Sunday, 25 January 2026
But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Matthew 16:8
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“And Jesus, having known, said to them, ‘Why – you deliberate in yourselves, little-faithed? Because you took no bread?’” (CG).
In the previous verse, the disciples reasoned that Jesus’ words concerning the Pharisees and Sadducees were because they had taken no bread. Matthew continues the narrative with, “And Jesus, having known.”
Matthew doesn’t say how He knew. Mark doesn’t provide any extra info. He may have known their thoughts, reasoned it out by watching them, or He may have overheard them. Whatever transpired, He knew and “said to them, ‘Why – you deliberate in yourselves, little-faithed?’”
Notice how He didn’t rebuke them for not reasoning the matter through, but for their lack of faith. In this case, the two do complement each other, but they are distinct enough to show where their true problem resided, which is a lack of faith.
They had failed to consider Jesus, what He had done, and the outcome of the things He did. He will explain this to them in the next few verses, but for now, this verse finishes with, “Because you took no bread?”
Jesus gets to the heart of their faith problem. They are worried that they failed to bring bread, not having taken the time to think through Jesus’ words about leaven. If their faith in Jesus and His capabilities was properly directed and sufficiently strong, they would have either reasoned through what He was talking about or come and asked Him to explain things.
Life application: Jesus’ words concerning faith are, at times, taken to unintended extremes. This is quite common among charismatic denominations. They make claims based on their supposed faith concerning healing, financial success, obtaining a goal, etc. They will even make claims about changing the weather, such as not being harmed by a hurricane, earthquake, tornado, etc.
As ridiculous as that may sound, it is as common as drumbeats on a Beatles album. This unbalanced faith-driven mentality is used to demonstrate a supposed superiority over others who don’t make such claims, such as “You got sick because you are lacking faith” or “You didn’t get the promotion you wanted because you lacked faith.”
This type of attitude demonstrates a lack of understanding of the true purpose of faith, and it dismisses many facts, both from a scriptural sense as well as from the perspective of how things work in the world.
Claiming something you want, like a financial breakthrough, is not a demonstration of faith. It is a self-centered attitude that does nothing to glorify God. The fact is that God uses troubles, trials, and hardships in our lives to mold us and instruct us.
It may be that our affliction is intended to lead others to a relationship with God or a right understanding of His word. When we have a desire, we should pray about it, knowing that God is fully capable of granting it, but we should also understand that He is not obligated to make it come about.
All people suffer loss. One cannot faith-claim away death from those around him. To blame God after our little demands aren’t granted is also a nonsensical way of handling our relationship with Him.
If you sit down with people who have this faith-claim attitude and explore their knowledge of the Bible or doctrines that stem from the Bible, you will normally find that they are lacking in real biblical understanding.
Don’t feel like your level of faith isn’t what it should be based on such people. You will never win at that game. Rather, let your faith be directed to what is reasonable and in accord with the words of Scripture. With this attitude, you will have a proper balance in your relationship with God.
Lord God, help us to rightly direct our faith as we walk in this fallen world. It is true that faith can move mountains, but it is also true that You may not want us to move a particular mountain. Help our faith to be properly directed and motivated through the desire to glorify You. Amen.