In the Bible in Matthew 16:6 Jesus says to the disciples “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees”. In verse 7 it says His disciples “reasoned among themselves, saying, it is because we have taken no bread”, (because they had forgotten to take bread with them).

The disciples missed what Jesus was saying to them and it seems to me there were a couple of reasons why.

1. They had the wrong focus. Jesus said to “take, heed and beware…” This was an obvious warning, but because they were focused on bread, the thing they forgot, the natural thing, they missed the warning. It seems they were focused on the mistake they felt they made. They brought no bread. Sometimes we focus on our mistakes and miss the message. Sometimes we are so caught up in our own thoughts, perceptions and fears about a situation that we miss what God is saying. 

2. They forgot who they were with. They were with Jesus! A few short verses later Peter is asked by Jesus ‘…who do you say that I am?’. Peter responds ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’. Jesus is the one who called them, the one they were following, the one they watched perform miracles. There was no need to worry about bread. Sometimes we forget as Christians that God is always with us, no matter the situation. He knows what we need, so there’s no need to worry.

3. They forgot the miracles Jesus performed that they’d seen with their own eyes and participated in! They were there and handed out the baskets of food when Jesus on two separate occasions fed large crowds with very little. They watched Jesus take 5 loaves of bread and multiply it to feed 5,000 men plus women and children. They also watched Jesus take 7 loaves of bread and multiply it to feed 4,000 men plus women and children. If they had thought about the miraculous multiplication of the loaves that they themselves helped serve, they would have recognized that this wasn’t about forgotten bread.

As we go about our day, we need to take account of our thoughts. We need to let go of mistakes, fear, and negative thoughts, so we can hear what God is saying to us. What warning or helpful information could He be trying to convey to us? We need to focus on what God is speaking and not what we are thinking.

How will you shine today?