Reflective Bible Study

While reading the gospels, I occasionally wonder about the disciples, and how it seems as though they routinely miss the message or truth that Jesus wanted to share with them. Our passage for this episode covers one such time, and the truth Jesus shares is powerful, but also completely different from the overly literal way the disciples seem to understand it.

We learn about this truth during one of the times Jesus and the disciples are crossing the lake and Jesus decides it would be a good time to emphasize a big idea while they are away from the crowds of people. For this episode, we will be reading about this event from Matthew’s gospel, chapter 16, using the New Century Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 5:

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.

Something about this event sounds funny in my mind. I don’t think the truth Jesus shares is funny, but I do chuckle a little about how the disciples completely miss the metaphor Jesus used to emphasize His warning.

While the disciples rightly connect yeast with bread, and forgetting bread was fresh on their minds, Jesus never once hints at His statement being about bread. Perhaps Jesus planned this metaphor just for this purpose. I wonder if Jesus used this angle not only to share the truth about being wary of the Pharisee and Sadducee teachings, but also to reemphasize the importance of trusting God.

In the simple statement about yeast, we get two truths out of this event. Jesus could have simply said to beware of the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees, but then there would be no visual element to it. By paralleling this truth with the visual of yeast, we can see a picture of how just a little bit of error can slowly affect an entire movement.

It doesn’t take much yeast to cause dough to rise, and with the negative spin Jesus places on this yeast, we can rightfully conclude that it doesn’t take much error or deception to wreck the truth.

Interestingly enough, we could also apply this truth in our own lives. We could say that one sin, regardless of how insignificant it is or was in our past, is enough to separate us forever from God. Even though the sin in question might have lasted only a split second of time, it results in us being condemned. Because of this, the Bible rightfully concludes that everyone who has ever lived has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, or God’s ideal for each of us.

In the case of our own lives, Jesus came to make a way for us to be reconnected to God even after we have sinned. Jesus accomplished this by living a perfect life within God’s will, and living a life without sin, before ultimately dying on a cross when He didn’t deserve death. Jesus took our punishment so that we can accept His reward.

This leads us back to looking at the other truth that we are reminded of in this passage: the truth about bread.

While Jesus challenges the disciples for understanding His statement to be about faith and bread, He reminds the disciples that a lack of food is nothing to be concerned about. While it might weigh on our minds and our empty stomachs, when you are with Someone who could multiply a crumb in the back of the boat into a three-course meal, a lack of food is not that big of a concern.

The truth for each of us in this case is to be intentional about trusting God to supply our needs. When we are living with and for God, He will supply our needs and He knows we need food, clothing, and shelter. While His idea of what each might look like is probably different from our thoughts, He knows what is best in the big picture and long-term view. God’s focus is on saving us for eternity, and that perspective will filter everything He brings into our lives.

God is not going to bless us in such a way that we would lose our salvation, but He also will not curse us when we could have been saved under different circumstances. While I don’t claim to know why certain bad things happen, or why tragedy seems to strike people indiscriminately, I know that I can trust God with my own future and that eternity lasts longer than today’s trials.

God is in the business of saving people forever, and saving the greatest number of people forever that He can!

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

Be sure to seek God first and trust Him with your future. While we don’t always know why things happen the way they do in our lives today, we can trust God is working through the ups and the downs for our ultimate salvation. I firmly believe that God wants each of us in heaven more than each of us wants to be in heaven!

Also, be sure to pray and study the Bible for yourself. I don’t want you to take my word, or any pastor or podcaster’s word for this. Instead, I want you to study God’s love out for yourself, because only you can grow your personal relationship with God into a saving relationship with Him.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

In all the gospel records, and in all of Jesus’ miracles, two similar events are among the most well known events. Actually, let me back up. In all the gospel records, and in all of Jesus’ miracles, there is one event that is very well known, and another similar event that is in many ways just as significant, but it is overshadowed by the more famous event. From these two separate events, we get a glimpse of the size of the crowds that Jesus preached to, though that detail in each event is more of a side note rather than a key detail.

Most of you likely have already jumped ahead and know the two events I’m referring to. These two miracle events are the ones where Jesus multiplies an insignificant amount of food to feed the large crowd of listeners who happened to also be hungry.

One of these events is commonly referred to as the feeding of the five thousand, and it holds a significant and rare award for being one of the few events to be recorded in all four gospels.

However, the event we are focusing in on in this episode is not the feeding of the five thousand.

Instead, for this episode, we turn our attention onto the less famous miracle of this pair, which is simply known as the feeding of the four thousand. While most people know a lot more about the feeding of the five thousand, with the boy giving his lunch to Jesus, let’s discover what we can from this less famous miracle of food multiplication.

Our passage is found in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 15, and we’ll read it using the New Living Translation. Starting in verse 32, Matthew tells us:

³² Then Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way.”

³³ The disciples replied, “Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?”

³⁴ Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?”

They replied, “Seven loaves, and a few small fish.”

³⁵ So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. ³⁶ Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd.

³⁷ They all ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. ³⁸ There were 4,000 men who were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children. ³⁹ Then Jesus sent the people home, and he got into a boat and crossed over to the region of Magadan.

In this passage, as we read it together, we can easily see several places where this miracle of feeding four thousand people has similarities to the feeding of the five thousand. However, instead of focusing in on the similarities, like their being loaves of bread and fish in both events and that there were baskets full of leftovers in both events, let’s focus in on one or two things in this passage that make this event unique from the more famous meal where 5,000 were served.

While I already alluded to both events having bread and fish, the first thing that stands out when I read this is not that the quantities of each are different, but the source of food is different. In the feeding of the five thousand, a small boy offers his lunch and this gift is multiplied exponentially to feed the crowd. But in this event, all indications are that the disciples scavenged among what they had to find the seven loaves of bread and a few small fish.

The big idea that stands out in my mind regarding this detail is that sometimes we will have to put in the little that we have in order for God to multiply it into being something more. In the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus accepts and multiplies the gift from someone in the crowd, but in this event, it is the disciples own food and savings that Jesus used and multiplied into the meal for the over 4,000 people present. This would be like saying that the gifts that other people bring can be multiplied by Jesus, but so can the gifts that we bring too.

All too often, we are tempted to sit back and let someone else step up to provide what is needed, and sometimes, like in the feeding of the 5,000, it happens. But other times, like our event where 4,000 are fed, we have to be the ones to supply the materials and effort.

Another thing that stands out in my mind with the feeding of the four thousand is that it was after the crowd had followed Jesus for three days. In verse 32, we read Jesus saying to His disciples, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way.”

While the feeding of the five thousand was after one long day, most of the gospels record the disciples telling Jesus He should send the crowd away so the people can get something to eat. But in this event, after three days, Jesus is the One who prompts this miracle because He realizes these people probably left their homes without preparing for a three or more day trip with Him.

This detail tells me that Jesus sometimes will prompt a miracle because He knows we need it perhaps even without us asking. We don’t see people in the crowd asking for or demanding a miracle. We simply see Jesus offering to perform the miracle because He knows the people need it.

Also, as a side observation, while the feeding of the five thousand was after one day where many of the crowd may have had a big breakfast before leaving to find Jesus, the feeding of the four thousand was after three days and almost all the food was gone. In my mind, these four thousand people probably ate even more total combined food than the five thousand, simply because they were all that hungrier.

All these details come together to bring us a key point: Sometimes God is waiting for us to bring our time, talent, energy, and resources to Him to allow Him to do something great in the lives of those in the world. While we are tempted to let someone else do it, God is waiting for your gifts and mine.

With that said, as we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always open by challenging you, intentionally seek God first in your life. Intentionally choose to step up and give God the little you have. While you might think your gift is insignificant in the big picture, your gift may be just the thing God is waiting for to transform someone else’s life. Never think your gifts are too small when giving to the One who multiplies small gifts for great impact!

Also, as I regularly challenge you in one way or another, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to Jesus. A relationship with Jesus is vital, not just for gaining eternal life in the future, but for surviving in life today. While many people focus on the future rewards of following Jesus, don’t ignore the gifts and blessings God is willing to give you today for following Jesus!

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

In today’s hypersensitive society and culture, it’s hard to imagine Jesus being intentionally offensive towards someone. After all, since God is love, and Jesus came to represent God, shouldn’t Jesus love everyone equally?

In my mind, the answer to this question is a yes, but with this answer, we find several examples where Jesus simply is not overly interested in being kind or nice to everyone. When reading the gospels, we quickly discover that Jesus reserved some harsh comments for the religious leaders. I can understand challenging those who claimed to represent God on earth when they were doing a bad job, however, the passage we will be focusing on in this episode is not about Jesus insulting the religious leaders.

Instead, against all politically correct, hypersensitive advice, our passage focuses in on Jesus insulting a gentile woman who came asking for His help. While this sounds very un-Christlike, I wonder if this insult and the conversation that surrounded it, can teach us something about God’s character.

Our passage for this episode is found in Mark’s gospel, chapter 7, and we will read it using the New International Reader’s Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 24, we learn that:

²⁴ Jesus went from there to a place near Tyre. He entered a house. He did not want anyone to know where he was. But he could not keep it a secret. ²⁵ Soon a woman heard about him. An evil spirit controlled her little daughter. The woman came to Jesus and fell at his feet. ²⁶ She was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

Pausing our reading briefly, so far, this event is normal. Jesus goes to a place, wants to keep a low profile, but was unsuccessful. When word spreads that He was in the area, people came requesting help. It would not be logical to think that only Jews would come if Jesus is capable and willing to help everyone, so here we have a Greek mother coming to ask for help for her daughter.

So far, this event is pretty straight forward. But in the next verse, Jesus shocks everyone present, and His response should shock us living over 2000 years later. In verse 27, Jesus replied saying:

²⁷ “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her. “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

This might just be the most offensive statement Jesus ever made in His entire ministry. In just a few words, Jesus lowers the status of all non-Jews to be equal to dogs – at least that is how our hypersensitive world today would interpret this statement.

Part of me wonders if this is not Jesus’ analogy. While it certainly seems as though Jesus is validating this prejudice by repeating it, I wonder if the Jews, as an unwritten national rule, believed themselves to be God’s only children, and every gentile person was equal to dogs. I don’t believe there is a different scripture in the Bible to support this exact idea, but we do know the Jewish leaders had a very clear “us vs. them” attitude and that they believed themselves to be superior.

I wonder if Jesus made this statement, not for the woman herself, but for those standing around witnessing this request. The implication in Jesus’ words is that this woman should wait in line till the very end – specifically after all the Jews who had come to be helped were through – and if there was time left, and perhaps a little bit of Holy Spirit left after everyone else had been helped, then maybe Jesus would help her. This interpretation of Jesus’ words doesn’t really sound like Jesus, except that Jesus might simply be speaking the thoughts of those witnessing this event.

Perhaps there was a long line of Jews needing help, and first-century culture didn’t say first come, first served, like our culture today. Instead, they had a Jews first, no exceptions mentality.

Once Jesus had everyone’s attention with His harsh response, we discover the woman’s quick reply. Continuing in verse 28, the mother responds:

²⁸ “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

²⁹ Then he told her, “That was a good reply. You may go. The demon has left your daughter.”

³⁰ So she went home and found her child lying on the bed. And the demon was gone.

In this event, if we can step back from Jesus’ insult, we see some amazing themes at work. While it would be easy to focus exclusively on Jesus’ insult and ignore the rest of the event, we would miss an amazing truth that is contained within this passage.

While the woman’s response to Jesus’ insult might have had a feeling of sarcasm, her response displayed an impressive amount of faith. Her response basically says that any crumb or sliver of help will be enough. She isn’t interested in the scraps after the meal, if any “food” is left, but instead she is content with the crumbs that might fall during the meal. Pulling the idea outside of the meal metaphor, this woman tells Jesus she is fine with any help He can offer, and if one of the upcoming miracles doesn’t need all of its required elements, she is happy to have the leftovers.

This level of faith is amazing when we think about it. Looking at the faith of this woman, and the centurion that Jesus helped earlier in His ministry, I get the impression that Jesus’ gentile miracles displayed more profound faith than His miracles for those of Jewish ancestry.

But this isn’t the only theme we see hidden within this short conversation. Within this conversation is the idea that God came to bless the Jews, but that the Jews were to bless others with their blessings. The woman’s response challenges this ideal, saying that this bless-it-forward attitude is not happening. If anything, the Jews give them – the gentiles – crumbs, but generally nothing at all.

This gentile woman exposes the failures of the Jewish people in her response. While Jesus alludes to how God intended for the Jews to model God’s attitude and bless others, the woman’s response shows how this original plan was failing. I wonder if Jesus used this event as a teaching point later in His ministry with the disciples, telling them that they were to help and bless those that God brings their way, regardless of the person’s nationality or ethnicity, or even their race, gender, or beliefs.

The big truth for us living today is to not mess up this plan like the Jewish people did. God loves all people, and He has called His people to love others and bless others. In God’s eyes, His people will not display an “us vs. them” attitude, but instead God’s people will display an “us blessing, helping, and loving them” attitude. This is God’s ideal for His people, and as followers of Christ, it is our challenge living 2,000 years later.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

Be sure to intentionally love and bless those who God brings into your life. Believe that God wants you to be a blessing to others like He has blessed you, and intentionally choose to be loving, kind, and compassionate to those in the world around you because God has been loving, kind, and compassionate towards you.

Also, always pray and study the Bible for yourself to grow your personal relationship with God and your connection to the Holy Spirit. We grow closer to God through praying and studying His Word, and while a pastor or podcaster can give you ideas, and things to think about, only through prayer and personal study will you grow your personal relationship.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

If you have ever felt that following Jesus is hard, or perhaps even a little unrealistic at times, then you may be surprised to find out that you are not alone. It may also surprise you that this isn’t just a feeling people have in today’s modern, busy, technology-filled, Internet-connected world. On multiple occasions within the gospel narrative, large crowds abandoned following Jesus because He said something challenging or something they didn’t agree with.

I don’t claim to know or understand why Jesus pushed the crowds away, but periodically, perhaps if the crowd was getting a little too big, Jesus would go deeper and more challenging in what He was teaching – and almost always, He would say something that would ultimately push the crowd away. While I doubt Jesus was interested in pushing people away, I suspect Jesus would rather have devoted disciples over casual followers. I wonder if Jesus could sense the commitment level of the crowds that followed Him, and if a crowd had a shallow level of commitment, Jesus pushed them to either deepen their commitment, or to find someone else to follow.

Our passage for this episode comes immediately after Jesus has just pushed the crowd following Him in this way. Leading up to the verses we are focusing in on, Jesus has just finished talking about how people must eat His flesh and drink His blood in order to gain eternal life. While we can understand that these two ideas are metaphors that echo the sacrificial system the Jewish religious culture was built on, either the crowd did not understand this connection or they believed this challenge was too difficult to apply into their lives.

Let’s read about what happened following Jesus sharing this teaching from the gospel of John, chapter 6, using the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 60, John tells us that:

⁶⁰ On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

⁶¹ Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! ⁶³ The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. ⁶⁴ Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. ⁶⁵ He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

⁶⁶ From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

⁶⁷ “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

In this passage, both Jesus’ response to the disciples grumbling about what He was saying, and Simon Peter’s final response stand out as significant in my mind.

In Jesus’ response, which sounded weird to the disciples like it sounds weird to us living over 2,000 years later, we learn something interesting about human nature and about God. Jesus knew that His ministry on earth would end, but that would not stop His ministry at a whole. While some people might have pictured Jesus’ ministry ending when He ascended to heaven following the resurrection, several places in the New Testament frame Jesus’ ministry as not stopping. Instead, Jesus’ ministry shifted, or we could say that it changed focus slightly.

Perhaps some of Jesus’ followers at that time chose to follow simply because of the miracles He was doing, and/or perhaps it was because Jesus was a popular celebrity. These people followed the man Jesus, but they didn’t believe Him to be One with God – and One sent from God. These people would have been the first to be offended by Jesus’ claims and among the first to leave when Jesus shared something that challenged their viewpoint.

When we align our lives around believing in Jesus, this means that we must accept His sacrifice on our behalf. The flesh side of the discussion Jesus shared centers around Jesus’ death on the cross – which was foreshadowed for centuries in the sacrificing of an innocent lamb – and by “eating his flesh”, we are internalizing what He did for us on the cross.

The parallel metaphor of drinking Jesus’ blood, which is even more disturbing when stopping to think about it, means that we must accept Jesus’ life into ours. The blood of a living creature is one key that holds the creature’s life, and perhaps one reason why Jesus’ words here are so appalling to those in the crowd is because the Jews were commanded in Moses’ law to not eat any animal before first draining that animal’s blood.

Since Jesus appears to directly contradict what Moses commanded the nation of Israel to avoid, I suspect that there is a bigger truth Jesus wants His followers to learn.

In my opinion, Jesus challenges us through Moses’ law to not internalize any life that is based in a sin-filled world. Jesus came from Heaven to live a sinless life – so His life is the only life we should look to for getting strength for our own lives.

In some of the pagan cultures, they believed that if one drank the blood of an animal or an enemy, they would gain that animal or enemy’s strength and life essence. While I don’t think Jesus is trying to redeem and validate a very pagan practice, He may be alluding to it in a figurative sense. Jesus might simply be telling us that internalizing His life is the only way we will be able to have true life ourselves – and true life that leads to eternal life.

In Jesus words, we find the statement at the end of verse 63, “The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.”

I suspect that in this passage, Jesus is not speaking here of His physical body or physical blood. Instead, I suspect that Jesus wants to point us to the very real work of the Holy Spirit working through His life. Jesus’ words have creative, restorative, and life-giving power, and they are the essence of His ministry. The miracles and healing then become significant because they point us to pay attention to the message and the Messenger. The miracles lead us to the Messenger and His message, while the Messenger and His message bring us eternal life.

If one believes Jesus’ miracles to be the devil working or the result of a series of cleaver and deceptive tricks, then they can easily discount His entire ministry and message. But if God’s power is the only possible source behind a miracle, then that validates the message and the Messenger – even if it is challenging or difficult to believe. Through our belief in Jesus and what we think about Him, God is able to “enable” us to come to Jesus.

“From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” (v. 66)

In the minds of this crowd of followers, Jesus had stepped over the line. He might be from God, and God might support His ministry, but in their eyes, Jesus’ words at the conclusion of this sermon were too difficult to accept.

On seeing the crowd beginning to disperse, Jesus asks His twelve core followers in verse 67, “You do not want to leave too, do you?”

Perhaps Jesus believed everyone would leave, or maybe He saw some confused or torn looks in the eyes of His closest followers. However, before too much silence had settled in the air, Simon Peter speaks up with one of His bold statements about Jesus in verses 68 and 69, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

In Peter’s mind, Jesus is It. Jesus is the One that God had promised. Jesus is the One that gives eternal life. Why look for anyone else? Peter’s track-record of faith was far from perfect, both in his past and in his future, but Peter has a clear head about the simple truth that Jesus is the Holy One of God, and regardless of what anyone else says or does, He is staying.

With this in mind as our episode is coming to a close, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always open these challenges by saying, intentionally seek God first in your life. Choose to believe with Peter that Jesus is the Holy One of God. Be sure to study out this truth, from both the gospels as well as the rest of the Bible.

Also, as you pray and study the Bible for yourself, purposefully look for evidence of a God who created and loves each of us personally. While there is no shortage of opinions in the world about who God is, what He is like, and who Jesus is in relation to God, choose to base your opinion on what is shared in the Bible. The Bible has stood the test of time, and it is a reliable guide for understanding who God is and why Jesus came to this earth.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!