Mark 8:15
It is amazing how personable Jesus is! Here is the Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth really sharing his heart with these men, several of whom were not very educated or spiritual at this point. It says here that he charged them. In other words, this was important to him, and he wanted them to understand that.
Jesus was tempted, as Scripture tells us. He did not enjoy the interchange with the Pharisees, and their hypocrisy upset him. He is instructing them, but this lesson is directly related to what he had just been through with these self-righteous characters.
Leaven is a symbol of sin in the Bible. Jesus is warning the disciples that Herod and the Pharisees were tricky and couldn’t be trusted. They might appear to be honest and earnest, but they were really a pack of wolves.
Jesus is doing this not only to help his followers avoid false doctrine, but also so that they would be able to cope with the emotional struggles connected with the ministry. Dealing with opponents like these can be very draining, as the Lord himself experienced. The apostles, as they would be, must be wary of this type of fatigue in thier ministries.
Heavenly Father, thank you for understanding our needs so well! Thank you for giving us a resource in your Holy Word. Thank you for giving us an example in the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only has he saved our souls by his shed blood on Calvary, but also he has given his ministers an example to follow. We see that we are not to commit ourselves to men, but to you. All men should be liars and you alone should be True as the Scripture says. Our strength must flow from Christ, and He is our Source. All glory belongs to him, and not to man. May we rely on Christ for our strength, and may we praise Him forever! Jesus is our glorious Lord and he leads us on as our Hope. Your blessed Holy Spirit gives us the ability to move on in spite of these fatiguing things in the ministry. You have given us all that we need. May we praise you forever for your glorious wisdom and great kindness! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.