Five Loaves & Two Fish

The Pharisees minded what God spoke, but not what He intended. They were busy in the outward work of the hand, but incurious of the affections and choice of the heart. So God was served in the letter, they did not much inquire into His purpose; and therefore they were curious to wash their hands, but cared not to purify their hearts. Jeremy Taylor

I love finding wisdom in the Bible.  To me it is like the best treasure hunt ever.  Sometimes it takes a great deal of reading and searching, but when you find a nugget of truth it is like the search was worth all the time involved.

I was reading about Jesus and the feeding of the five thousand.  Remember how the apostles told Jesus to send the people away so that they could find provisions and lodging.  I love Jesus’ response.  “You give them something to eat.”  What was their response?  We only have five loaves and two fish.  The apostles decided that they couldn’t feed the multitude with five loaves of bread and two fish. 

Have you ever thought about how frustrating it would have been to be Jesus trying to teach the apostles in the short time he was here on earth?  These guys had Jesus in their midst and sometimes they just didn’t get it.   There are times when I don’t get it either, so I understand how trying we humans can be at the best of times. 

Jesus told the apostles, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”  As the apostles stood around talking amongst themselves about how they forgot to bring bread, Jesus interrupts them and tells them He is not talking about bread but the corrupt doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 

Leaven consisted of dough that had fermented.  Jesus used the term as an illustration of the growth of the kingdom of heaven in the individual heart and the world.  Leavening of dough has multiple characteristics.  It is an outside source, it operates secretly, it spreads by contact just like a germ and it changes what it comes in contact with and multiplies. 

As the apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.    

Prayer for the Day: Jesus, you give examples in the Bible of how we are to live out our days here on earth.  You remind us not to become like the Pharisees and Sadducees filled with malice and wickedness but to be filled with sincerity and truth.  I need Your help to become more like You.  I praise You for giving me examples to follow that I can apply to my daily life.  

     

Scripture:  The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.”

But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “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 16:5-12