August 29, 2023 - Matthew 16-18

“And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven” (16:1). Pretty much what we would expect from these guys, but the disciples? Going to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, the disciples realized they had forgotten to bring food. Jesus, sensing their anxiety, said to them, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves that that you have no bread? Did you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how baskets you gathered?” (16:8-10)

Jesus has already been down this road with these guys. No problem. But they seem either to have forgotten, or they’re lacking in faith. Why don’t they just say to Jesus, “We were not diligent. We did not plan well. We forgot to bring food. Will you help us?” This is not to make license for a lifestyle of slacking and always asking the Lord to bail us out. But we do need to remember and reflect on all God’s good and bountiful provisions to us in the past. The psalmist, in a moment of anxiety, determined, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds” (Psalm 77:11-12). Our God has never failed us. He has always given us what we needed. We can remember the past and trust him now, in the present.

O magnify the Lord with me,

exalt his holy name;

when in distress to him I called,

he to my rescue came.

The hosts of God encamp around

the dwellings of the just;

deliv’rance he affords to all

who in his promise trust. -- Tate and Brady’s New Version( 1696)