And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.
The disciples turned aside to confer privately among themselves, concluding that the caution concerning the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees had been spoken because no bread had been brought along. Their preoccupation with having no bread exposed a failure to trust the power to provide. That distrust remained although the feeding of the multitude at Bethsaida had already been witnessed, an experience that should have led to confidence that provision would again be made for another hungry crowd. Prejudice against Gentiles still lingering in their hearts also colored their attitude toward the feeding of the people in Decapolis.
The lesson is not to stay confined to immediate, material concerns but to learn the intended lessons, for such learning makes believers teachable and united.
The disciples turned aside to confer privately among themselves, concluding that the caution concerning the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees had been spoken because no bread had been brought along. Their preoccupation with having no bread exposed a failure to trust the power to provide. That distrust remained although the feeding of the multitude at Bethsaida had already been witnessed, an experience that should have led to confidence that provision would again be made for another hungry crowd. Prejudice against Gentiles still lingering in their hearts also colored their attitude toward the feeding of the people in Decapolis.
The lesson is not to stay confined to immediate, material concerns but to learn the intended lessons, for such learning makes believers teachable and united.