5 Jesus’ followers went across the lake, but they had forgotten to bring bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “Be careful! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”
7 His followers discussed the meaning of this, saying, “He said this because we forgot to bring bread.”
8 Knowing what they were talking about, Jesus asked them, “Why are you talking about not having bread? Your faith is small. 9 Do you still not understand? Remember the five loaves of bread that fed the five thousand? And remember that you filled many baskets with the leftovers? 10 Or the seven loaves of bread that fed the four thousand and the many baskets you filled then also? 11 I was not talking to you about bread. Why don’t you understand that? I am telling you to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” 12 Then the followers understood that Jesus was not telling them to beware of the yeast used in bread but to beware of the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
Read Matthew 16:5-12 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
Occasionally, I wonder if Jesus ever laughed inside His head about something the disciples did, or perhaps about what sort of individual’s God had directed His way to be followers/disciples. During this particular lake crossing, Jesus saw an opportunity to warn His followers about two groups of people who may more subtly derail their mission in the future.
Jesus shares the metaphor in verse 6, “Be careful! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” But the disciples think Jesus is bringing this up because they forgot bread.
Knowing they had completely missed the point Jesus gets their attention again. He asks them, “Why are you talking about not having bread? Your faith is small. Do you still not understand? Remember the five loaves of bread that fed the five thousand? And remember that you filled many baskets with the leftovers? Or the seven loaves of bread that fed the four thousand and the many baskets you filled then also?” (v. 8-10)
The disciples were caught up on their current need and this overshadowed the two food-multiplication related miracles that Jesus had done earlier. Little to no food was no problem for Jesus, but to the disciples, their present problem overshadowed their past triumphs. Baskets and baskets of leftover food were great at that time, but what about now, when all the bread is gone?
This response sheds light on the faith of the disciples, and Jesus helps draw our attention to it. While the present problem says that there is no bread, Jesus points to the many times of blessings that we can lean on from the past. If Jesus had multiplied food in the past, there is no reason food in the present or future couldn’t be multiplied again.
Before Jesus even gets to the meaning of what His original metaphor meant, He draws our attention to how we must remember the past triumphs to help our present faith. When we forget the past, we forget how God has brought us to where we are at; when we forget the past, we are unable to see how He is moving as clearly in the present; when we forget the past, our present problems seem overwhelming.
God has led us in the past. He has brought us through huge challenges. When we remember this, our present problems don’t seem as significant, and our trust in Jesus/God is able to stay firm.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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