Welcome to ABF this morning. Thanks for being here today on this Palm Sunday. Looking forward to our continued study in the gospel of Mark, part 37 today. And I hope you've been enjoying the journey as we go through. this precious gospel, and I'm looking forward to what God has for us today. So let's open in prayer, and then we'll get started. Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, so much for your word. I thank you for the truth of it. I thank you that it's reliable, it's accurate, it's infallible, and it's also powerful, Lord, to change our hearts and change our lives the way that we think and renew our minds. So please do that with us, Lord, and for us. As we study the word together, may it renew our thinking May it rejuvenate us spiritually and challenge us, Lord, to be closer to you. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. All right, so we're in Mark chapter eight. So if you're not there already, Mark eight. We're gonna start in verse 11 in a moment. Misunderstanding spiritual truth. Is that a problem? Do you think that's true in the world today? Misunderstanding spiritual truth? I would argue it's gotta be at least one of the biggest, if not the biggest, problem today, both in the church and outside the church. And I think a misunderstanding of Jesus ranks as one of the highest in that heap of misunderstanding, if you will. People often misunderstand Jesus. They did while he walked on earth. We're gonna see examples of that today. But even today, people still continue to misunderstand who Jesus is, and why he came to earth and the circumstances that surrounded that and the plan and the purpose for his coming. There's also a lot of misunderstanding about the future and when he will come and how he will come. And today we're going to see that both the Pharisees and the disciples Both those that were opposed to Jesus and those that followed Jesus totally miss the point of who Jesus was and what he was about. So the challenge, I believe, in this passage is to examine ourselves and ask ourselves these questions. Are we those that are seeking signs? Or are we just waiting for the Lord to work? Are we those that have hardened hearts? And a hardened heart, I believe, can happen in just a moment of time. And so we have to be on guard for it. We're gonna see that the Pharisees were seeking signs. They shouldn't have been. The greatest sign ever was standing right in front of them in the person of Christ. The disciples, on the other hand, had seen the signs, but their hearts had become hardened. And that'll be the challenge when we get to that passage. So we're gonna start off with seeking signs. If you're following along your outline, number one, seeking signs. And we've broken that down into a couple different passages or sections of passage. So first of all, we're gonna see this demanded sign, the demanded sign. So if you're in your Bibles with me, Mark chapter eight, verse number 11. Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, testing him. Seeking from him a sign from heaven, testing him. Now if we go back to verse number 10, we see where he was. Mark gives us the name, and it's not a well-known reference to where he was. Mark calls it Dalmanutha. If we read the parallel passage in Matthew, he refers to it as Magdala. So we believe it was probably Magdala. Perhaps Dalmanutha was another name for that region. But in any case, Remember that Jesus has just performed a great miracle just before this in chapter eight, which we would call what? The feeding of the 4,000, right? He's done the 5,000 back in chapter six. Now we're in Mark eight. He feeds the 4,000. Were they mostly Jews in that crowd or mostly Gentiles? Yes, Gentiles. So remember, even the disciples were struggling with that a little. Is there really enough food in the wilderness to feed these? Whereas when he fed the 5,000, it was mostly Jews. And so even the disciples were struggling with this idea that Jesus had come down, had been making certain claims, performing certain miracles as a Jewish man, and doing so for the benefit mainly of the Jews. As he told the Syrophoenician woman, his goal was the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And he was performing that, although right now in Mark we're in a, we had just finished this passage where Jesus is performing miracles and touching the lives of Gentiles. Helping us understand they're also included in God's grand plan. Although Jesus' focus was the Jews. While he had just done this miracle for these Gentiles, and I believe that's part of the reason why these Pharisees had come, possibly. Could have been because of the other miracles or the other teachings, but in any case, they come out and they began to dispute with him. They began to dispute with him. I'm gonna give you, I don't know how well this is gonna show up on the big screen, it's a little blurry, but the center part is Sea of Galilee, and he was over at Decapolis, which is on the far right of your screen. Magdala there on the far left. We also see Capernaum, Bethsaida up on the northern part. So he's going from east to west across the lake. After he fed the 4,000, he comes over into the region of Magdala, or what Mark calls Dalmanutha. And as soon as they get out of the boat, or shortly thereafter, the Pharisees come out and they begin begin to dispute with him. The word dispute here, it means to contend with persistence for a point of view, to dispute, to debate, to argue. Now, is it wrong in itself to dispute? Is that wrong? No. In fact, contending with persistence for a point of view, and hopefully every sermon that's preached is contending for a certain point of view from scripture. When we give reason for the hope that lies within us, that's the apologia, where we get our word apologetics, which is the defense of the Christian faith, and we're contending with those that perhaps have opposing views, and we're providing evidence, and we can go into the different evidences of the scripture, and the resurrection of Christ, and all these things, and we contend for the faith, and we're called to do that. Well, these men were, doing that, but they were not simply debating him, contending with him in terms of a honest debate, where you give, one side gives their argument, and then they listen while the other side gives theirs, and there's willingness to learn on both sides and willingness to listen. That's not what was going on here. And we see that if we go back to the verse, we see their, actually their motives, their true motives, seeking from him a sign from heaven, testing him. They were not willing to just listen to his words. They were seeking this sign. They wanted action. This sign was a miraculous proof of his identity. This is not the same word as miracle. They're not asking for a miracle. When Jairus fell on his face and asked and begged Jesus to heal his daughter, he was asking for a miracle. When the Syrophoenician woman came and fell on her face before Christ and asked his mercy on her and her daughter who was demon possessed, she was asking for a miracle. These Pharisees are not asking for a miracle, they're asking for a sign. And Mark uses actually a different word. Signs and miracles are not necessarily the same thing. They might be translated in English sometimes. Signs, we're gonna see that example perhaps today. But in this case, this seeking of action, this sign was, notice, testing him. They were seeking for actions. This demand was a test. What they were trying to establish was authority over Jesus. You give us a sign and we'll be the judge of it, whether we accept it or not. They were trying to catch Jesus in failure so that they could prove him to be false. That's their whole motive. They did this often during Jesus' ministry. One example, is in the earlier service day, Pastor mentioned the cleansing of the temple at the triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. Well, there was also an earlier cleansing of the temple early in Jesus' ministry. So back in John 2.18, he has cleansed the temple. And the Jews come to him, and they ask him for the same thing that the Pharisees were asking here in Mark 8. So the Jews answered, and said to him, what sign do you show us since you do these things? Prove to us your authority. On whose authority or on what authority are you doing this? As he cast out the money changers, et cetera. What sign do you show us? They're asking for the same thing. So as we look back at our verse, we see they've continued to do this throughout his ministry and there's other examples as well. The word testing is also key to understanding the passage. An attempt to entrap through a process of inquiry. It's what we would call an entrapment. They were trying to trap Jesus in his words and actions. Starting to try to build a case against him so that they could accuse him of being false. They did not want people following him. The fact is though, Jesus had already performed a number of miracles. And some of them had eyewitnessed those. Others that they hadn't eyewitnessed were witnessed by so many eyewitnesses. Feeding of the 4,000 comes to mind. 4,000 plus, perhaps in the vicinity of eight, 10 to 12,000. So many eyewitnesses saw the same thing. They never disputed that he did the miracles. I don't know if you've noticed that. Even the raising of Lazarus, as we were looking at this morning, if you read through that passage, They actually were plotting to have Lazarus put to death because they knew that Jesus raised him from the dead and people were leaving them to go believe in Christ and they didn't want that happening. So their whole plan here is not to try to debunk the miracles per se, but to debunk Jesus and his identity and his authority. But this kind of testing that we're talking about is actually the work of Satan. This is Satan's work, I believe, through these men. When we remember back to Mark 1, when Jesus was in the wilderness before his ministry began, and he, Jesus, was there in the wilderness 40 days, tempted by Satan. It's the same word used by Mark in Mark 8-11 that he used back in Mark 1-13. Here it's translated tempting, Mark 8 11, testing him, same word. It helps us understand the true motive of what these men were doing. Notice also, where do they want the sign from? Sign from heaven, that's another key word to understanding the specific sign that they were demanding. The Pharisees wanted to see something almost apocalyptic in nature. They wanted to see something so astounding that it would be like God himself had come down to earth. Well, had God come down to earth? Yes. Was he standing right in front of them? Yes. The irony of this is just unbelievable. Back in Luke 2.12, the angels proclaiming to the shepherds when Jesus came, this will be the sign to you. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. So many prophecies fulfilled by Christ at his first advent. What was the number Pastor Rich said this morning? 351, around in there, 350 some. Prophecies that these Pharisees knew because they knew their Old Testament. They understood, they had read the prophets They had read Moses, they had read the Psalms, and all those that are messianic in nature. They understood the scriptures in the sense of knowing what the word said, but again, their spiritual understanding was lacking. They had God in the flesh right in front of them. This activity, excuse me, of testing and attacking Jesus has been going on throughout his ministry back in Mark 2, 6 and 7. The scribes, he has to, he heals the man lowered through the roof, and tells him, well, before he heals him, he tells him, your sins are forgiven, right? And they say in their hearts, why does this man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone? Jesus goes on to heal the man to prove that he had the authority to forgive the sins. Only God could have done what he did after that, and they refused, though, to acknowledge it. Later in that same chapter, Mark 2.16, the scribes and Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and sinners. Here's another attack. How is it that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners? Their motives are made clear in Mark, well, let me get forward. No, Mark 2.24. Sorry, I got ahead of myself. Remember when the Pharisees did not perform the ritual cleansing. They say to him, look, why did they not do what is lawful on the Sabbath? Constantly attacking him. Mark 3.6, here's the motives. Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against him how they might, what? Destroy him. That is why in Mark 8 they're testing him. They're looking for any bit of evidence they can use against him to give him the death sentence. That's their goal. See, the cancel culture of Jesus they. And even in Mark 7, the last chapter that we studied, we see that the scribes and some of the Pharisees came together to him, having come from Jerusalem, and they saw some of his, again, we talked about eating bread with defiled, unwashed hands. They found fault. So this pressure from the Pharisees was not new. This was not random either. It was plotted and planned by them. So they demand the sign and how does Jesus respond? He responds with this deep sigh. The deep sigh. We see this in verses 12 and 13. Mark 8, 12 and 13. But he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation and he left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. So notice that this sigh, now it's a similar word, it's not the same word, used, remember when Jesus healed the man that was deaf and mute, when he touched his ears and he touched his tongue, he sighed as he empathized with the man's suffering, and he sighed in his spirit. This is a similar word to that, But this is so much more of a severe form. This is not speaking of a man that was perhaps born with this issue. He's now dealing with men that should have known better than anyone who he was. They had the privilege of learning the scriptures more than anyone else in the Jewish community. They had access to the scrolls at their leisure. responsibility, they had this wonderful blessing of the scriptures constantly in front of them and they still miss it. Jesus sighed deeply here. It was a sigh of deep grief, disappointment in these spiritually privileged yet insensitive men. So while Jesus sighed as he lamented with the man's physical condition, the physical deafness, he now deeply sighs as he laments the spiritual deafness, the spiritual blindness that these men had. They had the truth standing right in front of them and they refused to see it. Notice the question. And I don't think it was a question he was looking for an answer of, per se. It was somewhat rhetorical, but I believe questioned to make them think about this. Why? Why does this generation seek a sign? He's gonna do the same thing in a few minutes with the disciples, asking them these questions to make them think. Why do you need a sign from heaven? Why do you need this apocalyptic, amazing, flashing lights or whatever they were looking for, this awesome thing like fire from heaven like Elijah had, or the children of Israel in the wilderness with the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. Why do you need something like this? Jesus had already demonstrated his deity by his miracles. And he would point to those as authentication of his identity in John 10, 37 and 38. He says, if I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me. I'm putting myself on display here. I'm putting myself, I'm opening myself up in transparent form. If I don't do the works of my Father, you have no reason to believe me. But if I do, and he did, though you do not believe me, believe the works that you may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in him. I'm authenticating my message by my miracles. Believe those. Notice also, as he calls attention to his work, his works, the religious elites, they should have recognized this. Notice though that he does not say there will never be an apocalyptic sign. There will be apocalyptic signs, won't there? We just read the book of Revelation and see those. There will be apocalyptic signs, but not what is being demanded right now. It would happen in the future, just not in this generation. If Jesus had given in to their demands for a sign, he would have been acknowledging their authority and right to define him and to judge him according to their standards. And that's what they were actually asking for the signs for. You show us the signs, we'll be the judge. Had Jesus done that, he would've, I don't think he could've done this, but in a hypothetical sense, would've flung off his own authority. He would've subjected himself to the authority of these godless men who were spiritually blind and deaf and said, okay, I'll do whatever you want, I'll be the puppet and you guys just, I'll be the little performer. and I'll perform these little signs, and then you guys get to judge, and whatever you guys say, by that time, he would have been admitting, whatever you say about the sign, that's what we have to go with. You see, there was a lot at stake here, actually, in this passage. Of course, Jesus does not give into their authority, because they don't have authority over him. No one has authority over the Son of God. That's what they were demanding. They were demanding that they would have authority, they would have the right to define him and judge him according to their standards. In another place, in a similar situation, Jesus answered and said to them, an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For 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, the greatest sign from heaven ever given was the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And that was the sign he was going to allow them to have. Mark 8.13 tells us, and he left them, getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. In doing some reading and things on this, some believe this immediate departure was symbolic in a sense. that Jesus was making a statement of rejection of the religious establishment. Fine. Similar to Paul, do you remember when Paul was in different places and they would reject him, the Jew, because he would go to the Jew first, as he stated, the Jew first and also to the Greek, he would go into the synagogues, he would preach the gospel, he would preach that Jesus was Messiah, that he had already come, he had died, was buried and resurrected and ascended And he would use the Old Testament to show that Jesus was Messiah. And the Jews, what did they most often do, accept that or reject it? Mostly they rejected it. And do you remember Paul's response finally? He shakes his robe, which was a symbol of, I'm shaking the dust, I don't even want the dust that you've touched to touch me. The Jews would do this to the Samaritans when they would have to go into Samaria, at least for, you know, they avoided it, but if they had to, They would shake off the dust, because I don't even want the same dust touching me that a Samaritan had touched. It was quite a statement, and it wasn't really that politically correct either. But that's what Paul did. He shook the dust off and said, fine, I'm going to the Gentiles then. I don't know that Jesus' statement here was as strong as that, but some have come to believe that this departure was his statement of rejection. Now Jesus and his disciples are now on their way to Bethsaida. So they're on the western shore of Galilee and they're heading kind of northeast up to Bethsaida across the Sea of Galilee. And we're going to see the disciples were also struggling with spiritual misconception, spiritual misunderstanding of who Jesus was because they had hardened hearts, hardened hearts. Jesus gives them this caution. Now they may have landed in Bethsaida by now, or they may have been on the water. Depends on which gospel account you read there seems to be. It doesn't really matter that much, but it kind of helps us understand what's going on. But in any case, as they were going, or as they were getting into the port there in Bethsaida, Mark goes on to describe the scene, verse 14. Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread. and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. It's almost like he's setting it up. Why do we need to know that? We just like had this big discussion with the Jews and the sign and now Mark says, by the way, there was just only one loaf in the boat. So I don't know if those seven big laundry size baskets full of bread had been forgotten or they had eaten them by then or they had given them away, whatever the case was. They should have at least had one of those left maybe or at least some of them. And they had forgotten, they had forgotten to bring bread. And so, it's important to know that. They forgot to bring their leftovers with them, which is, you ever do that? You get your leftovers in the box and leave it on the table and leave the restaurant? I don't know if that was what it was like, but something like that, they had forgotten the food. Well, Jesus says to them in verse 15, then he charged them, saying, take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and the leaven of Herod. So he's just had this interaction with the Pharisees where they have rejected him. They have tried to usurp his authority and put him under them and demanded this sign from him. And so as he's now alone with his disciples, he uses the opportunity to teach them a lesson. This is something you guys need to understand. Sorry, I didn't finish my thought. This is something you need to understand. Take heed, beware of this. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. So in the Old Testament economy, leaven or yeast, as we call it today, it was permitted, except for certain times, especially during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. All the leaven or the yeast was to be removed from the homes, and it was forbidden in the grain offerings. a grain offering of bread that had leaven in it. And leaven was used most often in the Bible to represent corruption or sin. Now Jesus also used it in a positive way. So as we look forward here, Paul used it in a negative way. He wrote to Corinth in 1 Corinthians 5, six, your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? speaking of that lump, often it wasn't actually leaven, it was leavened dough that would be saved, this little portion of it, it would be saved to make the next leavened bread. And then after they mixed it up, before they baked it, they would pull a little bit away and store it and keep it for the next time that they needed to make bread. And so Paul's using that as this idea of sin within the church and how it spreads among the members. And it's a warning that leaven here is not good. Jesus, though, one time used it in a positive way. Matthew 13, 33, the kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened. And so as we look back at our text now, Mark 8, 15, he gives them this charge, he gives them this warning, take heed, beware. Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod. So here, obviously, leaven is a way to describe corruption, like it most often is. And notice both groups, the Pharisees and Herod, both of which directly opposed Jesus throughout his ministry. Remember that Jesus had just been on a tour of Gentile regions, and many believe One of the reasons for that, going to Tyre and Sidon and Caesarea Philippi and Decapolis, was to avoid the persecution of both Herod Antipas and the Pharisees. There was a pressure, political pressure, if you will, and Jesus had to fulfill his mission, so he just left the regions where they would be. Back in Mark 6.14, if you remember, we have the retelling of the death of John the Baptist, Because when Herod hears about Jesus, his name had become well known, and Herod said, John the Baptist is risen from the dead, therefore these things, these powers are at work in him. So Herod, remember, had killed John. He didn't really want to, but he kind of got tricked into it. Now John was supposedly back to life. A king that killed a man and came back would probably want to finish the job. Right, because his honor is now at stake. Well, you didn't kill him right or something, I don't know. Something's more powerful than you? His arrogance probably would want to finish the job. In Mark 3.6, the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against him how they might destroy him. So notice we have two political groups here. They were historically enemies. The Pharisees were all about the Torah. The Herodians were sympathetic to Herod and supported him. But now they come together because they have a common enemy in Christ. So when Jesus says this, there is also quite a lot at stake. And he's warning them, we're going back into Jewish territory. And we just had to leave Magdala because of the pressure there And I want you guys to be aware, be on alert, be on guard. The corruption, the leaven of these people was that they were opposed to Jesus' mission. And they were teaching things that were opposed to Jesus' mission. And so he's warning them, don't be deceived. They are spiritually blind. They don't understand why I've come. And that resulted in their false teaching. Jesus was the perfect representation of God the Father. He came as God the Son in the flesh to show us who God is and what God is like. And again, these men should have seen that, but their pride blinded them. They could not see Jesus for who he was. So he's now calling his men, his disciples, to spiritual sight. He wants them to have eyes to see and ears to hear. But unfortunately, they're not doing much better than the Pharisees as we see this defective conclusion in verse 16. Verse 16, so Mark 8, 16. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, it is because we have no bread. That's why he's saying this. And I know we chuckle at them, I don't know if I would have got it any better. I mean, I just, there's so many things that I miss, and I'm sure that if we're all honest, we all miss at times, right? We have 20-20 vision. Looking back, it's always easy to see, but they're right in the midst of it, and they're actually very concerned. Remember back in verse, let's see, back in 14, they had forgotten to take bread, They had one loaf for 13 people. They were concerned about that. You're like, man, maybe they just saw the feeding of the 5,000, the feeding of the 4,000, pretty sure Jesus could take care of it, but for whatever reason, they couldn't see it. They were consumed with the physical and missing the spiritual. And it's almost as if they totally ignore, they totally miss Jesus' use of metaphor when he's talking about the 11 of the Pharisees, 11 of Herod, They jumped to a conclusion that he must be scolding us because we forgot to bring bread. We didn't remember it. And again, couldn't Jesus have easily broken that one loaf and been able to feed and had baskets left over? But how easy it is to forget what God has done in the past. When we're going through a trial, we have something right in front of us. Maybe it is a financial situation and it It does not look good. Here's my income. Here's the bills. Something's not right. It's not lining up. How easy it is to fall into this way of thinking the same way that they are. So focused on the physical that that's what they jump to. They hear the word leaven. Oh, it's got to be about the bread. Totally ignoring the context. Notice also that they reasoned among themselves. So there was like a little conversation going on over here. I don't know if Jesus was up in the front of the boat and they were kind of in the back like hushed talking, but they had a conversation among themselves and they were talking. How long did that conversation go? I don't know. Maybe five minutes, maybe longer. They were trying to figure out, which is good in a sense, they were discussing the cautionary statement and they concluded it has to be because of the bread. Yes, Mike. Yeah, Mike's comment was, it's ironic they didn't include Jesus in the conversation. Yeah, so it could be that they've landed, and they're on the shore there in Bethsaida, and maybe he is not with them, maybe he's off praying. I mean, we don't really know the actual perfectly timed sequence of the events, but what could they have done if they didn't know what he meant? Ask them. But they jumped. Right, right, Jesus hears it. So he must have been close by enough to hear it, or as God, it didn't matter where he was, he could have heard it. But the point is, they totally miss the point. They reason among themselves, but they don't ask, they don't ask their Savior, they don't ask their Rabbi what he meant. Should have asked him. But they conclude together, it was because of the lack of bread. Well, Jesus comes back and responds to them with this demanding correction in verses 17 to 21. But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, why do you reason? Because you have no bread. Do you not yet perceive or understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? Having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? Verse 19, when I broke the five loaves for the 5,000, How many baskets full of fragments did you take up? And they said to him, 12. Verse 20. Also, when I broke the seven for the 4,000, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up? And they said, seven. So he said to them, how is it you do not understand? How is it you do not understand? We're gonna hearken back a couple chapters to Mark six. Verse 52. Jesus has walked to them on the water, on the waves, and it says he was about to pass by, and if you remember that passage, he was about to show them his glory. Like God had passed by Moses, they were about to experience something amazing, but their fear overcomes them, and so he has to come and help them. And why did they focus on their fear? Because their hearts were hardened, Mark 6.52. for they had not understood about the loaves because their heart was hardened. And now in chapter eight, I believe he's referencing this. Is your heart still hardened after all that's gone on from Mark 6 to Mark 8, and all the things you've seen me do, and all the miracles, and all the ways that I have proved to you that I am here, and that I love you, and that I can feed tens of thousands of people on small amounts of food, and that's what you're going to focus on? Are your hearts still hardened? Jesus echoed the prophets of old, Jeremiah 5.21. Hear this now, oh foolish people. without understanding, who have eyes and see not, and who have ears and hear not. You don't have eyes and ears for the spiritual, only the physical. Ezekiel 12, two, son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, God says to Ezekiel, which has eyes to see, but does not see, and ears to hear, but does not hear, for they are a rebellious house. We look back at our passage here in Mark. He says, Baskets full of fragments. Focus on what was left over. Remember the extra above and beyond all that we can ask or think. That's what I provided. 12 baskets at the 5,000. Seven large baskets. Remember they were much larger than the baskets referenced in the feeding of the 5,000. They were big enough a man could fit inside. And seven of those filled with fragments How is it you do not understand? Paraphrase. I have the power to create all the bread we need and plenty of extra. You are asking the wrong question. You're asking the wrong questions. You're going to the wrong conclusion. Well, yes. Oh. Yes. Yes. Right. So Barbara's remembering the parable of the sower and having that receptive soil to hear and understand the words of God. This is a good example. The hardness of the heart, that stony soil, or perhaps that soil along the path, it can represent a Christian's heart. We can get hard hearts. And that's exactly what they're dealing with. Jesus had the power to take care of the physical. Guys, that's not what we're focusing on here. I'm talking about the false teaching of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. As we conclude this morning, Matthew 16, 12, and we ask the question, is there any hope for these guys? Are they, you know, well, I hope so, because then if there's not hope for them, there's certainly no hope for me. Matthew's parallel passage gives us the hope. Matthew 16, 12, did they finally get it? Yes. Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, don't worry about the leaven, the actual physical yeast, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. And we could add the Herodians and Herod. Yes. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Sure. John's point was these men, these disciples had grown up in Jewish communities where the Pharisees and the scribes were the authority. And now they have a new authority, their rabbi, Jesus, and they're caught between them. Which authority will they follow? Will they follow the leaven, the doctrine of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herod, or will they follow the teaching of Christ? So that's our challenge today. Are we demanding things from God that he's already plainly shown to be true? Are we demanding that he do things in our life, in our timing and in our way? That's what the Pharisees were demanding of Christ. Or do we also struggle with hardened hearts as these disciples did? Struggling with the idea that the focus has gotta be on the physical and missing the spiritual that God is trying to teach us through his word. Let's be challenged, let's challenge ourselves. Let's not demand things of God and let's be wary of a heart that can become hardened. Let's pray. Father, thank you, Lord, so much for your word. Thank you that you do give us these teachings. I thank you for the life of the disciples, Lord, written out in plain, honest truth. Lord, even their weaknesses shown to us in scripture, which I believe serves to authenticate the reliability of the New Testament, Lord. Why would anyone with a false claim want to write about their failures so often? Yet these men are prone to do that. And I'm thankful, Lord, because it helps us when we fail. It reminds us, Lord, that even those that walked with you and saw you physically struggled. And so, Lord, please help us in our walk. Help us not to demand things of you and demand signs and be evil and adulterous, as Jesus called the Pharisees. Help us also, Lord, to have tender hearts Help us to be soft, teachable people so that your word can have its greatest impact in our lives. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for being here, guys. Have a great day.