Forgotten Bread

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Mark 8:6–9 KJV 1900

6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. 7 And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. 8 So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. 9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.

Another Day, Another Crowd

The Disciples Seemed to Have Forgotten Jesus’ Earlier Miracle

In Mark 8, we see another crowd in another setting gathered around Jesus. This wasn’t just a long day - it was THREE long days. Any food supplies they might have brought were long gone. Everyone was hungry.

But you have Jesus teaching, and no one wanted to leave. And just like the feeding of the five thousand we read before in Mark 6, Jesus was concerned with the well-being of all of these people. He knew if He went them away now, some were going to actually faint from hunger along the way home. So He talks with His disciples about all this.

Now, I don’t know if you recall how the disciples responded the first time, but unfortunately, this time they respond much the same way. They looked at the size of the crowd and compared it to the little supplies they had. You know what I’m talking about - it’s the old:

“I know I feel led to say something in the Spirit, but I haven’t had the Holy Ghost but a few months.”

“I know that I could lay a hand on them and pray, but look at all of the other people here - some more experienced than I.”

“I definitely could say a prayer with them, but I could embarrass myself out here in public.”

I’ll say it again: DO NOT REASON YOURSELF OUT OF A MIRACLE.

We can reason well. But we don’t always faith well!

Jesus asks them:

Mark 8:5 NKJV

5 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”

Here’s what’s amazing: Jesus is unfazed by that number. Because He goes right into having the people sit down and prepare to eat!

So why did He ask how many loaves they have??? We would be asking to see how far off we were from feeding the people. But Jesus wants to know the number so He can see how big this miracle is going to be!!!

Jesus Compassionately Fed the Multitude Again

The disciples bring the bread to Jesus. Jesus gives thanks. And then He begins breaking and distributing this bread through the disciples.

Then let’s look at what verse 7 tells us:

Mark 8:7 NKJV

7 They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.

And the outcome was identical to the last time! The crowd (4,000 this time) ate until they were satisfied. And again, the disciples gathered the fragments remaining, and they filled this time seven large baskets with leftovers.

Now remember these leftovers, because they will come up again later…

But here we find that on two very similar occasions, Jesus had compassion on the crowds and worked a miracle, providing food for them with plenty to spare. He wasn’t just concerned about their spiritual needs and the importance of His teaching to transform their lives… He was also touched by their physical hunger and moved to satisfy needs that may seem mundane.

Isn’t it comforting to know that Jesus cares about the smallest and most basic needs that we may have in life?!

Listen to this amazing scripture! This is a powerful scripture for you today!

Hebrews 4:15 ESV

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

That means, “He gets it!” He understands what you’re going through. And it doesn’t matter that He’s God and is high above our issues - because He became FLESH as Jesus Christ! So even though He’s God, He understands what it’s like!!! That’s the power of the One God message right there!

And so now,

He understands your diagnosis!

Just like He understands your mental and emotional stress!

And He understands your pet peeves!

Just like He understands your long work week!

He sympathizes with you having to work around people who don’t know how to not use vulgar language.

Just like He understands when you have back pain!

He understands when your friends turn on you!

Just like He understands when you step on a lego!

I praise Him because He’s a God who is not unable to sympathize with my weaknesses and challenges!

I Will Remember the Miracles Jesus Has Worked for Me

Now the key in this story is how quickly the last feeding of the multitude was forgotten.

How quickly we forget the miracles of God and the incredible stories of His work amongst us. Before we judge others for their forgetfulness, we would do well to take a look at our own short-term memory of answered prayers.

The further removed we are from a miracle, the dimmer our memory grows. Details are lost and the experience fades in our minds.

That’s why I encouraged a young man at camp this week to keep a prayer journal. Write down what you pray. Write down what God does. Write down what He speaks (in and out of church). Sermons preached. This you found in Scripture. What you feel God telling you. So you can remember!

If we’re not careful to retell the stories of God’s power, healing, and deliverance, we may lose the ability to recall them.

We need to talk about what the Lord has done!

When you share the story, it not only encourages someone else to have faith in God, but we also renew our own memory of these things.

We start to recall these moments that brought us to God, and then we’re actually able to relate them to other people. And all of the sudden, you’re easily relating with someone, faith is rising, and you’re ministering hope to them!

So I’m telling you, take time to record these things in a journal. Make a list of the great things God has done that you can have ready to recall and reach someone out there. Some people are able to show a before and after picture.

But make it a priority to save these things for the future. Because we are forgetful.

And God knows our forgetfulness. So He cautioned Israel to remember their covenant with HIm.

We’re going through Exodus verse-by-verse on Wednesdays. And after they came out of Egypt, God gave Moses guidance for their lives and the promise of blessings if they’ll continue to live in a right relationship with Him.

And it was vital that they share their story of coming out of Egypt. What a miracle! So the book of Deuteronomy is devoted to bringing the people back to remembrance of all of these things.

Deuteronomy 4:9 NKJV

9 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,

Deuteronomy 4:23 NKJV

23 Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the Lord your God has forbidden you.

Deuteronomy 6:12 NKJV

12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

I don’t want to ever forget that He brought me out of the house of bondage!

Forgetful Followers

Now the crowd is well-fed. And Jesus and the disciples boarded a boat and made their way across the lake to Dalmanutha.

One translation notes that the Aramaic word for Dalmanutha means “the land of oppression.” And when Jesus arrives there, He is confronted by the Pharisees. These gems of human beings!

And they start pressing Him to do a visible miraculous sign from Heaven to prove His ministry. They start questioning Him and distracting the people from being blessed by His ministry.

After some time of this, Jesus gathers the disciples and they sail back across the lake.

So when you look at this, there is this stark contrast between the two events on different sides of the lake.

In one location, the people received Jesus and embraced His teaching. Those people experienced the miraculous supply of bread and fish to sustain them.

In another location (not that far away), Jesus was met with skepticism, testing, and opposition. And these people received nothing, and remained in “the land of oppression.”

And if you don’t want to remain oppressed, then you need to be willing to receive the Word of the Lord!

We need to understand what that word “oppressed” means.

We’re familiar with “possessed.” It’s simply help in the grip of our spiritual enemy. Control has been handed over to a demonic force and a person is in a miserable state as a result.

But “oppressed” is something else that is not as extreme. But it definitely is a horrible place to be in. We can define it as the influence or control exerted by demonic forces over individuals or communities, hindering their spiritual growth and freedom in Christ. Spiritual oppression can manifest through persistent sin, fear, depression, confusion, and other forms of spiritual bondage.

There are people who are stuck in the land of oppression. They don’t get why they can’t make progress in God or many other things. But because they have not broken through spiritually, they have no power to overcome. The enemy has gotten a handle on them and is doing all he can to prevent their growth.

So… because of the fact that these people would not RECEIVE the Word, they remained in the land of oppression. That’s why we need to not only hear the Word - we need to receive it! To put it to work in my life!

And if we’ll take that Word and use it daily, there are going to be those who have been oppressed that are going to be loosed!!!

Jesus don’t want anybody oppressed! You know what Jesus wants??? Watch!

Luke 4:18 NKJV

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

And that’s a verse that you need to be able to speak over yourself!!!

The Disciples Forgot to Bring Provisions

Mark 8:14 NKJV

14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.

Now - we’re forgetful people. I can go from one room to the other and forget what I came here for.

Despite our best efforts, we frequently forget! We set reminders on our phone, computer, and we’ll post sticky notes to remind us not to forget.

The disciples wished they had an app to help them remember. As they were rowing along now, Jesus starts talking about the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.

Mark 8:15–16 NKJV

15 Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.”

They had just come from a miraculous feeding of the multitude where they had baskets full of bread. But those were gone. Now here they were with one piece of bread and nothing to go with it.

And if Jesus was talking about bread, hinting that He was hungry, they had nothing for Him. They had forgotten to bring bread.

The Disciples Did Not Understand Jesus’ Warning Concerning the Leaven of the Pharisees

But the deal is this: Jesus wasn’t hinting at hunger. They were taking Him too literally. He was warning the disciples against the hypocrisy and the self-righteousness of those who refused to acknowledge Him as the Messiah.

They misunderstood and thought that maybe Jesus was upset that they had failed to bring bread on the boat. They should have known that He was talking about what had just happened with the Pharisees and the unproductive trip. But they completely missed the lesson He was teaching and could only think of their appetites and forgetfulness.

So from Jesus’s perspective, not only did the people of Dalmanutha miss out on the teaching of Jesus, but apparently His own disciples had failed to learn the lessons of the previous days and weeks as well!

Jesus Reminded Them of His Previous Miracles

So as a reminder to the disciples, Jesus recounts the two situations where He had multiplied the bread and fed the hungry.

Forgetting bread was not the end of the world. He could always make more! That’s a lesson they should have gotten by this point.

Jesus was more concerned that His disciples get His teaching and carry it beyond their community. They had eyes and ears, but they didn’t seem to see or understand what He was teaching them. And they failed to remember the works He had done.

So He starts quizzing them like children.

Mark 8:17–21 ESV

17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

It wasn’t about the bread. It wasn’t about the baskets. Just like He had made manna in the wilderness, Jesus could make bread easily now.

It was more about the Bread of Heaven coming down to humanity; Jesus had come to give life. He had even announced:

John 6:51 NKJV

51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

Did you know that Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, actually means “house of bread”?! He was the real bread needed all along!!!

Why be concerned about bread and fish when the one who spoke the words of Creation stood with them in the flesh?! The Lord of Glory was here! The Promised ONe who came as the seed of Abraham, the son of David, the Great I AM was with them! And they were still concerned about bread and fish, lunch plans, and their daily itinerary!

If the disciples would have understood who was with them, they would never have been discouraged with doubt again!

John 1:1 KJV 1900

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 KJV 1900

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

I Will Allow the Miracles Jesus Has Worked to Frame My Faith for Future Miracles

We’re in good company with the disciples. They were not super-Christians or something. They made mistakes. They often didn’t get what Jesus was trying to teach them.

And the more we see these people as humans, the more we can appreciate God’s patience with us and our mistakes. Jesus did not dismiss any of the disciples. And He’s not going to dismiss you today.

He kept on teaching them and giving them more chances to get it right. And He’ll do the same for us.

Bangladesh Apostolic Conference - a practical teaching atmosphere in the Spirit. Helping people learn to operate in their giftings and callings.

We do not zap people to a crisp when they make a mistake. We step in and help. And people grow!

So Jesus was patient and had a teacher’s attitude. And He has that with us. The only real tragedy is when we make no effort. No effort inevitably leads to no growth.

As our experience grows, the lessons make more sense, and the truths become more memorable. Faith from past answers to prayer will give us confidence for future miracles. The more we acknowledge God’s healing in the past, the greater our faith grows for future healing .

Every miracle adds substance to our expectation!

Conclusion