Mark 8:10–21
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?”
The location of ancient Dalmanutha (Matthew's Magadan Matt. has never been identified for certain. Many scholars, however, believe it to be on the west side of the Sea of Galilee between Tiberias and Gennesaret on the map.
The ESV translation rightly gets at the opposition nature of the Pharisee's questions and testing. They aren't there to genuinely question him. They are there to argue with him. The testing isn't to examine if they think Jesus is telling the truth or not. The testing in the sense of attempting to discredit him.
The Pharisees are asking him for a "sign". This is to be differentiated from a miracle. They aren't necessarily synonymous. Jesus had been doing miracles all along. What they are seeking is an unmistakable sign from God that he is indeed his messenger. To their request, Jesus "sighs deeply in his spirit". This is a sign of Jesus' despair. The things that he has already done, are not enough of a sign for them. Many have wondered why Jesus didn't just give them a sign here like Elijah in 1 Kings 19. It is likely the emphasis on faith required to follow Jesus. For them to believe after such a sign wouldn't require any faith at all. Jesus, instead is looking for people who truly have faith.
Mark quickly moves on to the next scene where Jesus hasn't let the previous encounter with the Pharisees go. He warns them to be aware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod (possibly referring to the Herodians—a Jewish group fiercely loyal to Herod Antipas). Leaven is referring to yeast that causes the dough to rise and is passed from batch to batch. It is almost always referred to in a negative sense in the NT. This "leaven" that he is warning the disciples of is likely their unbelief and persistent attempts to discredit Jesus. Their lack of belief in Jesus is one of the only things they share in common. As we've been noting throughout the first 7 chapters, the disciples are yet to profess faith in Jesus and his Messianic identity. Their failure would be even worse than the Pharisees as the disciples have traveled closely with him.
The disciples don't get it. Their minds are constantly on the physical situation, never grasping the deeper spiritual meaning Jesus is calling them to consider. They think he is calling them out for not bringing enough bread. They are worried about their lack of bread; Jesus is concerned with their lack of faith. Jesus recalls the prophetic lament of Ezekiel and Jeremiah and expresses it here towards the disciples and their lack of understanding (Ez. 12:2; Jer. 5:21). As Mark has already reported, their hearts had indeed been hardened and they were unable to understand.
Jesus reminds them of the feeding of the 5k and the feeding of the 4k. Interestingly, his emphasis isn't even on the miracle itself, it is on how many baskets full they picked up after the event—12 and 7. As we saw in those passages those numbers have great significance (see: Friday: Feeding of the 5k and Wednesday: Feeding the 4k ). He is calling them to note the big idea from those events. Jesus is the bread of life, the mana from heaven, who inaugurates the Kingdom of God in the world by bringing God's perfect rule and incorporating the Gentiles into the cosmic fulfillment of the Sabbath rest.
They don't yet understand, but Jesus hasn't given up on them. We must keep reading...