When Jesus worked a miracle and provided bread for a large crowd of people, they probably thought about when God miraculously provided food for the people of Israel when they were in the wilderness.
Yeast is the ingredient that causes bread to become larger before it is baked. In this chapter, Jesus uses yeast as a metaphor for things that change the way people think, speak, and act. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor]])
When Jesus called the people an "adulterous generation," he was telling them that they were not faithful to God. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/faithful]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/peopleofgod]])
Jesus used many rhetorical questions as a way of both teaching the disciples ([Mark 8:17-21](./17.md)) and scolding the people ([Mark 8:12](../../mrk/08/12.md)). (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-rquestion]])
A paradox is a true statement that appears to describe something impossible. Jesus uses a paradox when he says, "Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" ([Mark 8:35-37](./35.md)).