Pastor Kim Riddlebarger, of Christ Reformed Church, in a sermon on Mark 8:
What does this encounter [Mark 8:14-21] between Jesus and the Pharisees say to us? How do Jesus’ words to his disciples apply to us?
It is easy for us to read this account and think, “these disciples are really a bunch of nimrods.” “How dumb can these guys be?” But if we are thinking that way, we’ve really missed the whole point of Jesus’ words. Yes, these men were called by Jesus to be his disciples before the cross and resurrection. There is a sense in which at this point in redemptive history there was no way they could fully understand what Jesus was doing. And for this, we must cut them some slack. But they are also missing the whole point. The problem is that they are hard of heart. They see and hear what Jesus is doing but they fail to make the connection between Jesus’ words and deeds, and therefore they can’t see true purpose of his mission.
Jesus came to save his people from their sins. Because they were hard of heart, this is the fundamental thing they were not understanding. Jesus mission is not just to fulfill prophecy. His mission is not just to restore Israel and draw the Gentile nations to worship Israel’s God. If Jesus is bringing God’s long- promised salvation, then he is bringing it to people who can do nothing to save themselves, because they are dead in sins. To fully understand why Jesus came, you need to understand that he came to save sinners. And if he came to save you, it is because you are a sinner who needs to be saved. This is what the disciples don’t yet understand. They can do nothing to save themselves. Everything that Jesus had said and done pointed to this. But not seeing themselves as helpless sinners, what Jesus says and does, doesn’t really make sense. Why did he cast out demons? Why did he heal certain illnesses in these public settings? Why does he challenge the Pharisees as to their self-righteousness and unbiblical distinction between clean and unclean? He did it to expose the very thing for which they hated him. He called them sinners. Instead of repenting, they ask for yet another miraculous sign.
The disciples have not yet connected the dots.
Therefore, the application for us is not to make the same mistake. Every person here is a sinner. And if you hear this account but don’t grasp the fact that Jesus is doing all of this to save you from your sins, then you’ve missed the whole point. You are just like one of those people in the crowd who ate, had their fill, and said, “wow, this is pretty amazing.” “This guy should be our king.” It is only through the eyes of faith that we understand that Jesus miraculously produced earthly bread, because he alone can give us heavenly bread, which is the promise that he will save us from our sins.
While we may think that spiritual sight and spiritual hearing involves some great mystical experience, then you need to know that it really doesn’t. If you know yourself to be a sinner, and if you believe that Jesus was doing all this so that you might be forgiven of your sins and if you desire to live a life of gratitude before him because of what he has done for you, then you get it. You have spiritual understanding. It has been granted to you..
But if you think, “I need one more miraculous sign, and then I’ll believe.” If you think, “this is all very interesting, but . . .” Or if you think, “I can gain understanding of spiritual principles by observing what Jesus did and then do what he did . . .” Or, even if you think “its all a load of dung,” then you don’t get it. And unless God grant you understanding, you never will get it. But there’s one prayer God always answers. It’s not “please Lord, give a miraculous sign!” It is “Lord I believe, help my unbelief!” If you haven’t already, now is the time to pray that prayer. If you know that Jesus was doing all of this for you, then come to this table this morning and receive the same thing the disciples did, living bread from heaven. Receive this heavenly bread with both joy and understanding. For Jesus did all of this to save us from our sins.
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