The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.” 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? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.” He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

If we view everything that God does or allows in our life only for its temporal impact, we are blind and deaf. Jesus wants us not just to see, but to understand spiritual things. He wants us not just to hear, but to perceive God’s power and priorities in life.

The disciples were only looking with eyes that saw things right in front of them. These might have been some examples of how they thought: a) Jesus feeds the 5,000, they think he is very powerful. b) Jesus calms the storm and walks on water, they think he commands the winds and the waves. c) Jesus feeds the 4,000, they think he again is very powerful. d) Jesus calls the Pharisees “yeast”, they think he must have said this because they did not have much bread?

They missed the deeper things God was trying to show them. Before he fed the 5,000, he told them to feed the people. They could have performed the same miracle as Jesus, I believe, if they were in tune with the will of God. He would not tell them to feed the people if it was not possible. And to show them that God not only cares about big things like feeding 5,000, but he cares about the faith of twelve misfit disciples, he had exactly twelve baskets full of fish and bread left over.

Twelve is a significant number in Jewish tradition. There are 12 months in the calendar year, each day and night are divided into 12 hours, and there were 12 tribes of Israel. The number 12 was a number of meaning because it encompassed all of who the Jews were in life (months and hours) and in heritage (twelve tribes). Twelve also represented the twelve apostles of Jesus. It’s like he was saying, you need to eat of this miracle and understand the depth of it. The will of God will happen, it is just a matter of who trusts him enough to obey it. The one who believes, who seeks out the will of God with confidence and prays in the power of his Spirit, will see it done. And God is calling you to discern and understand the depths of who he is.

When Jesus passed them by in the boat, the storm was raging. Again they were trying to row to shore in their own strength. They did not seek God and ask if it was his will to calm the storm for them. They did not ask Jesus to save them with full belief he could. They did not expect Jesus to come, and so they mis-labeled him as a ghost.

In the feeding of the 4,000, there were seven loaves and some fish. Seven is a number of perfection or perfect wholeness. It represents a full and complete world. There were seven days of creation, with the seventh day set aside for Sabbath or rest. This also references seven as a number of completion. Seven is also represented in Jewish agricultural practices, marriage festivities, feasts and festivals, the Menorah candelabra and more. Afterwards, there were seven baskets full of food left over. The disciples did not seek to understand the meaning of this. The miracle was just taken on face value.

Now he tells them to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and they think he is talking about them not having enough bread? These disciples were really dense. And the truth is I can be spiritually dense at times too.

Jesus doesn’t just want us to be spectators in our faith with God, cheering him on in his good works and asking for more. Viewing them from the outside in. He wants us to understand that his works, miracles, signs, and wonders are deeply personal and have meaning for us spiritually into eternity.

Lord, help me to seek to understand (and hear to perceive) the truths of your works and your ways. Help me to dig into your Word, The Bible, to glean its deeper truths for my life. May I not be satisfied simply being a spiritual spectator.