed to have come from Heaven (see John 3:13), the One who had been putting on quite a show doing miracles and performing healings, the One to whom the Israelite people had been thronging, and the One the people saw as a Prophet (see Matthew 21:11, Luke 7:16, and John 9:17), would be hanging out in such a vile place.
So, it makes sense that “the Pharisees and Sadducees came” (Matthew 16:1a), “and began to argue with Him” (Mark 8:11), “and to test Him they asked Him to show them a sign from Heaven” (Matthew 16:1b). They likely felt that the One who declared He was the Son of God (see Matthew 27:43 and John 10:36, 11:4, 19:7) could at least give them a sign to prove that what He had done was acceptable to God. “The struggle of the Pharisees to avoid all uncleanness, while often creating a lack of love for those who were suffering, at heart may have included a desire to resist the pagan views of their neighbors. (The problem of the Pharisees was that they often hated the sinner along with the sin).”3 Jesus was aware of the purpose of their demand, and He knew which of them had pure hearts and which did not. He could tell if the request of those who spoke to Him was based more on hatred or a sincere desire to understand what He had just done.
So, instead of giving them 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.’” (Matthew 16:2-4a).
The text doesn’t tell us how the religious leaders answered. In all likelihood, they were confused. Should they agree that they could read signs? Should they be offended that He said they couldn’t? Was asking for a sign really that bad? Were they going to get a sign or not? And what did this have to do with Jonah?
They were scholars of the Scriptures; they would have known that Jonah had been in the belly of a great fish for three days before he was deposited alive and well upon a beach (see Jonah 1:17 and 2:10), but, unless they remembered what Jesus’ said the last time or two they asked for a sign, and believed Jesus’ own assertion that He would be in the grave for three days before He would be raised from the dead (see Matthew 12:40 and John 2:19), they would have missed what Jesus was saying this time. But then again, they had a hard time trusting Jesus. That was the problem.
A sign was indeed going to be given them in the not too distant future. But would they see it? Jesus’ response (and the sign to which He pointed) was actually a perfect answer. Those whose hearts were right would try to discover what He meant. In time, they would get it, and they would believe. Those whose hearts were filled with hatred would go away angry continuing to be convinced that Jesus was not the one whom He claimed and more determined that He should be destroyed.
Many of the Jewish religious leaders had impure hearts and evil motives, but some did not. Do you remember the Pharisee, Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night asking questions? Later he advocated for Jesus (see John 7:44-52), and after the crucifixion, he helped bury Jesus (see John 19:38-42). And do you recall Saul (later Paul)? He was a Pharisee (see Acts 23:6). At first, he was working to annihilate the followers of Jesus. But Jesus appeared to him (see Acts 9:1-6), showed him the truth, and gave him the job of “[carrying His] name before Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15).
We don’t know exactly who was in that group of Pharisees and Sadducees who asked Jesus for a sign that day, but Jesus wasn’t going to engage in their test. He “left them and departed” (Matthew 16:4b). He “got into the boat again, and went to the other side” (Mark 8:13).
“When the disciples reached the other side, they [realized they] had forgotten to bring any bread” (Matthew 16:5). “[T]hey had only one loaf with them in the boat” (Mark 11:14b). “Jesus said to them, ‘Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, ‘We brought no bread.’ But Jesus, aware of this, said, ‘O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread’” (Matthew 16:6-8)? “‘Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 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 8:17b-21)? “‘How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthew 16:12).
Practically speaking, how was it that they had no bread? I realize the stop in the region of Magadan was brief. If they were planning on getting lunch there, they might not have had the opportunity. But didn’t they just have seven baskets full of leftover food in the Decapolis? Wasn’t that after they sent the crowd of people home? What did they do with all that food? Besides, didn’t they have access to fish? Weren’t they right by a sea? Weren’t several of the disciples professional fishermen? Wasn’t any one of the Twelve in charge of food?
Spiritually speaking, Jesus’ discussion wasn’t even about food. But He turned it toward to food in order to help the disciples understand what He was saying. He reminded them of the abundance of food that was created, in just the past few days, out of nearly nothing in the hands of the Bread of Life. I am pretty sure that one loaf would have been enough for Jesus to make a satisfying meal for the thirteen of them.
With Jesus’ help, they finally understood that Jesus was talking about deception. He was warning against lies that looked so right that anyone, from those speaking them and to those closest to Jesus Himself, could easily fall for them. The teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees were as enticing to the spiritually famished as a slice of warm, soft bread, right from the oven, would be for the physically hungry.
I don’t know if the disciples got a chance to see Jesus turn that one loaf into a meal, because as soon as “they came to Bethsaida … some people brought to Him a blind man and begged Him to touch him. And He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when He had spit on his eyes and laid His hands on him, He asked him, ‘Do you see anything?’ And he looked up and said, ‘I see people, but they look like trees, walking.’ Then Jesus laid His hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. And He sent him to his home, saying, ‘Do not even enter the village’” (Mark 8:22-26).
Jesus had recently been in the area of Bethsaida. Near there, just a short while earlier, “Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples” (John 6:3). “And He began to teach [the crowd] many things” (Mark 6:34c). “He welcomed them and spoke to them of the Kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing” (Luke 9:11). At Bethsaida, there had been a little boy who had “five barley loaves and two fish” (John 6:9). Jesus took “the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to Heaven and said a blessing. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children” (Matthew 14:19b-21).
I don’t know where this man was when all of this was happening. He clearly missed out on the whole event, because, out of everyone who had been there, Jesus “cured those who had need of healing” (Luke 9:11). I am not sure why this man didn’t come to Jesus earlier. I am not sure why Jesus took the man outside the city. I am not sure why it took two tries for Jesus to heal him. And I am not sure why Jesus told him to not go into town but to go directly home after the healing. But if I had my guess, I would say the reasons have something to do with the problem the people of Bethsaida had.
The residents of Bethsaida lacked faith to such a degree that Jesus said of them, “‘Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you’” (Luke 10:13-14).
“Jesus used the pagan cities of Tyre and Sidon to highlight the way God’s chosen people refused Him. The Israelites of Jesus’ day believed themselves to be righteously following God, yet they did not recognize God in their midst. Jesus, in essence, shamed … Bethsaida …—they, who were supposed to be God’s representatives on earth, refused to listen; yet pagan cities would have quickly repented … God’s desire is for His Word to be known and believed, with the result that people are transformed (see Luke 6:46). To reject the light we’ve been given is to remain in darkness. To spurn the grace of God and reject the Savior is to receive the due penalty for our sin.”4
Following the advice He gave to the previously blind man whom He sent home, Jesus didn’t enter the town of Bethsaida that day either. Instead, “Jesus went on with His disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi” (Mark 8:27a).
In the better of part of one day, Jesus encountered three distinct groups of people: 1) The proud religious leaders who wanted a sign; 2) The unprepared disciples who were distracted and misunderstood Jesus; and 3) The miracle-needing latecomer from a city of doubters. Jesus dealt with each of these differently. He walked away from those who just wanted to fight. He encouraged those who had simply forgotten. And He helped the one with a little faith, but He did not attempt to empower a whole city of faithless ones.
From His example, we can glean some wisdom how we, as Christians, should deal with such as these when we encounter them in our ministries. Like Jesus, we should:
- Walk away from fighters.
- Encourage the forgetful.
- Not attempt to empower the faithless.
Many a Christian worker has gotten distracted, burned out, or done damage to the Name of Jesus by getting overly engaged with the fighters or the faithless. If, after giving them multiple chances, Jesus Himself walked away from these, what makes us think we have the power to soften their hearts? On the other hand, Jesus spent a great deal of time encouraging the forgetful and those with a little faith. If we also put emphasis on this group, we will stay out of a lot of unnecessary “storms,” and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will make the greatest impact for the Gospel.
1 Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.
2https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/sea-of-galilee-geography
3https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/a-far-country-decapolis