"Bad Bread"

Scripture Passage

Mark 7:24-30; Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:31-37; Matthew 15:29-31; Mark 8:1-10; Matthew 15:32-16:4; Mark 8:11-21; Matthew 16:5-12

Scripture Focus

Then at last they understood that he wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:12 NLT)

Observation

As testified to in today’s reading, Jesus has continued to evidence the invasion of God’s Kingdom by life-changing miracle after life-changing miracle. Today’s reading includes specific reports of a little girl delivered from an evil spirit and the healing of a deaf man with a speech impediment. After that, Matthew simply lumps a multitude of miraculous healings together, saying simply, “A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn’t speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all” (Matthew 15:30 NLT). All of this is followed by yet another miraculous mass meal—this time feeding than 4,000 people. Then—after all that—“…the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority” (Matthew 16:1 NLT).

Jesus speaks to his disciples later in a private moment. “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6 NLT). The disciples are humorously clueless, presuming Jesus—who has twice, now, fed thousands with a sack lunch—is somehow worried about finding something to eat! Jesus restates his case, and the disciples finally get it—

Then at last they understood that he wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:12 NLT)

I read this and thought about Jesus’ battle in the wilderness. What was Satan’s challenge? “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (Matthew 4:3 NIV). What was Jesus’ reply? “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4 NIV).

There’s something significant here—in both these accounts—about living on sources beyond the physical…trusting in realities beyond that which can be seen, touched, handled or stuck under a microscope for examination. The “deceptive teaching” against which Jesus warns somehow seems to reduce life to that which can be controlled and manipulated. “Give us a miracle! Prove yourself!” Jesus won’t stoop to that level or be reduced to that kind of manipulation—from the Pharisees, the Sadducees, or me. No matter how I provoke or protest, today God will continue to be God, and I’ll continue not to be.  Any "meal" suggesting otherwise is simply bad bread.

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