As we move from the story of the crowds being fed, it really is quite funny now that the disciples have forgotten to bring bread! (They should have kept some of those leftovers!) But not to miss the opportunity, Jesus uses it as a brilliant opportunity to warn the disciples of the real danger of the Pharisees and Herod. Jesus says that the Pharisees and Herod are like that of yeast - possibly appearing insignificant or of no threat, but just as a tiny amount of yeast transforms the dough, so the Pharisees and Herod can have an insidious effect.

What is the effect that Jesus seems to be most concerned of when it comes to the disciples? That they will have hard hearts like that of the Pharisees, failing to understand who Jesus truly is, and accordingly limiting their trust in him. That’s the danger for the disciples!

I often say that the two most important questions for all of humanity are, ‘who do you say that Jesus is?’ and ‘what is the condition of your heart?’. Both questions are critical! For it is not enough to simply see who Jesus is, but also that our hearts would be soft enough to accept it as true. If the disciples cannot trust in Jesus for bread, how will they possibly trust in him as their Lord and Saviour?

The best way to grow our trust in Jesus is to grow in our vision and clarity of who he is whilst also softening our hearts toward him. That means coming to Jesus with great humility and openness, being willing for him to have his way with us and our lives. That can make us feel extraordinarily vulnerable, but we have every reason to trust in the goodness of our Lord. AL

Questions

Prayer

Loving Lord, please help us by the power of your Spirit to have hearts flung open towards Jesus. May we be so compelled in clarity of who Jesus is, that we would respond with an ever-growing trust in him. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.