Have you ever had a moment where you realized, with a jolt of panic, that you forgot to do something?
This happened to me recently. As I was drifting off to sleep after a busy day, it suddenly dawned on me that I had forgotten to submit an assignment for the class I was taking. In an instant, I went from relaxed and sleepy to stressed out and irritated with myself. It wasn’t the end of the world, but it was enough to unsettle me and keep me from sleeping.
And I wonder if you’ve ever been there.
- Maybe you forgot to cancel a subscription before it renewed and got stuck paying for it…
- Or maybe you signed up to bake cookies for your child’s school, but then forgot and walked in empty handed…
Sometimes, it’s not just the big, earth-shattering problems that get to us. It’s the endless, little details of everyday life—and our inability to juggle them all perfectly—that stress us out and wear us down.
Yet as I was reading Mark 8:14-21, this week, I was reminded: these things don’t have to affect us this way—not when we know Jesus.
Here’s what the passage says, speaking first of the disciples and then of Jesus:
They forgot to take bread; and they didn’t have more than one loaf in the boat with them. He warned them, saying, “Take heed: beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” They reasoned with one another, saying, “It’s because we have no bread.”
Jesus, perceiving it, said to them, “Why do you reason that it’s because you have no bread? Don’t you perceive yet or understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, don’t you see? Having ears, don’t you hear? Don’t you remember?
When I broke the five loaves among the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They told him, “Twelve.” “When the seven loaves fed the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They told him, “Seven.” He asked them, “Don’t you understand yet?”
I find this account to be incredibly relatable, what with the disciple’s very human forgetfulness. But I also find this passage to be challenging—because in it, Jesus gives us a warning we need to sit with and then He shows us a better way to navigate life.
The Warning:
Verse 14 begins, “They forgot to take bread; and they didn’t have more than one loaf in the boat with them.” Based on my own experiences with forgetfulness, I can imagine that the disciples were frustrated when they realized what they’d done.
- Maybe, they were kicking themselves for dropping the ball.
- Maybe, they were pointing the finger at each other, thinking someone else was supposed to have brought the bread.
- Maybe, they were sitting in the boat with Jesus, fretting about where their next meal would come from.
But regardless of the details, Jesus spoke these words into their frustration and worry: “Take heed: beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.”
These were timely words for the disciples, but not in the way they probably thought. You see, the disciple’s seemed to take Jesus’ reference to “yeast” literally, perhaps thinking He was warning them to avoid any bread offered them by Herod or the Pharisees. But Jesus’ warning was about something far more dangerous and subtle than that.
He was warning them—and us—about something we’re all at risk of: the temptation of being familiar with God’s truth without actually applying it by faith.
This was the failure that the Pharisees and Herod had in common.
- In Mark 8:11-12, the Pharisees had asked Jesus for a sign to prove who He was—yet Jesus refused. They had already seen more than enough signs to prove His identity and they hadn’t responded in faith to a single one.
- And similarly, in Mark 6:14-29, Herod had enjoyed listening to the words of John the Baptist—He seemed to be entertained by them—and yet he had failed to believe or apply John’s words by repenting.
These people were familiar with the truth. But they didn’t believe it or apply it.
Now, it’s easy to look at these examples and, as Christians, think, “I’m not at risk of that. I do believe. I haverepented.” Yet Jesus warned His disciples—who were believers like us—because they were falling into this very same trap.
Think about it: The disciples had twice seen Jesus stretch a scant supply of bread and fish to feed thousands of people—with plenty of leftovers to satisfy their own hunger. They had seen that Jesus could stretch their resources and provide for their needs. Yet just a short time later, when they forget to bring bread, they panicked. They got frustrated.
Weren’t they doing the very thing Jesus warned them against? They were familiar with the truth of what Jesus could do. But when a problem arose, they didn’t believe He could do it again. And they didn’t apply the truth by simply turning to Jesus for help.
I hate to admit it, but this is something I often do, too. Maybe, it’s the same for you. As Christians, we may be familiar with the fact that Jesus can provide for us and work things out for our good—yet, when day to day problems arise, we panic and get frustrated all the same. Just like the disciples, we fail to apply the truths we know to the lives we lead. We face problems and suddenly forget to have faith.
And when we fall into this trap, we miss out on so much good: God’s peace in place of our panic and a chance to receive His provisions instead of the pressure to figure things out on our own. Thankfully, Jesus shows us how we can cultivate more faith-filled responses in our day-to-day lives.
The Better Way:
In verses 17-18, Jesus says, “Don’t you perceive yet or understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, don’t you see? Having ears, don’t you hear? Don’t you remember?” And in these convicting questions, we can actually find 3 things that Jesus wants us to do as we go through life with Him.
He wants us to NOTICE. Jesus asked, “Having eyes, don’t you see? Having ears, don’t you hear?” The disciples had seen Jesus’ miracles and heard His teaching. But it doesn’t seem like they paid much attention to these things. And it makes me think: How often do we zone out during sermons and skim through scriptures we need to hear? And how often do we go through life on auto-pilot, overlooking the mini-miracles God does for us every day?
Jesus wants us to pay attention and truly notice what He’s doing and saying.
He wants us to UNDERSTAND. Jesus asked, “Don’t you perceive yet or understand? Is your heart still hardened?” The disciples’ story is proof when Jesus moves in our lives, He’s also trying to teach us a deeper, spiritual lesson. For example, when He provides for a need we can’t meet, He’s not just alleviating our stress in the moment. He’s teaching us that nothing is impossible for Him. And when Scripture redirects us and keeps us from going in a dangerous direction, God isn’t just protecting us in the moment (though He definitely is doing that). He’s also teaching us that His ways are better than our own and that His guidance is worth seeking before we act.
Jesus wants us to have soft, teachable hearts that understand and believe the lessons He’s teaching us. And for this, we need to ask the Holy Spirit’s help.
He wants us to REMEMBER. Jesus asked, “Don’t you remember?” The disciples were concerned because they had forgotten bread. But Jesus was more concerned that they had forgotten His faithfulness. Yesterday’s provision is not manna, good for one day only. It is meant to fuel today’s faith and trust in God.
So, how will we keep the faithfulness of God before us? How will we ensure we never forget what He’s done and what He can do? The Holy Spirit will help us, but remembering is still something we ought to be intentional about.
In the midst of everyday life, with so many details that we’re bound to forget something, the one thing we can’t afford to forget is our Savior’s faithfulness.
That is what we must always notice, understand, remember—and apply by faith—because when we do, we find that our problems are no problem to Him.
May we remember and live by faith.
This devotion is based on one of the Scriptures from my 2025 reading plan: “A Year in the Gospels” To receive a copy of the reading plan (and future reading plans), sign up for the email list below. Hope you’ll follow along! You can also learn more about my Scripture over Screentime experiment here.
Written by Paige K. Burhans
©2025 Paige K. Burhans
Scriptures taken from the World English Bible. Public Domain.
