Taking Up The Cross – Mark 8
Yeast represented the mixing of sin and unbelief with external religious practice in contrast to a heartfelt faith and obedience to the Lord.
The disciples saw powerful miracles the Lord Jesus did such as the feeding of thousands with only a few loaves and fish. However, they had difficulty applying the truth behind these miracles to their lives.
The parting of the Red Sea did not leave an impression on Israel (at that time) to inspire faith. If one doesn't believe God's Word one will not be convinced even if a miracle such as resurrection from the dead happens.
Human sin is so deceitful it conjures explanations for anything miraculous. Yet at the same time men lust after the supernatural.
Peter understood the Lord Jesus was the Messiah but he did not understand the mission of Christ. The Lord Jesus rebuked Peter when he suggested an alternate way to God's plan of salvation. This was similar to the verse that Moses knew God's ways but Israel only knew God's acts.
The Lord Jesus knew where he came from and where he was going. He set his face like flint towards Calvary, regardless of the opinions of family, his disciples, his critics: he set his face like a flint towards Calvary to obey and fulfill the plan of his Heavenly Father.
Mark 8:34-35, "Then Jesus called the crowd to himself along with his disciples and told them, If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me continually, because whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it."
The Lord Jesus fed people with bread and fish. He blessed the food and it multiplied to feed thousands of people. Later he warned his disciples to beware of the leaven of the religious leaders. They misunderstood and thought he talked about literal bread. He rebuked them for thinking like this especially in light of the fact that he created miraculous bread to feed thousands of people in front of them.
This demonstrated the depravity of unbelief in the heart of men. Even those who were eye witnesses to miracles had problems with unbelief in their heart. This proved that a miraculous sign does not convince people of the truth.
I am reminded of how I should keep quiet about miracles in my own life. When people do not believe me I am putting them in a position of accountability they may not be ready for. I am reminded I should only preach the gospel to people and not share events in my own life. The Lord does not take lightly the unbelief of people in the face of seeing or hearing of miracles.
Here again I am reminded of the foundational doctrine of denying self. The Lord Jesus told us again that a Christian must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Jesus. We cannot follow our own self and follow Jesus at the same time. Following Jesus means we forsake our own lives. Each person must be taught by the Holy Spirit how this applies in their own personal situation. If we receive the love of the truth then we will be taught by the Holy Spirit to deny our self and follow Jesus. To follow Jesus is to imitate what he did. What did Jesus do? He did not do anything in his own name but he did everything in the name of his Father.
In the same way we do not promote ourselves but instead do all in the name of the Lord Jesus and for the glory of God.
If a man attempts to preserve his life he will ultimately lose it. We cannot create our own life. We are not God no matter what the world tries to tell us. We are God's creation. When we offer ourselves completely to God then we find the true purpose and meaning of life. We are created to serve God, worship God, and lay down our life for his kingdom.
