Mark 8:1-21
8: In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.
11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.
14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 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.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
Reflection
Jesus compares the unbelief of the Pharisees to “leaven”— a piece of fermented dough that spreads its influence throughout an entire batch of bread. This is a warning to the disciples so that they won’t be contaminated by the unbelief of the Jewish leadership. Even though the disciples have not rejected Jesus, they do not yet properly understand who he is (Mark 8:17, 21); their hearts are still somewhat blind and deaf (v. 18), and Jesus wants them to wake up.
In love for us, Jesus exposes our hearts in order to help us understand the gospel of his grace. We have nothing of substance to provide to others until we have tasted the reality of Christ (cf. Eph. 1:18). Since God has revealed his grace to us, we can now offer his grace to others. This is the pattern of a gospel-formed life.
2 Corinthians 7:2-16
2 Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. 4 I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.
5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. 8 For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. 9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.
10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 11 For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. 12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God. 13 Therefore we are comforted.And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. 14 For whatever boasts I made to him about you, I was not put to shame. But just as everything we said to you was true, so also our boasting before Titus has proved true. 15 And his affection for you is even greater, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice, because I have perfect confidence in you.
Reflection
Paul was comforted (2 Cor. 7:7, 13) when he heard from Titus that the Corinthians had responded well (vv. 9–10) to one of Paul’s previous letters (v. 8). It was a “difficult” letter because Paul had to share some hard but loving truth (7:8; see 2:1–11). The letter produced a “godly” sorrow that helped the Corinthians turn away from sin (7:10). Their repentance produced in them a new enthusiasm to live in God’s ways (v. 11). The result was that their obedience brought refreshment and joy to Paul and Titus (vv. 13b, 15).
Only the gospel can produce this kind of transformation. When we are confronted with hard truths, the good news of God’s grace gives us the strength to turn away from our sin by telling us that we can be forgiven. Christ has already paid the penalty, and God fully accepts us despite our failures. This allows us to confess our shortcomings and turn back to God without fear of his rejection. This kind of humility leads to obedience, which brings comfort and joy to the rest of the Christian community (vv. 13, 16).
Psalm 139:23-24
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
God reveals our sin to us because he loves us and does not want us to continue self-destructing. Ask God to show you if there are areas of sin in your life that you are not aware of that are hurting you or others.