The Grief of Hardness of Heart

May 17, 2026 • Rory Mosley

039 The Grief of Hardness of Heart

Mark 8:1-21

May 17, 2026

To begin tonight, I want us to revisit the text we saw a few weeks ago

When Jesus fed the 5,000.

Turn back for a moment to Mark 6

If you’ll remember

· The disciples were hot off of their first missionary endeavor

· Jesus had given them authority to work miracles and cast out demons.

And they were successful!

(READ 6:30)

But the result was that now even the 12 were so popular that no one was getting any rest.

(READ 6:31)

So Jesus called for them to take a trip for rest.

(READ 6:32)

But you’ll also remember that

· The trip was hi-jacked by a crowd eager to meet Jesus, and probably to be healed.

· And one has to wonder if the disciples had developed a sort of arrogance and pride regarding their newfound ability.

· We likened it to Moses failing to treat God as holy and striking the rock as though the miracle of the water came from both he and God.

The disciples were a bit puffed up and Jesus called them on it.

(READ 6:35-38)

But then Jesus worked a remarkable miracle.

Through the disciples He fed that entire crowd

With the pathetic rations the disciples had gathered for Him.

This, by the way, WAS a picture of ministry REST.

It was still service, it was still ministry, it was still feeding,

But it was done solely through Christ’s power and not their own.

THAT is what they were supposed to learn.

· They were supposed to see how badly they needed Him.

· They were supposed to see how set apart He was.

· They were supposed to see that ministry is restful when we trust in Him.

BUT THEY DIDN’T.

So Jesus orchestrated the second part of their trip.

He sent them off in the boat and called for a storm to work against them.

And in the middle of the night Jesus came out to prove His point about being different.

(READ 6:48)

While they were straining, He came strolling.

They were not equals.

And this time they realized it.

And Mark said:

(READ 6:52)

They had witnessed the entire miracle of the feeding of the 5,000

And totally missed it.

· Their hearts were hard.

· They didn’t get it.

A remarkable demonstration of Jesus Christ

As the provider of life for the people of God

And the disciples couldn’t see it, hear it, or understand it.

WHAT A WASTE!

WELL, IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED…

(skydiving is not for you)

LET’S DO THIS AGAIN.

Unfortunately, the results will be similar

And you will once again see the grief of Jesus.

Only this time we’ll call it the grief of hardness of heart.

Let’s break this passage down into two main points.

#1 A FAMILIAR COURSE

Mark 8:1-15

At this point Jesus is still in the region of Decapolis.

· He had healed the blind man

· Word had spread to such an extent

· That people were flocking to him.

And what we find is that the people here were hungry.

Just notice what Jesus says.

(1-2) “In those days, when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples and said to them, “I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat.”

I would like to point out that often times, and especially in Mark,

the crowd is viewed somewhat negatively.

· We see them as hungry for miracles, but blind and deaf to the real purpose of

Christ’s coming.

· We know that in the end they will cry out for Christ to be crucified.

And therefore we often speak of the crowd in a negative sense.

But don’t miss this little tidbit.

“they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat.”

· It likely doesn’t mean they haven’t eaten for 3 days,

· The people most likely brought some rations,

· But at the very least they are now totally out of food.

When is the last time you were so desperate for something

That you would hang out for 3 days, even at the end of your rations?

We have to be careful condemning the crowd,

For I’m afraid we will only end up condemning ourselves.

THAT IS PRETTY REMARKABLE.

But the real point being made here

Is the familiar start to this miracle.

1) A FAMILIAR SIGN (1-10)

Mark 6:34 “When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.”

And here we read:

(2) “I feel compassion for the people…”

This miracle begins with the exact same motive.

THE COMPASSION OF JESUS.

I don’t know that the point of the miracle is His compassion,

But I certainly never want to overlook it.

Jesus cares about people.

· If you are looking to learn about Him, you had better see that.

· You’ll be hard pressed to find a time when Jesus didn’t care.

But, just like the first time,

It is the compassion of Jesus that drives Him to feed the crowd.

(3) “If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance.”

They need food and Jesus cares.

But tell me if you’ve heard this before?

(4) “And His disciples answered Him, “Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people?”

The disciples consider the compassion of Jesus to be an irrational dream.

He can care all He wants, but it’s just not possible to meet the need.

Familiar?

Mark 6:35-36 “When it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and it is already quite late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

It’s the same story again isn’t it.

· Desolate place

· Hungry people

· Impossible need to meet

· But Jesus cares

(5) “And He was asking them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”

And again, it’s just like before:

Mark 6:38 “And He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”

It’s the exact same question.

You’d really think the disciples would start to catch on.

You’d really think at least one of them would say,

“Wait a minute! We’ve seen this before.”

BUT THEY DON’T.

And then the miracle.

(6-9) “And He directed the people to sit down on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples to serve to them, and they served them to the people. They also had a few small fish; and after He had blessed them, He ordered these to be served as well. And they ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large baskets full of what was left over of the broken pieces. About four thousand were there; and He sent them away.”

Mark 6:39-43 “And He commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass. They sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish.”

You would think it would be impossible to miss.

And then…

(10) “And immediately He entered the boat with His disciples and came to the district of Dalmanutha.”

Now at this point the story DOES shift a little.

THIS IS NEW.

THE FIRST TIME

· It was obvious that the disciples didn’t get it

· So Jesus sent them off in the boat alone

· And let them fight a storm for a little while

· Before putting His power on display.

This time, the hope is that they got it.

This time, the expectation is that they recognized His greatness.

So this time Jesus gets in the boat with them.

Hopefully there’s no need for another demonstration of power on the sea.

HOPEFULLY THEY GOT IT THIS TIME.

A Familiar Sign

2) A FAMILIAR SIGH (11-12)

(11-12) “The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”

Again, stop me if you’ve seen this before.

Jesus is confronted with an unbelieving group of Pharisees

Who have totally ignored all the miracles He has worked

And still demand yet another sign.

If you read this account in Matthew’s gospel there was more said here.

Jesus actually talks to them about being able to discern the sky

Then tells them they will not receive any sign except the sign of Jonah.

But Mark doesn’t include that part of the conversation.

It’s not that it’s not important,

But it’s not relevant to the point Mark is making here.

Here he’s just pointing out that it feels like we’re caught in a time loop.

· We have Jesus feeding a multitude.

· We have Jesus getting in a boat and crossing the sea.

· We have Jesus interrogated by Pharisees when He gets there.

That is a carbon copy of Mark 6 & 7.

IT’S HAPPENING AGAIN.

(11) “The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him.”

You and I both know they are not interested in following Him.

· They are not genuinely seeking a sign.

· Their objective is to prove Him a fraud and a phony.

· Every sign He has already provided they have ignored.

They said He cast out demons by the power of Satan.

They said His healings were bogus because they were done on the Sabbath.

They are here to condemn Him, just as before.

And that is where we get that FAMILIAR SIGH.

(12) “Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”

If you go back and read Mark 7:1-13

There is NO RECORD of Jesus sighing

During that altercation with the Pharisees.

The sign didn’t come until the text we read this morning.

When Jesus encountered the blind man.

Mark 7:34 “and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!”

It’s the same word again.

And it’s the same grief again.

Jesus is once again confronted by people with ears who cannot hear.

It is a frustrating reality to Him.

It is people who will not listen.

It is people who cannot listen.

And just as we said this morning, Jesus is grieved.

He sighs again.

AND WHAT IS INTERESTING IS THAT

We see the scope of His sigh in this text.

· It’s NOT just directed at one deaf man.

· It’s NOT even reserved only for the Pharisees.

Jesus attributes His sigh to this entire evil generation.

It is the entire generation of skeptics and cynics He is ministering to.

They just won’t listen.

AND JESUS IS STILL SIGHING ABOUT IT.

So you see we’re recreating the same scenario

That just happened right before the disciples eyes.

A Familiar Sign A Familiar Sign

3) A FAMILIAR SERMON (13-15)

(13-15) “Leaving them, He again embarked and went away to the other side. And they had forgotten to take bread, and did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them. And He was giving orders to them, saying, “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

Now here you could say, “Wait a second! Jesus didn’t say that before.”

Before He explained that it is not what is outside the man that defiles him, but rather what comes from the heart.

That’s true, this is not a word for word restating of the same sermon.

BUT IT IS THE SAME TOPIC.

Jesus is warning against the defilement of the Pharisees.

It’s still a sermon about defilement.

The Pharisees pose a terrible threat to everyone they are around.

The are a defiling presence in Israel.

Jesus refers to their defiling influence as “leaven”

It is yeast that spreads throughout the lump of dough.

That is what the Pharisees bring.

Their particular brand of sin splatters and scatters to everyone.

IT IS INFECTIOUS.

And the disciples must watch out for it.

· They are legalists and traditionalists.

· They do not love God nor His word.

· They make everything about the external and ignore the heart.

Matthew 23:27-28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

They were dangerous and defiling poison

Wrapped in an attractive wrapper.

Matthew adds the Sadducees to the list in his retelling.

Mark omits them, but he adds “Herod”

Herod was a picture of immorality and fear,

And that is also defiling.

So no, this was NOT a word for word sermon, but it WAS a familiar topic.

· After feeding the crowd…

· After crossing in a boat…

· After dealing with Pharisees…

· Jesus once again warned about defilement.

AND SO THE POINT IS THE SAME.

Jesus is among the disciples

As the One who is truly set apart and undefiled.

Everything they have been taught in their religion has been wrong.

· All of the pomp and circumstance had accomplished nothing for cleansing the

people of Israel from sin.

· The only One who could do that is the undefiled One in their midst and the

tragedy is that no one is able to see Him.

We have literally just covered the exact same content again.

It is a familiar course.

Now, I wish I could tell you that

· At this point the disciples fully grasped the point.

· The lightbulb came on and they saw the glory of Christ and the uniqueness of Christ and the perfection of Christ.

· They saw the dangers of legalistic religion and fully grasped the issues of defilement and sin.

But…

#2 A FRUSTRATING CONCLUSION

Mark 8:16-21

We found out back in verse 14

That when they all got in the boat to cross that the disciples “had forgotten to take bread, and did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them.”

Here we see why that is significant.

Because Jesus had a warning

About the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.

The disciples heard the word “leaven” and then didn’t hear anything else.

(16) “The began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread.”

Jesus just preached another very important sermon

That fell totally on deaf ears.

They didn’t hear a thing.

They still thought it had to do with bread.

(17-21) “And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” “When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they said to Him, “Seven.” And He was saying to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Talk about dressing down the disciples!

Jesus asks them 8 questions,

I’m pretty sure each one probably ended up with a gulp.

I would imagine they all started looking at each other

Around the boat realizing they had angered Jesus.

This was a tense and confrontational moment.

Jesus’ own disciples were still NOT getting it.

And the theme of the questions is bound up in the word “yet”.

· As in “Still?” “Really?”

· After all that you’ve seen Me do?

· After twice feeing a multitude with just a few loaves?

· You still don’t have a clue who I am?

“Do you not yet see or understand?”

And Jesus takes them down the list.

· Is you heart hard?

· Are your eyes blind?

· Are your ears deaf?

· Do you not remember?

· “Do you not yet understand?”

WELL CLEARLY THEY DIDN’T.

But the question we must answer is this:

UNDERSTAND WHAT?

· What is it that the disciples were supposed to understand that they didn’t?

· What is it that they were supposed to see that had not seen?

· What is it that they were supposed to hear that they had not heard?

WHO…HE…IS…

We didn’t have time to look at it this morning,

But Mark used a unique word in the text

That shows us what they should have recognized.

When Mark spoke of the deaf man he used a rare word.

Mark 7:32 “They brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him.”

“spoke with difficulty” translates (ma-GEE-la-los)

It’s the only time in the New Testament that word is ever used.

And since Mark’s Greek is not known for its etiquette or refinement

It is strange to us that Mark searches so deep into his vocabulary

To pull out a word like that.

The word does show up one other time.

In the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament), the Old Testament Mark and Peter read.

That word is also used just one time.

Isaiah 35:3-6 “Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.” Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah.”

It is there in verse 6.

· In English rendered as “mute”

· “And the tongue of the mute will should for joy.”

From someone like Mark that is like shooting off a flare.

Isaiah 35 is a passage about the coming Messiah who will come to save.

· You will know Him as the One who opens blind eyes.

· You will know Him as the One who unstops deaf ears.

· You will know Him as the One who loosens mute tongues.

· You will know Him as the One who provides sustenance in desolate places.

The disciples should have spotted Him.

Everyone should have spotted Him.

It was grievous to Jesus that the crowds couldn’t seem to see Him.

It was frustrating to Jesus that the religious elite refused to recognize Him.

But even the 12?

Even His closest followers?

(21) “And He was saying to them “Do you not yet understand?”

Do you still not know who I am?

· Can you not see that what is a problem for you is not a problem for Me?

· Can you not see that you can rest in Me?

· Can you not see that I am the undefiled One who can save you?

That is what the writer of Hebrews lamented

As we read the text to close this morning.

Let me read it again:

Hebrews 5:11 “Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.”

The writer wanted to unlock the mysterious beauty of Psalm 110:4

He wanted to show them how Melchizedek was a picture of Jesus.

· Priest of the Most High God

· King of Peace

· Neither beginning nor end

· A priest forever

· Always living

· Always interceding

He wanted them to see the glory and beauty of Jesus

But they were dull of hearing and would not get it.

It was frustrating and grievous.

And we see that same problem here with the disciples.

Jesus is Isaiah’s Messianic Savior.

· He is the One bringing the recompense of God.

· He is the One coming to save His own.

Isaiah would continue:

Isaiah 35:8-10 “A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it. No lion will be there, Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there, And the ransomed of the Lord will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.”

· The One who will produce righteousness.

· The One who will remove wickedness.

· The One who will reverse the curse.

· The One who will return the people to God.

· The One who will produce everlasting joy and gladness.

That is Jesus!

And the disciples weren’t seeing it.

That is a terrible tragedy.

And it is one that we must avoid.

For all the things that get associated with church work and ministry

The one thing we cannot fail to see is Jesus.

He is the treasure!

He is the prize!

Do you see what you have in Him?

· Provider

· Deliverer

· Hope

· Savior

· Priest

· Friend

· Advocate

· Help

· Rest

Do you realize that every single problem you face in this life comes from the exact same source? SIN

Do you realize that Jesus is the only One who has the answer for sin?

JESUS IS EVERYTHING!

How grievous it is when the church fails to grasp

The greatness of the One among them.

· In the Old Testament the armies of Israel would go to battle with confidence whenever they took the Ark of the Covenant into the battle.

· When the Hebrew boys were in the fire, they prevailed because Christ was in there with them.

· When the disciples were in the storm they were ok because Christ was in the boat.

· When the crowds were starving and food was scarce it was no problem because Christ was there as the amazing Creator.

And they weren’t getting it!

And sadly the church does the same.

· We have our schedule

· We have our budget

· We have our ministry

We know just how far to push ourselves in our own strength

Based on what we can accomplish.

But we forget who is with us.

We forget the value of Christ in our midst.

I think of the church at Laodicea:

Revelation 3:14-21 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. ‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. ‘He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

· They just knew they were wealthy and needed nothing.

· They were a well-oiled machine of ministry and service.

And Jesus said, “YOU’VE GOT NOTHING!”

“you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked”

Why?

Because Christ was outside knocking instead of instead working.

WE TALKED ABOUT IT IN OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS THIS MORNING

All the worldly things we trust in and run to for help and relief.

Sure we trust Christ for our eternal salvation…

· But what about life’s daily trials?

· What about life’s daily burdens?

· What about help in ministry?