Beware the Leaven

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod - Mark 8:14-21

Dear Friends, the disciples have just got into the boat with Jesus. They’ve forgotten to bring bread—only one loaf between them (v.14). Jesus, still carrying the weight of the Pharisees’ hard-hearted demand for a sign, warns them: “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod” (v.15).

They think He’s talking about literal bread. They start arguing among themselves because they’ve only got one loaf (v.16). Jesus hears the bickering and sighs deeply again—this time with a touch of sorrowful exasperation. “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see, and having ears, do you not hear?” (vv.17–18).

Then He takes them back to the two feedings they’ve witnessed. “When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They answer, “Twelve.” “And the seven for the four thousand?” “Seven.” He presses the point: “Do you not yet understand?” (vv.19–21).

Jesus isn’t worried about their lack of bread. He’s concerned about their lack of faith. They’ve seen Him multiply loaves twice—once for Jews, once for Gentiles—and still they panic over one loaf. They’ve seen His power over hunger, over demons, over sickness, yet when He warns about “leaven,” they miss the point completely.

The leaven of the Pharisees was hypocrisy and unbelief masked as religious zeal. The leaven of Herod was worldliness, moral compromise, and power-hungry cynicism. Both spread quietly, corrupting from within. Jesus is warning: don’t let that kind of thinking infect your hearts. Don’t demand signs instead of trusting. Don’t let fear over tomorrow blind you to the miracles of yesterday.

We do the same. We’ve seen God provide, heal, deliver—yet when the cupboard looks bare or the future feels uncertain, we start calculating loaves instead of remembering the Lord who multiplies them. Our hearts can harden too—not through outright rebellion, but through forgetfulness, worry, and small-mindedness.

Jesus sighs because He loves them. He wants them to see, to hear, to understand that He is enough. One loaf in the boat with Jesus is more than enough when He is the Bread of Life.

Today, pause and remember the “feedings” in your own life—the times God has provided when there was nothing left. Let those memories guard your heart against the leaven of unbelief and fear. When you only have one loaf, look to the One who holds it—and trust Him to make it more than sufficient.

Point to Ponder: Forgetting God’s past faithfulness is the quickest way to doubt His present power.

Verse to Remember: “Do you not yet understand?” (Mark 8:21 ESV)

Question to Consider: Where are you tempted right now to focus on what you lack instead of who you have with you? What past “feeding” can you recall today to remind your heart that Jesus is more than enough?

Article written by Shaun Fereday, Leader @SFGH Church