The Disciples Forgot Bread English

The Disciples Forgot Bread Matthew 16:5-12

Times of transition can be difficult as it is, but how troubling it can be to realize that by some mistake you’ve made suddenly you have a lack of resources. The disciples forgot bread – and they were on the boat in the middle of the lake. You know as well as I do that disciples never get together without at least some coffee, ice tea and crackers and dip. But they had none of these either with no Giant, Superfresh or Wawa nearby out on the lake where they were.

I am sure the disciples had that feeling in their stomachs- more than the growl of hunger; it was the anxiety of coming up short, of not having enough to make it. They didn’t have the resources in hand to sustain them on their journey, in their season of transition, nor did they have the ability to produce those resources.

But they had Jesus with them…Then to add intrigue to this story, Jesus decides to have a discipleship lesson and he’s teaching about leaven, the main ingredient in making bread! The disciples were so entangled in their thinking about their lack of bread that when Jesus uses the word “leaven” they became full of anxiety and fear. At that point, they made some wrong conclusions.

Recognize their pattern of unbelief:

The disciples forgot bread.
They kept their total focus on their lack of bread.
They misunderstood Jesus’ teaching.
They forgot that he is the supernatural multiplier of bread.
They became full of fear.
They came into a distorted agreement together concluding that Jesus was chastising them for forgetting bread.

But they had Jesus with them…Yet the disciples could not hear anything else Jesus said and failed to understand his important teaching. Then things got worse - they called all their friends to discuss this among themselves. Every time in the New Testament when this phrase “to reason among yourselves” is used, it is referred to as something negative and counterproductive, something that spreads unbelief. At this point, they were probably blaming one another for it. I can hear Peter blaming James and John blaming Levi – and there’s Judas over in the corner laughing with joy because, incredibly, the disciples concluded that Jesus was mad at them because they forgot bread.

Is that what you think? Do you think that God is mad at you because of the mess you are in? No, he is not mad at you, yet there is a lesson here – that God is looking for mature believers.

Discipleship must continue though you have no bread.

You can be so preoccupied with your bread or lack of it that you miss the point of what Jesus is trying to teach you in discipleship. Jesus taught them to watch and be careful of the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees because those teachings could work their way in and corrupt a disciple. These are things they needed to hear. And there are things you and I need to hear as well.

And so we must remember that a mature disciple will continue to follow Jesus in difficult times. As a mature disciple you must maintain complete focus upon the Lord and not be sidetracked by the overwhelming concerns of lack that are designed to hinder you from receiving a word from the Lord that will preserve your most precious inheritance in God. You need to ask yourself, “Have I lost ground as a disciple because I have become too preoccupied with things that have produced a famine in my life?”

I am not promoting here that one should, in the time of trouble, bury their head in the sand like an ostrich and hope that all their problems would just go away.

Who is in the boat with you?

Yet, what I am about to tell you is still the most important thing to remember, whether this is a reoccurring problem or not. If you forget everything else – remember, it is Jesus who is in the boat with you! Right there in front of their eyes was the one who turned water to wine, spoke to wind and waves and they became calm, healed the blind so they could see, and healed the lame so they could walk. It shows that you can be so close and yet so far. They had Jesus right there and they couldn’t connect with him by faith!

This is the very reason why Jesus calls them “little faiths”. Could it be that the disciples, who saw Jesus multiply bread in order to feed thousands –and this more than once- somehow concluded that Jesus wasn’t willing to provide bread for them again this time? Every time Matthew uses this phrase, it is addressed to disciples who question God’s concern of their ultimate welfare and the reality of his provision for them.

Matthew 6:30 – “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”

Matthew 8:23-26 – “Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm..

Matthew 14:29-31 – Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

Nothing saddened the heart of Jesus more than when his disciples doubted his great love and concern for their safety and well being.

So Jesus, yes, in a sharply manner, reminded the disciples of the two miraculous feedings – one of them just happened a few days before - to remind them of how faithful he is in meeting human need especially in the matter of bread! He wasn’t mad because they forgot bread, but Jesus was disturbed by how they responded. The disciples not only forgot bread but left their faith in Him on the pier as well. He did it before- He could and would do it again.

He asked them, “Don’t you remember how many basketfuls you gathered?”

Our God provides abundantly with much left over! The mature disciple must put to use that revelation knowledge of God’s great concern for his own and of his great supernatural ability to make something out of nothing – to make a way when there is no human way possible!

Knowing Jesus - I think the disciples ate very well. Knowing Jesus -So will you…

The disciples became so entangled in discouragement because of their lack of bread they forgot who it was that they had on the boat with them. Don’t forget who it is that stands by you even now. You need to lift your eyes higher and see Jesus. Whether it is high winds and turbulent waves that threaten to tear your life apart, or you‘re in the storm and Jesus is asleep – he cares, he’s not worried. When you lay your head on the pillow tonight –SLEEP! Whatever it is you lack, hold firmly to your faith in God even in a time of famine. Don’t jump overboard – your God cares for you and will abundantly provide!