JUNE 23 JQ#17-4 “How many loaves do you have?” (Matthew 15:34) The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

JUNE 23    JQ#17-4 “How many loaves do you have?” (Matthew 15:34) 

365 Prayers to JESUS 

Jesus, Lord, Redeemer, my Rock and my Salvation, Praise Your Holy Name.  Lord Jesus when I look back at where the journey that seeking You has taken me, I am in awe of the “Way” that You have Provided for my needs, all my needs, both the “physical” and the “Spiritual”. Lord, I may never understand but my understanding should and shall not interfere with my Praise for the One that is Worthy, the only one that is worthy — in You alone is “Truth”, and You alone can give “Life”. No greater “Love” has ever been given, no greater “Gift” will ever be given than the “Gift  of God” of the “Sacrificial Lamb” — His Only Begotten Son — “Sacrificed of God” that man could be reconciled to his Creator in spite of all our sins and iniquities!         AMEN

The Jesus Questions

JUNE 23   JQ#17-4 “How many loaves do you have?” (Matthew 15:34)  Any time Jesus asks any question we should really pay attention because the Master Teacher is using the question to bring our focus on some “Spiritual Truth” by using our common everyday experiences to give us “understanding” of the supernatural life all those that believe He is the Savior and that as a believer we are going to live for the rest of our “eternal” existence with God!!  JQ#17 taken by itself is a simple six word sentence with the longest word being six letters and the subject is a physical item that is experienced by every soul that ever lived on the earth ——— “bread”! When we look at the context surrounding this question and see that the woman that came to Jesus requesting that her daughter who was “severely demon-possessed” (Matthew 15:22) be healed was first addressed by a statement that on the surface seems out of place for Jesus the “Healer”,  as He initially stated to the woman: “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” (Matthew 15:26). However, if Jesus is starting another “Teaching of Deep Spiritual Truths” then He will do so by using a “shared experience” that everyone can relate to and we already have a base understanding of. In this case Jesus has used the consumption of “bread” and we see how He puts the consuming of “bread” in juxtaposition to “great faith”. Before you accuse the writer of grasping at straws let us look at the progression of this lesson of consumption of bread as a “Great Spiritual Truth” as Jesus puts the “Bread Lesson” down on the bottom shelf so everyone can get to it as we read from Matthew 15:21 through Matthew 16:12 the “Master’s Lesson” on “Bread”. Matthew 15:21-28 Jesus heals a severely demon-possessed girl and uses the seemingly out of place phrase about throwing “children’s bread” to the “dogs” and the mother responded “even …dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table” (Matthew 15:26-27) and Jesus then responds to the woman’s comments of eating “crumbs” [of bread] “from [the] masters’ table” with this great commendation to the woman: “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” and then we see the results of her “great faith” as we read “and her daughter was healed that very hour.” (Matthew 15:28). Then Matthew records  that the “multitudes” brought to Jesus those in need of “physical healing” and Matthew notes “and [Jesus] healed them.” (Matthew 15:29) with the results of all those mighty works that the [multitudes] “glorified the God of Israel”. The significance of “bread” in the works of God starts to surface when we consider the first comment Jesus made as the woman had first petitioned Jesus by declaring “O Lord, Son of David!” and Jesus responded “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:22-24). This “bread” lesson then begins with a Jesus introducing the problem of “lostness” and we see the introduction of “[bread] crumbs…from the masters’ table” and Jesus then saying to the woman who realized the significance of “bread” to her “faith” was rewarded by Jesus in the form of commending her on her “great faith” and then healing her “demon-possessed” daughter which was a “spiritual” ailment. Then Jesus immediately heals “physical” infirmities from the “multitudes” and then when Jesus mentions “compassion” for the multitudes we somehow end up talking about “loaves” of bread… [JQ#17] and then the topic moves from “physical” infirmities to “spiritual” infirmities” as Jesus, in response to another attack by the legalist of His day, introduces the “spiritual” concept of “leaven” of the false teaching of “the Pharisees and the Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6) and ends with this summary of the teachings on “Bread” with this verse, “Then [the disciples] understood that [Jesus] did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:12) Are you surprised by the simple “bread” question “How many loaves do you have?” or do you consider that Jesus is asking you to take inventory of all the “false doctrines” that you consume as your “daily bread”?!?!? —just a thought.