How Many Loaves Do You Have?

Mat 15:29-16:12

Key Verse 15:34

“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

Read verses 29-31. Where did Jesus go from there? Describe the crowds and his ministry to them. How did the people respond?

Read verses 32-39. Jesus had compassion on the crowds, so what did he want to do? What was the disciples’ problem? What did Jesus ask them?  How is this event similar to a previous event? Different?

Read verses 1-4. Who came to Jesus?  Why did they ask for a sign? When had a similar thing happened? (12:38-40)

Look at verses 2-4 again. Why should the religious leaders not need for Jesus to show them a sign? What did Jesus say about that generation? What sign did he promise? (Compare 12:38-40) Why did he call them wicked and adulterous?

Read verses 5-7. Where did Jesus and his disciples go? What were the disciples worried about? What did Jesus warn them about? What did they think he meant? Why?

Read verses 8-12. How did Jesus rebuke them? Why did he say that they had a lack of faith?  What must they understand in this case?  What should the disciples remember?

What is the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees? Why does Jesus compare their teaching to yeast? How can we guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees?

How Many Loaves Do You Have?

Mat 15:29-16:12

Key Verse 15:34

“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

1. Read verses 29-31. Where did Jesus go from there? Describe the crowds and His ministry to them. How did the people respond?

Mat. 15:29-31, “29Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.”

Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee and went up a mountainside.

‘Great’ crowds gathered around Jesus.  They brought the lame, blind, the crippled, the mute and MANY others who were in great need.  There were not a few exceptional cases, but MANY who were brought to Jesus to heal and help.

Everyone that was brought to Jesus was healed; no one was too difficult for Him to help.  Everyone was completely restored to perfect health.

The people all praised the God of Israel.  They were so thankful that God had sent them such a Good Shepherd like Jesus to help them all in their great need.

2. Read verses 32-39. Jesus had compassion on the crowds, so what did He want to do? What was the disciples’ problem? What did Jesus ask them?  How is this event similar to a previous event? Different?

-    Mat. 15:32-39, “32Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way." 33His disciples answered, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?   34"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked.  "Seven," they replied, "and a few small fish." 35He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38The number of those who ate was four thousand, besides women and children. 39After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.”

-    Jesus wanted to feed the people because they had been with Him three days and there was no place close to go to get food.

-    The disciples were probably hungry and tired as well.  They ALSO had been with Jesus the last three days (actually they had been continuously with Jesus since they began following Him).  It must have been difficult to think about the needs of the people, besides wanting the people to be independent and take care of their own needs.  They might have thought that Jesus had already done ENOUGH for them by healing any and all who needed it.  At the very least they could look after their own food needs.

-    Perhaps the disciples were thinking to themselves that they themselves would collapse if they had to think about and take care of all the people’s food needs.

-    Plus the disciples didn’t have enough with them to possibly feed this ‘Great’ crowd.  When the disciples asked, “Where could we get ENOUGH” they were revealing that they really didn’t think they had enough to help this great crowd.

-    Jesus asked His disciples ‘How many loaves do you have?”

-    This event and the event where Jesus and His disciples fed 

3. Read verses 1-4. Who came to Jesus?  Why did they ask for a sign? When had a similar thing happened? (12:38-40)

Verses 1-4, “The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. 2He replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' 3and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4A 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.”

The Pharisees and Saducees came to Jesus to test Him.

They were not looking for Jesus to prove that He was the Christ.  They tested Him in order to prove that He was not the Christ.  They had already made up their mind that they were not going to accept Jesus as the Christ.  They already decided He was not.  They did so because they did not like what He had to say to them.  They rejected His message, so therefore they could not accept Him as the Christ.  He was challenging their way of life, their high position and calling them to actually be shepherds of God’s flock, including living for others over themselves.  They did not want any of this.

By asking for a sign, they revealed their attitude.  They thought that they were right with God and were in a position to ‘judge’ who Jesus was.  If they thought Jesus was truly the Christ, they would never have done such an arrogant, preposterous thing.

Mat. 12: 38-40, “38Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you." 39He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

This reveals that they never had in mind to listen to Jesus or to learn what the sign of Jonah really meant.  They were not looking really for a sign at all.

4. Look at verses 2-4 again. Why should the religious leaders not need for Jesus to show them a sign? What did Jesus say about that generation? What sign did He promise? (Compare 12:38-40) Why did He call them wicked and adulterous?

Verses 2-4, “He replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' 3and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4A 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.”

The religious leaders did not need a sign because a sign had already been given.  If they really wanted to ‘know’ if Jesus was the Messiah, they could have interpreted the signs already given, just as they could tell the weather by the color of the sky.

Jesus called the generation a wicked and adulterous generation, because they were so proud and arrogant and worshipped idols and themselves.  They thought they were alright and could stand before God just as they were.  They refused to believe Jesus because they loved themselves and this world.

Jesus promised the sign of Jonah.

The Ninevites repented at the words of Jonah, without any signs.  Jonah only warned them with five words and they immediately humbled themselves down and repented in sackcloth, even their animals did!

Jonah was a prophet, Jesus is God Almighty.  Jonah performed no miraculous signs, Jesus performed many signs.  Jonah did not like the Ninevites and really was not a good shepherd for them, he was angry when they repented, he wanted God to punish them for all their crimes.  Jesus was a Good Shepherd and forgave and loved His wayward people.  Jesus and Jonah could not have been more different and yet even then the religious leaders rejected Jesus’ message, whereas the Ninevites instantly accepted the message and repented.

5. Read verses 5-7. Where did Jesus and his disciples go? What were the disciples worried about? What did Jesus warn them about? What did they think He meant? Why?

Mat. 16:5-7, “5When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6"Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."7They discussed this among themselves and said, "It is because we didn't bring any bread."

They went across the lake.

The disciples had forgotten to take bread along for their trip.  They may have been afraid that they would meet up with a new large crowd and Jesus would spend three days with them and they would be caught without food enough to feed any unexpected crowd they might be asked to feed again.  This had already happened twice, they did not want it to happen a third time.

Jesus told them, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees”.

They thought Jesus was talking about physical bread, because they had not brought any bread with them.  Again, they may have thought that because the last two times Jesus had told them to feed the crowd and were caught not ready or prepared, that Jesus was telling them this so that they would not be unprepared a third time.

6. Read verses 8-12. How did Jesus rebuke them? Why did he say that they had a lack of faith?  What must they understand in this case?  What should the disciples remember?

Verses 8-12, “8Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, "You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 12Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Jesus rebuked them because of their lack of faith.  They were worried about not having enough bread, even though Jesus had twice now provided not only bread for themselves, but even for a ‘Great’ crowd.  They saw Jesus use almost ‘nothing’ and was able to feed a great multitude.

They should have remembered what Jesus had already done in the past.  They should remember the times that Jesus delivered them in their time of need.

7. What is the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees? Why does Jesus compare their teaching to yeast? How can we guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees?

The yeast of the Pharisees is their teaching and their influence and lifestyle and life goals, etc.

As the religious leaders and shepherds for God’s flock, their teaching gives great influence to the flock under their care.

Fix our eyes on Jesus and follow His example.

How Many Loaves Do You Have?

Mat 15:29-16:12

Key Verse 15:34

‘How many loaves do you have?’ Jesus asked. ‘Seven,’ they replied, ‘and a few small fish.’

In today’s passage Jesus challenges us to remember what He has done for us and to give what we have so that we would serve His Kingdom purpose, to be disciple makers in this generation.  Our faith is not so that we alone could overcome the world and live a carefree life, ultimately God wants us to live a life of faith, so that we would be both blessed and a source of blessing.

First, Jesus blesses many Gentiles (29-39). 

Look at verse 29. “Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down.” It is hard to get the geographical imagery from this verse. But when we compare with Mark’s gospel, it is clear that Jesus went down the east side of the Sea of Galilee in the area of the Decapolis. This was known as Gentile territory. It was there that Jesus had healed two demon-possessed men at the cost of the town’s pig business. At that time, the people of the region rejected Jesus. But now he returns there and the response is quite different. Look at verse 30. “Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.” Perhaps the news of Jesus’ healing the demon possessed men had borne this good fruit. Or perhaps the healing of the Canaanite woman’s daughter led many people to come to Jesus. In either case, great crowds of people, mostly Gentile people, came to Jesus with all their sick and needy. And Jesus healed them all. When the people saw this they praised the God of Israel. They saw God in Jesus and accepted the love of God. They saw the power of God in Jesus and praised the God of Israel for his love and power. 

In verses 31-39, Jesus feeds the crowd of people before sending them away. This event is similar to the event in chapter 14. Jesus had compassion on them. Jesus challenged his disciples to help him feed them by finding what they had to offer. Jesus accepted their seven loaves and multiplied them until they could feed four thousand men plus women and children. The similarity with the previous event tells us that Jesus’ compassion for the Gentiles mirrored his compassion for the Jews. The differences tell us that it was indeed a different event. We find that the disciples were making some progress this time, for they responded with a little more cooperation and hope than the previous time. Also, this time there were seven basketfuls of broken pieces left over. This may correspond to the seven loaves that they offered and teach them that they will be blessed in proportion to the measure that they give. In any case, Jesus’ compassion for the Gentiles is overflowing. Though Jesus went first to the Jews, he treated the Gentiles with the same compassion and grace as he had treated the Jews. Jesus is indeed the God of compassion and the King of the Jews who saves all the Gentiles who believe in him. 

Second, Don’t demand a sign; be a sign (1-4). 

This event takes place in the vicinity of Magadan (15:39). This was on the west side of the Sea of Galilee, back in Jewish territory. No sooner had Jesus arrived there, than he was accosted by Jewish religious leaders. Look at verse 1. “The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.” The Pharisees were strict adherents to the Law, including the prophets and the oral traditions. They believed in the resurrection and the spiritual world. The Sadducees acknowledged only the Pentateuch, and denied the resurrection and the spiritual world. These two groups were usually enemies of one another (Ac 26:6). But they came together against Jesus, their enemy. They represented the leadership of Israel. 

They came to “test” Jesus. This was not an objective test which Jesus could pass by giving a right response. They had already officially discredited Jesus’ ministry. They came to intimidate Jesus and to draw him into their political scheme. In doing this, they totally ignored the truth. Jesus had done among them what no one else could do. Jesus made the lame walk, gave sight to the blind, and raised the dead. This is precisely what the Scripture foretold the Messiah would do. The Jewish leaders were not interested in the facts or in the fulfillment of Scripture. They only looked for a way to get rid of Jesus. Their fierce opposition could intimidate anyone. How did Jesus respond? 

Jesus was insightful, reasonable and penetrating. Look at verses 2-3. “He replied, ‘When evening comes, you say, “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,” and in the morning, “Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.” You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.’” Jesus exposed their hypocrisy so clearly. They were good at interpreting the appearance of the sky. They knew when it was going to rain and made sure to bring their umbrellas so they would not ruin their expensive Versace suits. Clearly, they had the necessary faculties to interpret the signs of the times. But they could not do this. They were completely ignorant of spiritual reality. They were so ignorant that they had called the Messiah a demon possessed man. How did they become so stupid spiritually? 

Look at verse 4a. “A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus called them wicked and adulterous. Wicked and adulterous people must repent, not ask for a miraculous sign. When they did not repent their obvious sin before God they became spiritually blind, deaf and dumb. Spiritual insight does not originate from great human ability. Spiritual insight comes to those who repent their sins. The problem of wicked and adulterous people is that they don’t repent their sins. They suppress the truth and deny that they are sinners. Proverbs 30:20 says, “This is the way of an adulteress: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’” This is precisely the attitude of wicked and adulterous people. They claim to be without sin, thinking no one knows their deeds of darkness. However, their sin has tangible and deadly consequences to their own souls and to all of their relationships. 

The wages of sin is death (Ro 6:23). Those who sin, their souls wither. They lose spiritual sense and their humanity. Then they break relationships with others and most of all with God. They often do this unintentionally, as those in a state of spiritual stupor. Though the religious leaders sinned a lot, they came and stood before Jesus as if they were holy. They demanded a miraculous sign as though they were the unique moral and spiritual guardians of the nation. But in truth, they were irrational, extremely wicked and hypocritical. They are like a man who eats high calorie food in secret and never exercise. Then when he gets on the scales and sees the result, he exclaims, “How can that be? I did all the right things.” They are like a woman who secretly enjoys using her credit card. Then when the statement comes showing the increased balance, she says, “This must be a mistake, maybe identity theft.” They are like a person who watches television all day and does not study. Then when a poor report card comes they say, “It’s my teacher’s fault. He is unfair and biased.” When sin is exposed, it is time to repent. Instead, wicked people make excuses, blame others, and seek miraculous signs. They want God to fix their problem miraculously even though they do not confess their sins. They hope that they will suddenly get straight A’s, have an attractive body, and a healthy bank account. Many come to God demanding a miracle when they really need to just repent of their sins. 

Jesus refused to give the religious leaders any sign except the sign of Jonah. The sign of Jonah is Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (Mt 12:40). Jesus’ resurrection proved with power that he is the Son of God (Ro 1:4). The power of Jesus’ resurrection is truly great. Jesus’ disciples, who had been fearful, became as bold as Jesus after meeting the Risen Christ. They rebuked the religious leaders of Israel and the whole nation, challenging people to repent. Many believed in Jesus and experienced the work of the Holy Spirit. They became living signs, down through the generations, that Christ is risen and he is the Son of God. 

Those who repent their sins and accept the Risen Christ all become changed people, and signs of his glory and power. Let’s not demand miraculous signs from Jesus, hiding our wickedness. Instead, let’s repent our sins and accept the Risen Christ, who can make us a sign for our generation. 

The last part of verse 4 says, “Jesus then left them and went away.” In the gospels, it is very unusual for Jesus to leave someone like this. Usually, Jesus blesses people and sends them away. But here, Jesus turned away from the religious leaders and left them. They were too wicked to receive his words. They were determined to live in deceit and to oppose Jesus. Even Jesus could not help them anymore. Now Jesus had to protect his disciples. 

Third, Jesus helps his disciples to have healthy faith (5-10). 

The confrontation between Jesus and the religious leaders was hostile indeed. The disciples were probably in a hurry to cross the lake and get out of there (5). In their haste, they forgot to bring bread. The disciples never forgot to bring bread. This shows that they were in a spiritual quandary, flustered by the pressure of the religious leaders. Jesus said to them, “Be careful. Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (6). Jesus wanted them to resist the influence of the religious leaders. But they did not understand. So they had a disciples’ conference to discuss it. They concluded that Jesus was unhappy because they forgot to bring bread. They had fallen into self-condemnation. They worried that they would have nothing to eat. When their stomachs began to growl, fatalism and anxiety overwhelmed them. They forgot who they were and what they were doing. They felt cut off from Jesus and useless. The devil’s attack is so sneaky. It can come suddenly through the bad influence of others. It is disarming and paralyzes its victim, like the strike of a tiger’s paw. 

Look at verse 8. “Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, ‘You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?’” Jesus called them, “You of little faith.” It is the fourth time in this gospel (6:30; 8:26; 14:31). It seems to be their nickname. But in fact, Jesus was training them to be men of faith. Jesus helped them to see their problem as a faith problem. It was not a bread problem or a storm problem, but a faith problem. What they needed was faith in Jesus. Jesus wanted them to have healthy faith that would not waver in danger or difficulty. Jesus’ disciples would be the leaders of the work of world salvation. It was essential that they be men of healthy faith. They must trust in Jesus no matter what happened. They must maintain their love relationship with Jesus in any situation. However, they had been talking among themselves without Jesus. They had been separated from Jesus by the subtle attack of the devil through the religious leaders. Jesus rebuked them to bring them back to their senses. The Bible says that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We must believe the love of God in any situation. What really matters is the condition of our faith, not the problem we are facing. 

Look at verse 9. “Do you still not understand?” When the disciples became shaky in faith, they could not understand Jesus spiritually. They interpreted Jesus’ words with human reason and subjective emotions and totally misunderstood. In contrast, the Canaanite woman could understand Jesus’ words because she never lost faith in Jesus. 

Jesus’ rebuke to his disciples was not only to expose their problem, it was also therapeutic. Jesus wanted to heal their faith and restore their spirits. Look at verses 9b-10. “Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?” Jesus said, “Don’t you remember?” Then Jesus reminded them of two specific events that revealed his power, love and provision: the feeding of the five thousand and the feeding of the four thousand. Jesus was jarring their minds to remember what he had done. Jesus wants us to approach challenges by remembering what he has already done based on his promises. We call this “having a sense of God’s history.” Having a sense of history makes a person see things differently.

Likewise, Jesus wants his disciples to see everything with a sense of God’s history, remembering what Jesus has done based on God’s promises. Then we can understand things from God’s point of view. We can taste Jesus’ love and be full of faith. Jesus who loved us in our wretched state of sin will continue to do so. Jesus who provided for our needs will continue to do so. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” When we remember what Jesus has done, we can overcome the devil’s attack and have peace. Then we can learn from Jesus all the more. 

The boy David had a sense of God’s history. The Philistine army and the giant Goliath were threatening Israel. Goliath was nine feet tall and had weapons of mass destruction. Before him the whole nation trembled and no one wanted to fight him. But David saw things differently. To the boy David, Goliath was merely an uncircumcised Philistine, a heathen and barbarian. On the other hand, the holy God was with his people Israel. They were not helpless, they were the army of the living God. The boy David also remembered God’s deliverance in his personal life. He said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1Sa 17:37). David was filled with courage. He ran out to his enemy, threw his stone into his forehead and killed him with one blow. 

The problem is that we are so forgetful. Though Jesus has done 1,000 things for us, we easily forget them all, only remembering one mistake we made, or one act of the devil, and become distressed. The problem we face looks more tangible than what God has done for us.  We must remember what Jesus has done. 2 Timothy 2:8 says, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel....” May God help each of us remember Jesus Christ who died for us and rose again. May the Holy Spirit help each of us remember what he has done in our personal lives, our community, and our nation. 

Fourth, guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees (11-12). 

Look at verses 11-12. “‘How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” After being rebuked, the disciples got much better. Their faith was restored and their hearts were healed. They began to understand what Jesus was teaching them. They needed to have healthy faith that was free from the yeast of the religious leaders. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Healthy faith is 100% certain about God’s love, power and goodness. It does not contain even 1% of doubt, fear, or anxiety. To have this kind of healthy faith, we must watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. What is this yeast? In the context of this passage it is the poisonous influence of those who hate Jesus and want to destroy his work. 

These days there are people who want to destroy the work of Jesus. They are instruments of the same devil that attacked Jesus and his work some 2,000 years ago. They are irrational, malicious and wicked. They invent slanderous accusations that plant doubt in young believer’s hearts. They use the internet, mass mailings, and any available means. We must take Jesus’ warning about them seriously. We must be on our guard against their evil influence. Jesus did not leave his disciples with such people. Jesus took them to Gentile territory to have time of Bible study until they confessed their faith in him. We must be on our guard against the yeast of wicked people in our times. 

In this passage we heard Jesus’ voice, “Don’t you remember...?” Let’s remember the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins. Let’s remember the love of God for us who sent Jesus to die for us while we were still sinners.  Let’s remember what Jesus has done for us so that we may serve His Kingdom purpose in this generation.  Let’s remember what Christ has done for us so that we may learn His compassionate heart and live a life that is truly blessed, being a source of blessing to those in need, especially those who don’t know Jesus personally.  May Jesus help us to be good shepherds full of healthy faith, so that we can serve them with even what little we have.

One Word: How many loaves do you have?