Mk.8:1-21 (Mt.15:32-39)  The Feeding of the 4000                 

Jesus Spreads the Table for the Gentiles

During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2 "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance."  4 His disciples answered, "But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?" 
5 "How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied. 6 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. 7 They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9 About four thousand men were present. And having sent them away, 10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. 

The Request for a Sign
11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it."  

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod
13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. 14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 "Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod." 16 They discussed this with one another and said, "It is because we have no bread." 17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?" "Twelve," they replied. 20 "And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?" They answered, "Seven." 21 He said to them, "Do you still not understand?"  

Introduction
If you want to see the heart of today’s passage, just look at v.18.  Jesus say to His disciples: Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?
    This week Tracy and the kids and I were driving home and saw what I think is the most amazing sunset I’ve ever seen.
    And for someone who has grown up in Colorado and spent summers in the mountains, that’s saying a lot.
    Everyone in the car just marveled at this sunset for about 15 minutes.
    One of the kids said, “I wish everyone we knew were here to see this.”
    As we were driving the rest of the way home I was just thinking about what an amazing thing light is.
    Nikki and I had just finished a conversation about why the sky looks blue, and the nature of light.
    And with all that in mind, watching the spectacular colors spread out across the sky, I just thought to myself, “Bless God for vision!”
    If you want to be struck with what an amazing thing vision is, imagine having a child born blind, and then, as the child gets older, trying to explain vision to him.
    One important reason why God gave us sight physically is so that we would understand about spiritual perception and spiritual blindness. 
    In our study of the life of Jesus we come this morning to the beginning of a long section that focuses on spiritual perception.
    Matthew and Mark are going to show us three categories of spiritual perception:
1.	those who cannot see
2.	those who can see but cannot understand
3.	those who can both see and understand
    This section here is all about the varying levels of understanding about a miracle.
    So let’s look first at the miracle that is to be understood and properly interpreted, then we will see the different perceptions of it.

I. The Miracle to be understood: 
Jesus Spreads the Table for the Gentiles
    During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2 "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance."  4 His disciples answered, "But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?" 
5 "How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied. 6 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. 7 They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9 About four thousand men were present. And having sent them away, 10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. 
    This miracle is recorded by both Matthew and Mark, and they both receive a lot of criticism for recording it.
    Most Bible scholars believe that there was only one feeding miracle.
    There are so many similarities between this and the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 that they figure it must have been just one event, and Matthew and Mark got to hold of some other version of that event and assumed it was another event.
    But if you take any kind of careful look at all at the text you can see that the two events are very different.
    During those days another large crowd gathered.
This refers to the days Jesus spent ministering to this Gentile crowd and healing their sick.
    Remember, people were bringing the blind and lame and deaf, putting them at Jesus’ feet, and He was heeling them all.
    And that went on for three days.
    Jesus would minister to them all day long, night would come, Jesus and the 12 would lay down to sleep, and all the people would stay there and just sleep on the ground.
    They just couldn’t tear themselves away.
    And it wasn’t just because of the healings.  After a few hours of that I’m sure the people would have seen what they wanted to see.
    We know that wherever Jesus went He preached, and His preaching was so gripping that people were drawn to it.
    I’m convinced that is why the people stayed so long.  
    They were feasting on the crumbs.
    Jesus has been traveling around in Gentile territory teaching His disciples (or, as He put it, feeding the children).  So we learn that feeding = teaching. 
    Last week we saw a Gentile woman come to Jesus asking for help, and He explains that to the woman in terms she could relate to - He borrows an analogy right out of her life - right out of the life of a mother of young children (feeding the children).
    "What I'm doing here is like what you do every day - feeding the children.  You wouldn't let anything keep you from feeding your children, would you?"   
    The dog illustrations speaks of priority only, not amount.
    She understood what He meant – His time priority for His ministry was for His disciples – just like in your house caring for your children is a priority over pets. 
    But then Jesus said, “First let me feed the children” implying that next comes the Gentiles.
    The Gentiles get the crumbs.  And this morning we get an idea how much a crumb of grace from the Master’s table really is.
    Take interest in the Spiritual and He Will Provide the Physical
    Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2 "I have compassion for these people
    Here we go again.  It’s tough to preach the life of Christ without sounding like a broken record, because there is a constant focus on His compassion.
    His compassion is mentioned far more frequently than any other emotion, and when the text does mention other emotions, they are usually emotions driven by His compassion.
    For example, there is only one place in the Bible that actually says Jesus was angry, and it was when the disciples were preventing children from coming to Him.
    His anger was driven by His compassion. 
    So often His sorrow was driven by His compassion.
    And here once again we see Him have compassion on this crowd.  But this time it’s for a different reason than the 5000.
    He had compassion on the 5000 because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  They were lost.
    So He ministered to them, and they rejected Him.
    This is a very different crowd.  For one thing, they are Gentiles.
    Unlike the 5000, this group seems to be very interested in Jesus’ teaching – staying for 3 days and remaining even after their supplies of food have run out.
    This crowd seems to have some interest in spiritual things – so much so that they forget about physical things.
    This is exactly the opposite of the 5000, who were interested only is physical food.  And when Jesus tried to talk to them about spiritual food, they left.
    So instead of looking out over this crowd and feeling compassion for them because they were so lost…
    2 "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance."  
    They were working to satisfy their spiritual hunger, and so Jesus took it upon Himself to be concerned about their physical needs.
    Isn’t that exactly what He promised to do in the Sermon on the Mount when He said do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Mt.6:31-33)?
    The 5000 were seeking only physical food, and Jesus rebuked them and told them to seek spiritual food – and then refused to provide them any more physical food.
    The 4000 appear to be seeking spiritual food, and so Jesus makes it His concern to provide the physical food.
    When a corporation hires a CEO, and pays him a huge salary, the last thing they want him spending his time on is menial administrative work that anyone could do.
    So they hire people to do the mundane tasks so he can focus on the important things.
    That’s what it’s like to be a high-ranking servant of the King of kings.  
    He has called you into His service to be the instrument through which He is going to do monumentally important, eternal wonders, and the last thing He wants is for you to waste time on temporal, earthly things.
    So your job description is to focus your full time on the Kingdom, and let Him take care of the temporal issues.
The Need
    4 His disciples answered, "But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?" 
    The disciples really take it in the neck from the commentators at this point.  Some have even questioned the truthfulness of the story because of this.  
    Jesus just fed a multitude like this one chapter ago.  Surely no one is so dumb that they couldn’t remember an event like that.
    Let me give you a few things to consider:
    1. This is many months later.  
    You and I know that no matter what marvelous things the LORD has done in the past, when difficult circumstances surround us, it becomes very easy to forget.  
    I’m sure everyone in this room is guilty of that.  
    You come to God in desperation, He delivers you, and 8 months later you are in trouble again and you have so much worry and anxiety that you would think God has never shown you a single act of kindness – judging from the amount of worry in your heart.
    We are so prone to forget God’s past mercies.
    2. It may very well be that they remember all too well.
    Remember Jn.6?  When that crowd showed up the next day wanting a repeat of the feeding miracle, Jesus rebuked them.
    Maybe the disciples are being cautious not to repeat that error.
    3. This ministry marathon has gone on 3 days, and Jesus has provided no food.  Perhaps they took that to mean He wouldn't.
    But even beyond all that:
    4.  There is little doubt that they understood the last miracle (especially after all that teaching) to be a foretaste of the great Messianic Banquet at the end of the age.  
    That was very clear when we studied that passage.
    The Messianic Banquet was a Jewish hope.  It’s a promise for God’s special people.  
    This is a Gentile crowd.  
    For Jesus to repeat that miracle here would confuse everything - it would imply that the Gentiles would be in on that great feast.
    It would be a very clear implication that Gentiles will be seated at the Lord’s table in intimate fellowship with God at the Last Day.
    That’s unthinkable.  
    Remember, even a decade after this Peter is horrified at the thought of even entering a Gentile house, much less eating a meal with a Gentile (Acts 10).
    And if it’s that defiling to so much as enter a Gentile’s house, can you imagine the horror of bringing Gentiles into the Holy Place in heaven and seating them at the Lord’s own table?!
    So there are perfectly good explanations (there are others also) for why they wouldn't just assume, “Oh, Jesus can just repeat the feeding miracle.  
    But the answer to that question isn't even the issue.  
    The point isn’t so much why the disciples didn’t do or say something different.  The point is simply that by their response we are made aware of how impossible the situation is (the more impossible the problem, the greater the miracle). 
    The inability of the disciples to think of any way to feed the crowd is necessary in order to establish the miraculous nature of the miracle.  
    This is to rule out people like Barcley, who believes this wasn’t a miracle at all – Jesus just got all the people sharing.
 
The Meaning of the Miracle
    5 "How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied. ... 7 They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
    Right away we wonder what the significance of the 7 baskets is.  Jesus could have made the exact amount required, or He could have made 12 extra baskets like last time.  Why 7?
    First, the primary purpose is to show that there was extra.  If Jesus made the exact amount needed, no one would know.  It would appear as though they ran out of food, and you would think, "Surely there was someone who didn't get enough."
    Once again Jesus takes a very small amount of food and miraculously creates enough for 4000 men plus women and children to eat as much as they wanted.
    This would take something like 5 tons of food.
    Is there significance in the #7?  The main significance in the # 7 is that it is not the #12.  
    The #12, to the Jew, called to mind the nation of Israel (comprised of 12 tribes).  Last time when Jesus fed a massive crowd of Jews, and then had exactly enough left to feed the 12 Apostles, it was symbolic of the fact that Jesus would feed the12 tribes of Israel.  And He will - someday at the great Messianic banquette.
    But this crowd is not Jewish - they are Gentiles, so it makes sense that there wouldn’t be 12 portions left.  
    It also makes sense that they wouldn’t measure the leftovers with Jewish baskets.  
    At the feeding of the 5000, the scraps were gathered up in 12 kophinous (kofi,nouj – Jewish lunch pails).
    These were Jewish baskets used for carrying kosher food.  They were so identified with the Jews that the Gentiles made fun of the Jews over these baskets.
    The word used here is spuridon (spuridwn).  
    That is a different kind of basket that was used by Gentiles. 
    And lest you think this miracle is somehow anticlimactic because of only having 7 baskets instead of 12, you need to know that these are much bigger baskets.
    It’s not like Jesus’ power is petering out here.
    Acts 9:23-25
23 After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a spuris through an opening in the wall.)
    The drawings of these miracles always have baskets the size of a laundry basket or something.  But the first time it was more like 12 lunch pails, and this time it was more like 7 oversized garbage cans.
    This is a massive amount of leftover food.  I got to wondering as I studied this, what they did with it all.
    The people couldn't eat it - everyone was stuffed.  And they certainly couldn’t carry those baskets around.
    And if the # 7 symbolizes anything, it is completeness.   
    How much is a crumb from the Master's table exactly?  It’s enough to stuff everyone full and have piles and piles left over.  
    The Great Messianic Feast at the end of the age will include Gentiles!  That’s the main point of the Feeding of the 4000.

I. The Response of the Blind
    9 And having sent them away, 10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. 
    This is back on the West side of the lake – back in Israel.
    11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 
    Their purpose was to test Jesus – not testing to see if He is genuine, but testing in an effort to prove Him false.
    They are desperate to discredit Him, and so they come up with a test they think He will be unable to do: a sign from heaven.
    This gives us some insight into their utter spiritual blindness.  
    They’re asking Jesus to give them a sign from heaven.  He was a sign from heaven!
    Beyond that, where did they think all the bread and fish to feed two multitudes came from?  It didn’t come from the earth.
    Where did those limbs come from that Jesus was giving to those who were maimed?  The grocery store?
    They might argue, “The Devil can do signs on earth.  We want to see something from out of heaven…”  
    “Elijah called fire from heaven, and in Joshua’s day the sun stood still.  Moses brought manna from heaven. How about something like that?”  
 
What do you suppose it would take to convince them?  What kind of sign from heaven?  How dramatic would it have to be?  
    Do you suppose it would be enough for them if Heaven opened before their eyes, with a whole crowd of witnesses, and God the Father spoke audibly from heaven saying, “This is My Son”?
    That happened at Jesus’ baptism, and it still wasn’t enough.
    Nothing is enough for unbelief.  There is absolutely no level of evidence that will keep them from finding an excuse not to believe.
    One of the surest signs of unbelief is the desire for sensationalism.   
    The faithless person can only see God in the dramatic or spectacular.  They are so dominated by their 5 physical senses, that spiritual things – no matter how awesome, don’t even register. 
    This is why some churches are constantly striving for more and more extreme manifestations of the Holy Spirit. 
    First they elevate tongues up to some supreme level, then being “slain in the Spirit” and falling over backwards, feeling tingling in their bodies…
    Then laughing in the Spirit, then barking and growling in the Spirit, etc.
    Every year or two it escalates into something more dramatic, because yesterday’s sensation is today’s big yawn.
    People like that can walk into a church where the fruit of the Spirit abounds, people love God with all their hearts, love each other as they love themselves…
    People are humble and tremble at God’s Word…
    People are growing spiritually and becoming more and more like Christ…
    And God’s Word is being faithfully and accurately preached…
    Spiritual gifts are being used for the edification of the Body…
    Every one of those things is an astonishing, astounding, mighty act of God, and yet a person who is into sensationalism can walk into a church like that, see that there is nothing flashy or wild, and walk out saying, “This is a dead church.” 
    They can see all those mighty acts of God and walk out saying, “This is a dead church” because they are so fixated on what their 5 senses perceive that nothing else impresses them.
    Sensationalism always wants something more than what God offers.  They want something more than just Christ and righteousness.
    - At least the think they want more.  What they are desiring, however, is something that is less than what God offers, not more.
Jesus’ Sorrow
    12 He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? 
    Statements like that really peak my interest.  I love it when the Bible writers give these little comments about the personality of Jesus.
    He sighed deeply.  He’s drained.
    He can minister to a massive, needy crowd full of tragic people for three straight days and do just fine, but 10 seconds with these guys and He’s emotionally spent. 
    When people have a heart for God it seems like there is no end to the energy you can find to minister to them, but when people become spiritually apathetic or indifferent, or if they have hardened unbelief, that can just sap all your strength in a moment.
    Maybe that’s why so many pastors have a problem with burnout.  They say something like 50% of pastors are experiencing burnout at any given time.
    I don’t even know what burnout is. I work 7 days a week most weeks, long days and few vacations, and I’ve never experienced burnout in my life.  
    I’ve been tired, but never so tired that I couldn’t recover after a good night’s sleep.
    Vacations drain me.  The ministry energizes me.  And it’s because of you.
    My ministry has a lot of demands and a lot of heartaches, but the passion all of you have for God’s Word and the Kingdom of God is so energizing that I’m continuously being recharged.

Pharisees and Sadducees
    In Matthew’s account we see that the yeast is the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
    Instead of saying “The teaching of the Pharisees and the teaching of the Sadducees,” He says, “The teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees,” because it’s just one teaching.
    He lumps the Pharisees and Sadducees in one group together (as well as Herod).
    Most people see that and don’t think anything of it, but the people of Jesus’ day would have been shocked at that.
    The Pharisees and Sadducees were bitter opponents and were opposites in several ways.  
    The Sadducees were the wealthy, powerful aristocrats, who had political power through their connections to Rome.
    The Pharisees despised compromise with Rome.
    The Sadducees were theological liberals.  They didn’t believe in the supernatural.
    The Pharisees were the fundamentalist conservatives.  
    The Sadducees taught that the only thing that is binding is the Pentateuch – the first 5 books of the Bible.  Nothing else.
    The Pharisees taught that not only was the Pentateuch binding, but so were the prophets and all the rest of the OT, as well as ALL the endless traditions of the elders.
    So people thought of the teaching of the Pharisees on end of the spectrum and the teaching of the Sadducees all the way on the other end of the spectrum.
    They taught very different things.
    In fact, they so disagreed with one another that later on, when Paul found himself on trial before the Sanhedrin, he just brought up a point of theology, and the Pharisees and Sadducees got into such a huge argument that they forgot about Paul.
    Acts 23:1-10
Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day." 2 At this the high priest Ananias (part of the Sadducees’ group) ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 
    6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead." 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8(The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) 
9 There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. "We find nothing wrong with this man," they said. "What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" 
    So the teaching of the Pharisees and the teaching of the Sadducees seemed like polar opposites.
    But Jesus just lumps them all together as one, unified teaching.
    That would be a challenge for the disciples.  
    What Jesus wants them to do is to think.  
    How can Jesus lump these groups together?  What is it that they have in common?
    We just saw what they have in common.  They just joined forces and came to try to discredit Jesus with a demand for a sign from heaven.
    What they had in common was a desire for sensationalism rooted in a hardened unbelief.
    Why is Herod thrown into the mix?  He wasn’t part of this encounter.
    Luke 23:8-12
When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. 9 He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. 12 That day Herod and Pilate became friends-before this they had been enemies. 
    Herod was exactly like these Pharisees and Sadducees.  He was interested in Jesus, but only because of curiosity and amusement. 
    He wanted to see tricks, but had no desire or willingness to worship Him or honor Him in any way.

Signs of the Times
    Matt 16:2-12
2 He replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' 3 and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' 
    That’s just a little backyard meteorology.  We have the same rule of thumb today.  You may have heard the little saying: “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.  Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning.”
    3 You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 
    Jesus is speaking to the premiere theologians of His day, and He says, “Frankly, you’re better at the weather than you are with theology.”
    Even the most remedial Bible student should have been able to look at the prophecies in the OT and see the miracles of Jesus, and put two and two together.
    - Especially when you have little aids like angles appearing at His birth, God the Father speaking from heaven at His baptism, John the Baptist affirming He is the Christ, etc.
 
Someone with a spiritual mindset should be able to look around at the events going on around him and properly interpret those in light of Scripture.
    But they couldn’t because they were spiritually blind.
    I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it."  
    Jesus didn’t play games with unbelief.  
    Matthew adds:
4 A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went away.
    He doesn’t even explain Himself.  He just says that and walks away.
    He said this to them once before – way back in ch.12, and explained it then.
    If they reject Him and His miracles and His teaching, the only other sign they are going to get is the cross.
    “Here’s a sign for you – you murder Me and God will raise Me from the dead.”
    But that won’t convince them either.
    1 Cor.1:22-24
Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles 
    The Jews look for signs and then stumble over the cross.  They enjoy the great show of miracles, but are offended at the cross.
    That’s the same thing going on here – they ask for a sign and get the sign of Jonah (Jonah was a “goner” for 3 days, Jesus will be in the tomb 3 days).  
    But that won’t convince them.  All it will do is offend them.
    When Jesus gives them this sign – the ultimate sign – His resurrection from the dead, what did they do?
    They got some money and bribed the soldiers to lie about what happened.

II. The Response of those who can see but can’t understand.

    They are Distracted with the Unimportant 
    13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. 
    Jesus abruptly leaves.  
    When Jesus encountered unbelief He was never sucked in by their phony requests for proof.  He just rebuked them and left them.
    And that’s exactly what we should do.
    If someone is willing to believe, but he is genuinely seeking evidence, that’s fine.  
    But if a person uses a demand for more and more evidence as a smokescreen to hide his complete unwillingness to believe, it’s time to move on.
    So Jesus and the disciples are right back into the boat and across the lake again.
    14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 
    Remember, these loaves are not 2-foot long loaves of bread like our loaves.  They were little cakes – like a cracker – about the size of the palm of your hand.  
    So they get across the lake and realize they have one cracker.
    That’s a concern for these disciples.  We read about their focus on that and are ready to jump on them with both feet, but if you think about it, they reacted just like most of us would react.
    Suppose you were in charge of food for the next leadership retreat, and we go off to some remote cabin far from any grocery store or restaurant, and we arrive and you realize all you have is one cracker.
    For most of us, that’s a big problem.  
    In the natural course of day to day life, something like that will dominate your thoughts.
    If someone asks how your day is going at that moment, you will respond with a big long comment about your food crisis.
    That’s just the level at which we live.  
    We expect the disciples to respond differently because…why?  Because of the halos over their heads?
    These guys don’t know they are in a Bible verse.  This is just regular life for them.
    “But they had Jesus Christ physically there in the boat with them.”
    Yes, but that may have actually made it even harder for them to trust than it is for us.
    We were first introduced to Jesus as almighty God in heaven, so it’s easy for us to think of Him as having unlimited power.  
    But for them it was tough to get around the fact that Jesus looked an awful lot like a regular human being.
    When they saw Him stub His toe climbing in the boat, or helped Him up when He lost His balance, or sat down with Him when He needed a rest from a long walk…
    I’m sure it took some mental discipline to remind themselves that He was the Almighty Creator of the Universe. 
    So there they are focused on bread.
    Jesus is trying to disciple them – trying to prepare them for a few months later when they would begin their work of 
-	reaching the world for Christ, 
-	establishing the Church, 
-	writing the New Testament and 
-	turning the world upside down…
    …That’s what Jesus has a matter of weeks to get them ready for, and they are completely focused on a flat, 3” cracker.
DIscipling 101
Focus them on the Truly Important
    And so in v.15 Jesus gives us a lesson in discipling.  
    How do you disciple someone?  It’s not always the best method to just sit the person down and give him a 12 point lecture on discipleship.  
    That kind of teaching is important, but so is what Jesus is about to do:
    15 "Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod." 
    They are focused on the temporal and unimportant, and Jesus tries to re-direct their thinking to that which is eternal and truly important.
    He wants them to snap out of their worldly focus and open their eyes to the spiritual.
    Jesus just finished with a very important encounter with the Pharisees and Sadducees.  This is no time to be worried about food.
    This is a good thing to keep in mind as you disciple one another.  
    Those of you who are more mature in the faith who are helping others along, try to do this as much as possible.
    Someone will come to you with a dilemma about his rent or his pet or his boss or his health or whatever…
    - and instead of just giving him sound advise on how to wisely handle the situation, take some time, if need be, to help him re-orient his thinking priorities so he views the whole thing from an eternal perspective. 
    If he’s all uptight about his car, before giving advice about what to do, help him understand that when Christ returns, cars will burn.  
    Help him see that a crisis like this should never be allowed to occupy more that 5% of his concern when there are infinitely bigger issues he should be spending his energy on.
    When I was in college I used to tell people all the time that grades will burn.
    It’s wise to strive to do well in school, but sometimes it’s unwise to spend an extra 5 hours cramming just so you might get 5 more points on a test.
    Houses will burn, money will burn, your collection of whatever will burn…
    And even your present body that you are so obsessed with the shape of will turn to dirt.
    Life is short.  Spend you time and energy on that which is eternal.
    You’ve all heard the line in that poem: “Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.”
    Let me read you the some of the verses from that poem:
    Two little lines I heard one day,Traveling along life's busy way; Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart; Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last. 
    Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done; Then, in 'that day' my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat; Only one life,'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last. 
    Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God's holy will to cleave; Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last. 
    Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears; Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will; Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last. 
    When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score; When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say; 
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last. 
    Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep; Faithful and true what e'er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life; Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last. 
    Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn; Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne; Only one life, "twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last. 
    Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say,"Thy will be done"; And when at last I'll hear the call, I know I'll say "twas worth it all"; Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last. 
    Jesus had an acute sense of the eternal and the brevity of life, and the potential for impact on the Kingdom, and so it pained Him to see time wasted on the unimportant.
    So He hooks up the jumper cables to the disciples’ minds and tries to get them jump started into thinking about eternal things. 
    16 They discussed this with one another and said, "It is because we have no bread."

    BENEDICTION: 1 Pe.5:10,11  And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.