Tabor Baptist Church

• The disciples minds were on earthly things
• They thought that Jesus was talking about bread because they had forget leaven
• Have there ever been times where you have been preoccupied by your situation?
• Are there times when we feel that someone has spoken against us?
• Sometimes our actions are used by The Lord to speak to others

A huge contrast in the passage

• Jesus doing good v8-10
• Another miracle where Jesus feeds everyone
• Jesus' compassion is revealed
• v11-21 The people are in darkness
• The Pharisees want a sign
• The disciples in partial blindness

The Compassion of the Master

• Jesus had healed many
• Jesus had been with the multitude for three days (v2)
• Why another miracle?
• The first miracle in Jewish territory, the second in Gentile territory
• Jesus wants His disciples to know that He is full of love and pity for the Gentiles
• His disciples had tried to impede Gentiles from coming (e.g. The Syro-Phoenician woman)
• There were all sorts of people in the crowd and Jesus had compassion on them all, He did not discriminate against those who did not believe in Him
• The love of a God extends to all people
• God hates sin but loves with every compassion the sinner
• Will you turn away from this love?
• If God was concerned about physical need, will He also not be concerned with your spiritual need?
• What is our compassion like for those around?
• Jesus compassion is a deep feeling that always results in action
• Jesus feeds the crowd
• We live in a world of a lack of compassion
• As Christians we are to be different and to love those on the margins of society
• As Christians we should doubt never God's provision

The Concern of the Master

• His concern for His disciples was to develop faith
• He used the exact same words as before (v5)
• The disciples did not remember what Jesus did last time
• Do we remember how God has provided for us in difficult situations?
• If God provided for the disciples and for other men of God, will He also provide for us?
• He has a deep concern for those who have no faith (v11-12)
• The Pharisees wanted to dispute with Jesus and test Him
• Jesus sighed deeply at their unbelief
• He was concerned that people with no faith would affect His disciples (v15)
• Be very careful with these people who have religion but no love
• It is like leaven that goes into dough and spreads throughout
• Avoid legalism and false doctrine
• Beware of the doctrine of the Pharisees that teaches salvation by works
• He was concerned about the leaven of Herod affecting His disciples (v15)
• He lived a pragmatic life
• He took his brothers wife for himself (and did not like John the Baptist speaking against him)
• He felt obliged to honour his promise made in front of his daughter, wife and guests
• Today
• We must be careful not to follow extremes but follow what the Bible teaches
• We must avoid relativism, which says there are no absolutes

The Correction of the Master

• Repeated miracles in Scripture
• Jesus feeding the disciples with bread and fish after the resurrection
• Performs a miracle when the disciples are first called, repeated again at the need of John's gospel
• Jesus will always provide for His disciples
• Matt 16:12 - Then they understood
• Ex 16 - The people of God had forgotten His blessings and His deliverance in the midst of their situation
• God provided in a wonderful and miraculous way
• May we not be like this and always trust God
• God greatly values sinners and gave His Son that they might be saved