The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod (Mark 8:11-21)

 

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod (Mark 8:11-21)

Every person holds a different image of who the Messiah should be. The Jews wanted a Messiah with mighty military power like King David. Many people bow to Mammon, thinking that wealth can solve everything. However, the Christ of God, who became incarnate on this earth, came to suffer and be killed. The Lord Jesus Christ became the Lord of salvation, washing away sins and granting freedom through his death and the shedding of his blood.

In Mark 8:11-21, Jesus sighed deeply because of the religious leaders who did not believe due to their hardened hearts. He rebuked the disciples, who still did not properly understand the suffering Christ, asking, "Do you still not understand?" The suffering Christ is the true Messiah who delivers this world from sin and death and leads us to the kingdom of heaven.

This Generation Asks for a Sign

11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. (Mark 8:11-13)

The Pharisees demanded a sign to confirm that Jesus was the Messiah. In fact, this is the same work the devil does. The devil persistently attacked and tested Jesus while he fasted forty days and forty nights in the wilderness. The devil's temptation was a demand for Jesus to easily reveal himself as the Messiah to the world (Matt 4:1-11). It was a temptation to manifest himself immediately without carrying the cross.

The Law and the Prophets prophesied that the suffering Christ would come. Therefore, the devil persistently tests Jesus to reject suffering in any way possible. He tempts by packaging suffering as if it were becoming a loser. The mark of a Christian is not success or wealth, but participating in the remaining sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:17).

So, Jesus looked at this generation asking for a sign and sighed deeply in his spirit. This was because they had no faith and their hearts were hardened, making them like those who are deaf and mute (Mark 7:32). Jesus rejected all the devil's temptations. And he gave no sign to those who sought one. In his hometown, Jesus did not perform any miracles because they did not believe and hardened their hearts (Mark 6:5).

However, did Jesus show no signs at all? No. Jesus showed numerous signs of the Christ, the Son of God, right before their eyes. He healed the sick and drove out demons. He performed the miracle of feeding five thousand with five loaves and two fish and opened the eyes of the blind. He rebuked the wind and the sea to make them calm and walked on the water.

Jesus restored sight to a man blind from birth. However, that man was persecuted by the Pharisees and priests (John 9:15-16). The reason was that the day he opened his eyes was the Sabbath. The religious leaders stubbornly refused to believe in and rejected Jesus as the Christ sent by God; they treated him as a sinner and sought to kill him. At that time, the man who had been blind rebuked them, saying:

"Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." (John 9:32-33)

Above all, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and various parables were words of authority teaching the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. Before Jesus came, the word of God was rare throughout the land of Judea. After the prophet Malachi, there was no word of God for four hundred years. But to their thirsty and weary hearts, Jesus Christ, the Son of God who spoke in the beginning, spoke directly with his own voice.

"But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe." (Heb 1:2)

Watch out for the Yeast of Men

14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” (Mark 8:14-15)

Yeast refers to evil influence. The yeast of the Pharisees is the hypocrisy of having the name of religion but not believing, and the yeast of Herod is greed and corruption. The Pharisees were the group of Jewish religious leaders, and Herod was a Gentile king appointed by Rome to rule the Judean region. Herod killed John the Baptist for no reason (Mark 6:27).

Their evil influence lies in not upholding justice and righteousness in the name of religion and leadership, but using them to fill their own interests and greed. Even today, hypocrisy, injustice, and greed carried out in the name of the church or the people remain the same. Regardless of time or place, the practice of plundering the weak and taking unfair profits in the name of religion, power, and wealth is widespread.

There Is Only One Teacher, the Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus taught his disciples that there is only one Master, God in heaven, and they are all brothers. No human is above another. There is only one Teacher, the Lord Jesus Christ. The object of our worship is not any other person, but only the Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins.

8 "But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah." (Matt 23:8-10)

No person can lord it over another. Jesus told his disciples not to exercise authority and lord it over people like the rulers of the Gentiles (Matt 20:25). Rather, he commanded that if they want to be great, they must humble themselves and be servants (Matt 20:26).

Jesus showed the example first. As Creator God, Jesus is worthy to receive glory, honor, praise, and blessing, but instead, he emptied himself, humbled himself, and was obedient to God the Father even to the point of death on a cross (Phil 2:6-8). This was not because the Lord committed a crime, but because he took upon himself the sins of this world. The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). The cross of Jesus manifests this fact.

22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:22-24)

"Are Your Hearts Hardened? Do You Still Not Understand?"

16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.” 17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. 20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.” 21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” (Mark 8:16-21)

The disciples did not correctly understand Jesus’ words of warning and misunderstood, thinking it was because they had not brought bread. Their hearts had become hard and difficult. When Jesus came to the disciples walking on the water, they mistook him for a ghost and were terrified. When he climbed into the boat with them, they were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened (Mark 6:52).

It takes a considerable amount of time to realize that Jesus came to this earth to be the Christ of suffering. The appearance of the disciples is our own reflection in the mirror. For a long time, the Jews longed for the Messiah. To them, the Messiah was a figure with the power of a strong army, like King David, who would establish a kingdom on earth, defeating all enemies.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the disciples and the people welcomed him enthusiastically, believing that that very day the Lord would establish his kingdom on this earth (Matthew 21:8-9). However, Jesus came to be sacrificed as the Passover Lamb of God (John 1:29; Luke 22:7; 1 Corinthians 5:7). It took time for the disciples to understand the Messiah of suffering, from the time Jesus suffered and rose again until his ascension.

As Jews, the disciples followed Jesus with dreams of an earthly Messianic kingdom. Breaking that dream and accepting the Christ of suffering was a task more difficult and painful than death. Jesus told them that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life (Matthew 16:21). At this, Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” (Matthew 16:22).

After Jesus suffered and rose again on the third day, he appeared to the disciples, gave them peace, and breathed the Holy Spirit on them (John 20:21-22). To the doubting Thomas, he showed the nail marks in his hands and the wound in his side, saying, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). At the Sea of Galilee, he personally prepared breakfast and fed the disciples with fish and bread (John 21:12-13).

Jesus helped his disciples believe that he was the Son of God who bore the cross, died, was buried, and rose again. However, at the very moment Jesus was ascending to the Father in heaven, the disciples asked, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).

But after the Holy Spirit descended from heaven like tongues of fire on Pentecost, the disciples' hearts were opened and they believed in the Christ of suffering (Acts 2:36). When they heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked what they should do. Peter told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and the number of those who accepted the Lord Jesus Christ that day was about three thousand (Acts 2:37-41).

Ultimately, the disciples accepted the Christ of suffering and testified to the gospel in the 1st century throughout Judea, Samaria, and the whole earth. Following the truth of Christ's cross, they endured much suffering and led many people to Christ, the Son of God.

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Amen!

April 26, 2026

Buffalo Livingstone Church ©2026, David Lee Ministries ©2026 – All Rights Reserved.

Scripture quotes are from the NIV.

 

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand (Mark 8:1-10)

 

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand (Mark 8:1-10)

The prophet Isaiah asks this: "What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches?" (Isaiah 10:3). A day of God is prepared, where He will judge everything with justice and truth. In that dreadful and fearsome day, to whom do we seek help? It is only our Lord Jesus Christ.

In Mark 8:1-13, Jesus fed a hungry crowd until they were full with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. Since this area is known as Decapolis, they were a crowd of Gentiles. Jesus felt compassion for the famished crowd and fed them. He filled them with spiritual grace descended from heaven.

A Large Crowd Had Gathered and Had Nothing to Eat

1 During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2 "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance." 4 His disciples answered, "But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?" (Mark 8:1-4)

A large crowd followed Jesus, and three days had passed so they had nothing to eat. A person eats three meals a day. There is a Korean proverb that says, "There is no man who wouldn't climb over a fence after starving for three days." Appetite is a basic and strong human desire. Hunger is a pain difficult to endure. God, who made us, knows this fact better.

Jesus felt compassion for the large crowd who had been with Him for three days without food. He knew that if He sent them home without feeding them, they would collapse on the way. Hearing these words, the disciples reacted that it was impossible—how could they feed these people in this wilderness?

The disciples judged rationally based on the current situation. They failed to connect this with the miracle where Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. This resembles us a lot. Jesus trusted God the Father in heaven and knew He would feed the large crowd. However, even with Jesus Christ—the Son of God—right before their eyes, the disciples' hearts were hard according to their cold pocket situations.

God Supplies All Food

God sends sunshine and rain and makes grass, vegetables, and fruit trees bear fruit. He gave all these things to humans as food (Genesis 1:29). According to the seasons, ripe grains are harvested from the fields. Fruits and vegetables are overflowing in every food store. There is no shortage for anyone to eat until full without starving from the plants that grow on this earth.

God showed proof of this fact to the descendants of Abraham during the forty years in the wilderness. Every day, He fed them by sending down manna from heaven. The meaning of manna is "What is it?" The wilderness is a harsh place where farming is impossible. However, God led His people to the desert and supplied food from heaven every day until they entered the land of Canaan.

"The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan." (Exodus 16:35)

The Israelites went out to the field every morning and gathered as much as each person could eat, one omer (2 liters) per person. Whether they gathered much or little, when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little (Exodus 16:17-18). With the food God provided, there was no shortage for all the people to eat until full.

However, God forbade anyone from leaving any manna until morning. For those who disobeyed and kept it until morning, it became full of maggots and began to smell so they could not eat it (Exodus 16:19-20). Also, on the sixth day, He had each person gather a double portion—two omers per person—because the seventh day was the Sabbath. At that time, the food kept for the next day did not have maggots or smell (Exodus 16:24).

This was a process of discipline and training to trust God. For forty years, without missing a single day, He disciplined them to fully trust and follow the faithful God, the God who feeds them personally. The hard stubbornness of man is strong like a rock and does not break easily. God, who made man, wants us to open the doors of our hearts and come to the Lord in His long-suffering.

The One Who Gathered Much Did Not Have Too Much, and the One Who Gathered Little Did Not Have Too Little

How is it possible? The one who gathered little had no lack, and the one who gathered much had no surplus. This is because God Himself supplies everything. In this world, there are rich people and poor people. However, eating three meals a day is the same. The amount of calories the body needs is the same.

The reason God allowed wealth is so that we may share it together. This is not just money, but also sharing the talents we have received. God gave different gifts to each of the saints who make up the church: prophesying (explaining Gospel truth), serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, and showing mercy (Romans 12:6-8).

In Christ, believers have received different gifts. Since gifts are received from heaven above, they are given to serve others and build up the church, which is the body of Christ (1 Peter 4:10; Ephesians 4:12). Since we received the gifts freely, we give them freely (Matthew 10:8). The first-century early church embodied this model.

"All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had." (Acts 4:32)

Because we have received gifts in Christ, it is important to know what kind of gift it is. First, we received the gift of the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. The Holy Spirit, who is the Holy Spirit of God, indwells eternally within the believer.

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17)

Also, we have each received the gifts listed above. It may take time to know what that gift is. However, if you like a certain gift, you can gauge it by offering it. This is God's promise. Therefore, it is right to find the spiritual gift received from heaven and return it to the Lord.

Taking Seven Loaves and Giving Thanks

5 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied. 6 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. 7 They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9 About four thousand men were present. After he had sent them away, 10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. (Mark 8:5-10)

Just like when He performed the miracle of the five loaves and two fish, Jesus took a few loaves and small fish, gave thanks, and had His disciples distribute them. Even though there were four thousand people gathered, everyone ate until they were full, and seven baskets of pieces were left over. In the Bible, the number seven represents perfection or completion. In the previous miracle of the five loaves and two fish, twelve baskets were left over, symbolizing the twelve tribes of Israel.

This miracle shows us that God has compassion on everyone and feeds them personally. Even if there had been ten or a hundred times more people there, He would have fed them all until they were satisfied. Today, so many people still suffer from hunger. This isn't actually because of a food shortage; the main causes of hunger are inequality, discrimination, conflict, strife, climate change, and poverty.

A Famine of Hearing the Words of the Lord

Beyond physical hunger, spiritual hunger is also a serious issue. People might have plenty to eat and wear, but the empty space in their hearts is just too big. This leads to mental health struggles like depression and can even lead to suicide.

I heard about someone who went on a mission trip to Africa. Because the local conditions were so poor and lacking, they expected the people to be dark, sad, and miserable. But once they actually got there and experienced it, they were shocked to find that the people living there were actually happier and more content than those living in developed countries.

Physical poverty and harsh conditions don't automatically mean a person will live a miserable or pathetic life. On the flip side, even in the midst of material abundance, spiritual emptiness and hunger can be even more severe. This kind of thirst and hunger is exactly what the prophet Amos predicted—a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.

11 “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. 12 People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it. 13 In that day the lovely young women and strong young men will faint because of thirst.” (Amos 8:11-13)

God Feeds and Clothes Us Personally

When the devil tempted Jesus—right when He was extremely hungry after fasting for forty days—he told Him, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread" (Matthew 4:3). At that moment, Jesus drove the devil away by saying:

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4; Deut. 8:3)

God Himself feeds us and clothes us. He protects us from lies and threats. He leads us beside quiet waters and allows us to bear fruit in abundance (Psalm 23:1-3). The driving force behind our breathing, thinking, and moving is God in heaven.

God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to show the world His love and grace—feeding, clothing, and protecting us. Jesus became flesh and confirmed this truth by shedding His blood on the cross, dying, being buried, and rising again. Human thirst and hunger are actually evidence of a longing for salvation. Through His blood, Jesus has set us free from sin and death and saved us. Amen!

God is our refuge who saves us and our shield who protects us (Genesis 15:1). Anyone can come before God at any time, and He will welcome them and pour out spiritual blessings from heaven in abundance. In days of trouble, in gloomy or depressing times, or when the darkness is thick, God shines a bright light. When we come into that light, we find life, hope, peace, joy, and rest.

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”  (John 6:68)

Amen!

April 19, 2026

Buffalo Livingstone Church ©2026, David Lee Ministries ©2026 – All Rights Reserved.

Scripture quotes are from the NIV.

 

Healing a Deaf and Mute Man (Mark 7:31-37)

 

Healing a Deaf and Mute Man (Mark 7:31-37)

Who doesn’t want to be a blessed person? No one. However, not everyone becomes blessed naturally. Here, "blessing" refers to spiritual blessings from heaven, not wealth, health, or success. Heavenly spiritual blessing is eternal life. Eternal life is enjoying God’s love, joy, peace, and patience under any circumstances.

In Mark 7:31-37, people brought a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment to Jesus. Jesus took him aside, away from the crowd, looked up to heaven with a deep sigh, and said, "Ephphatha!" Immediately, his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak plainly. A blessed person is one who hears and understands God's Word and, through obedience, stores up treasures in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus Goes to Tyre, Sidon, and the Decapolis

"Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis." (Mark 7:31)

Jesus visited the regions of Tyre, Sidon, and the Decapolis. These were all Gentile territories. In the region of Tyre, he praised the faith of a Syrophoenician woman and delivered her demon-possessed daughter (Mark 7:24-30). In the region of the Decapolis, Jesus healed a man possessed by a legion of demons and told him to go and tell how much the Lord had done for him and how he had had mercy on him (Mark 5:19).

Jesus is the Christ for both Jews and the Gentiles (all peoples). This is because God is one (Romans 3:29). Just as God loves the children already in his sheep pen, he also loves those who are not yet inside. Therefore, to manifest God's love, Jesus sent his disciples out into all the world (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).

20 "My prayer is not for them (his disciples) alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:20-23)

God reveals himself to others through those who have already received salvation. He called one man, Abraham, and credited him with righteousness through faith to show the way of salvation through faith for all people (Romans 4:23-24). He established Israel to save all people through one nation (Exodus 19:5-6). God shines his grace and love upon each of us so that it may be revealed to this world. Like the moon reflecting light in the night sky, we reflect the light of God’s love.

Bringing the Deaf and Mute Man

32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him. 33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. (Mark 7:32-35)

People brought a disabled man who was deaf and could hardly talk to Jesus. He was a pitiful person who could hear nothing and could not speak properly. Jesus took him aside, away from the crowd, and healed him in a very unique way. Since the man could not hear or speak, Jesus touched his ears and his tongue.

Looking up to heaven, Jesus sighed and said, "Ephphatha (ἐφφαθά)!"—which means "Be opened." Immediately, his ears were opened, his stiff tongue was loosened, and he spoke clearly. Spiritually speaking, being deaf and mute refers to a state where one hears God's Word but does not understand it, and does not know how to come before God to share fellowship.

They Will Be Ever Hearing but Never Understanding

This is the condition of the hearts of those who stubbornly reject and do not believe in God, both in Jesus' time and today. When Jesus spoke the parable of the sower, he quoted the prophecy of Isaiah (Mark 4:12).

9 He said, “Go and tell this people: “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ 10 Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:9-10)

In Isaiah chapter 6, the prophet was called to go to his people and speak God's Word. At that time, God's presence filled the temple, and the seraphim sang, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sound of their voices, the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke (Isaiah 6:1-4). The God who appeared to the prophet Isaiah still exists today in glory, honor, power, and majesty (Revelation 4:11, 5:13, 7:12). God is omnipresent forever.

God told the people to go and proclaim; specifically, that the people would be ever hearing but never understanding, and ever seeing but never perceiving. At this, Isaiah asked, "For how long, Lord?" Then, the Lord God said:

11 Then I said, “For how long, Lord?” And he answered: “Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, 12 until the Lord has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken. 13 And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.” (Isaiah 6:11-13).

Jerusalem, where God’s temple stood, has been destroyed three times in history. The temple was torn down by the Babylonian army led by King Nebuchadnezzar (587/586 BC). Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed a second time by the Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes (167 BC). Then, in AD 70, Jerusalem and the temple were thoroughly destroyed by the Roman General Titus, leaving not one stone on another. Currently, no temple of God stands in Jerusalem.

Furthermore, this day points to the day when our Lord Jesus Christ will return as King of kings and Lord of lords to judge this world (2 Peter 3:10-12; Isaiah 13:9). This immoral and sinful world will face the righteous judgment of God and be eternally destroyed (Matthew 12:39). However, God has left a remnant. They are those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God and have been washed by His blood.

Why does God keep them from understanding and perceiving until the land is devastated? This means He does so until people repent and turn back. The blood of Jesus Christ is the atoning blood shed for all people in this world. However, the blood of Jesus becomes effective for those who repent, turn back, and believe. If there is no repentance, the gates of heaven will never open.

Repentance involves the disappearance of one’s self—that is, death. If “I” do not disappear, it is not true repentance. This is because the “me” who is in Adam is fallen and has nothing worthy of being called righteous. Therefore, our old self must die. But if we die, we put on the new self through God’s power of resurrection and gain eternal life (John 12:24).

He Looked Up to Heaven with a Deep Sigh

Jesus looked up to heaven and sighed deeply. In contrast, when Jesus performed the miracle of the five loaves and two fish, He looked up to heaven and gave thanks (Mark 6:41). Jesus sighed because of the stubbornness of His people who were ever hearing but never understanding, and ever seeing but never perceiving. He lamented that they could not fully enjoy the privileges of the Law, the promises, the temple, and worship, but instead fell into being deaf and mute, trapped in the traditions of the elders.

In the days of Noah, when God saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time, He regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled (Genesis 6:5-6). Because God is holy, He cannot just overlook sin and must judge it. He laments that He must judge humans who were created in His own image and likeness (Genesis 6:7).

And God commanded one righteous man who believed in Him, Noah, to build an ark of salvation (Genesis 6:14-16). Noah was a remnant who feared and obeyed God in a fallen world. He followed everything God commanded and built the ark of salvation. His ears were open to hearing God's word, and his lips said "Amen" in obedience.

Even now, God says "Ephphatha" toward this world. He has given His holy word to open the secrets of the kingdom of heaven and pour out treasures of grace. Anyone can read God's word and find comfort and strength. God reveals Himself to those who seek Him with all their heart. He opens the gates of heaven, bestows blessings, and wraps us in His eternal love, joy, peace, and patience.

Therefore, God pleads for us to open our hearts and return to the Lord (Isaiah 1:18). All day long, He holds out His arms, waiting for us to return (Isaiah 65:2; Romans 10:21). Through Christ, He wants us to enter into God, drink eternal living water, and enjoy eternal life (John 4:14). The heart of God the Father is like the father who saw his wayward son returning from a long way off, was filled with compassion for him, ran to him, threw his arms around him and kissed him (Luke 15:20).

He Warned Them Not to Tell Anyone

36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (Mark 7:36-37).

Jesus warned the healed person and the witnesses not to tell anyone. This was to caution against focusing solely on the healing itself. Through this, Jesus wants that person to open their eyes from spiritual darkness and truly know the Christ whom God sent.

It means not to act like a blind man touching an elephant. Until they fully know the Lord Jesus Christ, His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension must take place. Full knowledge of Jesus Christ cannot be known without seeing His entire ministry. If one focuses only on the power to heal diseases, they might misunderstand Jesus as merely a famous doctor.

Those born again in Christ are completely set free from sin and can fully enjoy the treasures of the kingdom of heaven at any time. However, it takes a considerable amount of time to fully understand and actually enjoy this amazing grace and privilege. It is a long journey that takes a lifetime. God helps us realize the truth of being born again through the pain and difficulties of daily life. Amen!

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:3-6).

Amen!

April 12, 2026

Buffalo Livingstone Church ©2026, David Lee Ministries ©2026 – All Rights Reserved.

Scripture quotes are from the NIV.