Matthew 16: Three Rebukes
O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?—but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Matthew 16:8-12 (NKJV)
Are Christ's three rebukes of His disciples also pertinent for churches today? Because at this point in His ministry, His followers had seen great miracles!
However, for reasons only God knows, their eyes, ears, and minds proved less than constant. Surely, our constancy can waver, too.
Actors, models, and talent for Christ:
Do you and/or your church share these errors?
A lack of faith in the Lord's provision: Any “worry” about having enough… reveals distrust in God as Provider. Do certain churches run like businesses? Big buildings, salaries & expenses? But when Christ commissioned His disciples on their first missionary excursions, without ANY provision of their own, wasn’t He teaching dependence on Him?
An ongoing focus on surface stuff: When Jesus warned His men about “leaven”, their thoughts went immediately to bread, rather than a far more crucial concern. Similarly, do too many Christians focus on rituals of religion, rather than the condition of their hearts? Do they beat with kindness, or with anger?
A forgetfulness of past miracles: After Jesus had fed the five thousand and intended to feed four thousand more, His disciples seemed “hit” with amnesia, and questioned Jesus how it might be done! Why did they forget? Why do WE forget? I don’t know, but let’s embrace God’s advice:
'Keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons' (Deuteronomy 4:9).
'Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the Judgments from His Mouth' (1 Chronicles 16:12).
Let’s now consider three resolutions:
Let’s look beyond worries with faith-filled hearts, repeatedly casting our cares on Him!
Let’s go deep into ALL Words of Jesus, seeking their meaning, trying to live them!
Let’s be encouraged by His miracles. They happened then, and they’re happening now!
Through the marvelous gift of God’s Spirit, we A.D. disciples have a Helper: 'But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you' (John 14:26).
Matthew 16: 3 Rebukes (Part 9)
NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God! We’re ALL called to be actors (action stars) for Jesus. We’re ALL called to models of Jesus, and we ALL have gifts, talents, and callings from God– to multiply them in the world for His glory.
P.S. NO DEVOTION, PREACHER, or SERMON… can begin to replace personal time in the Bible. I wholeheartedly and clear-headedly recommend READING THE BIBLE DAILY.
WARNING: Don’t focus on favorite verses, because out of context, they’re often misinterpreted. I plead with you to READ AT LEAST 1 BIBLE CHAPTER DAILY. How long does it take? An average of 5 to 10 minutes!