How is it that you don't understand

Q: What does the Bible say about understanding Jesus' miracles?

The miracles of Jesus serve as visible testimonies of His divine nature, demonstrating His authority and compassion. In the Gospels, Jesus' miracles are not merely acts of wonder but serve a profound purpose in revealing His identity as God manifest in the flesh. For example, the feeding of the 5,000 and 4,000 demonstrate His authority over nature and His compassion for both Jew and Gentile alike. However, the disciples often struggled to grasp the spiritual significance behind these events, as evidenced by Jesus' question, 'How is it that you do not understand?'. This highlights their spiritual deafness and the importance of seeking deeper discernment of Christ’s teachings.

Q: How do we know Jesus is sufficient for our needs?

Jesus demonstrates His sufficiency through miracles that nourish both physically and spiritually. The miracles performed by Jesus, such as feeding the multitudes, illustrate His sufficiency to meet both physical and spiritual needs. When He fed the 5,000 and the 4,000, He not only provided for their immediate hunger but also taught His disciples that He is the ultimate provider. The abundance of leftovers after each miracle signifies that Jesus is not just enough; He is more than sufficient for every human need. His compassion towards both the Jews and Gentiles reflects His desire to meet the needs of all who come to Him in faith.

Q: Why is humility important for Christians?

Humility allows Christians to truly worship and depend on God for their needs. The biblical narrative emphasizes humility as a crucial characteristic for believers. In the sermon, the example of the Gentile woman who humbly asks for a crumb signifies the heart attitude that pleases God. Jesus contrasts this humility against the pride of the Pharisees, revealing that true understanding and faith come when one recognizes their own unworthiness and dependence on God’s grace. This humility is evident in acknowledging that we are spiritually poor and in need of Christ, teaching us to rely on His provision rather than our self-righteousness.

I'd like you to turn with me to the Gospel according to Mark chapter 8 and the text you'll find in verse 21. And he said unto them, How is it that you do not understand? We have read together the next miracle of the Lord Jesus Christ which is the feeding of the 4,000. We read in Matthew the account of the Lord Jesus taking the seven loaves and the few small fish and providing for the physical needs of those people that were following him, those who had been with him three days.

And the miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ were visible teachings, visible testimonies as to who he was. We have seen over the past few months, and even we looked with the children in the Sunday school, you know and they were able to answer that the reason why Jesus did these miracles was to was to show people who he was that he was able to do the things that were impossible with men they were not they were not tricks they were not magic they were the the workings out of God the things that could not be explained naturally or or done or proved by science There were things that were completely beyond human understanding. The changing of substances, the raising from the dead of those who had died, the authority over the demonic world. and able to feed multitudes of people and to satisfy them and then to have more left over than when they started. And so these were miracles which pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ that he was and is God manifest in the flesh.

And so as the Lord Jesus called his disciples to follow him, as he made them his apostles, they sat at his feet and they were learning of him. And so the Lord Jesus Christ is not only feeding the multitude, but he's also teaching his apostles. It is a practical lesson for them so that they may visibly be able to have their faith increased. The one that they are following is truly the one that he says he is.

And so the miracles have a teaching element to them. But the problem with them is that they were spiritually discerned. They were spiritually weak. They were unable to grasp the teaching element of the miracle. And so Jesus is confused. He says, how is it that you don't understand? How is it that you have seen one miracle and now another miracle are very similar and yet you are still not understanding? You're still not able to comprehend that I am able to provide for your needs. If you remember, Jesus tells them not to be about the 11 of the Pharisees. And they can't understand what Jesus is saying. He says, why do you reason among yourselves saying, is it because we have no bread? They shouldn't have to worry about having no bread. They've just seen the Lord Jesus provide for 4,000. They've just seen the Lord Jesus provide for 5,000.

But Jesus' teaching had a meaning that was hidden from them, a meaning that they could not grasp, a meaning that they couldn't see. They were spiritually deaf. they were unable to also spiritually see the things that Jesus was doing. He says to them, having eyes, he says, you have have your hearts, have your hearts yet hardened, having eyes see ye not and having ears hear ye not, do you not remember? And so Jesus is pressing this home.

Something is taking place more than a miracle, more than a feeding of the 5,000, more than a feeding of the 4,000. Something else is taking place. Jesus says to them, how many baskets did you take up? How many, when I fed the 5,000, they said 12. How many baskets did you take up when I fed the 4,000? And they said seven. And Jesus says to them, he's like, look, it's so obvious.

Can't you understand? Why is it that you can't understand? It's just that they were spiritually discerned. They were focusing upon the physical and they lost sight of the spiritual. And so with Jesus, these two miracles that took place, the 5,000 and the 4,000, there was something that he was demonstrating to those who were sitting at his feet. There was something that he was demonstrating to his apostles. Not only was he able to do miracles, but it was demonstrating to them who he was and what he had come to do.

I wonder, in our lives, have you ever been confused by what the Lord is doing in your life? Have you ever sat back and said, you know, why? Why is this taking place or why is this happening? Sometimes it's good in life to ask why, because it causes us to stop and to ponder all that is taking place. Not why in an angry way, but why is the Lord allowing this or bringing this into my life? What is he teaching me? And for the stand what he was doing, I was asking the questions why, but now I can see. I've walked it out. unable to look back and realise all what the Lord was doing.

And so the disciples have to look back Jesus is asking them, how is it that you don't understand? And they're now having to think, well, what is it that we don't understand? What was the Lord Jesus teaching us by these miracles that he is doing? And specifically these two miracles, the feeding of the 5,000 and the feeding of the 4,000, because Jesus points to these two miracles. He says to them, You have eyes, but you don't see. You have ears, but you don't hear. Look at the miracle that I've just done. Look at the feeding of the 5,000.

How many fragments took you up? When Edwin was doing the youth meeting, and even when you teach children, it's good, isn't it, to stop and to do a pointed question. to get them to think, to grab their attention. How many baskets did you get up? Immediately the mind begins to think, oh, well, it was 12. Then the feeding of the 4,000, how many baskets? I said, it's seven. Jesus wants them to focus on the gathering of the fragments. He wants them to look at the baskets. He wants them to see that there were 12 baskets and that there were seven baskets.

And sandwiched in between these two miracles is the gentile lady who comes to the Lord Jesus asking for a crumb. So we have these two miracles, 5,000 people fed to their full at 12 baskets, 4,000 people fed to their full, seven baskets, and a lady in the middle who asks for a crumb falling from the master's table.

What is the Lord Jesus doing? We know that he walks circumspectly, he walks carefully. Everything is calculated. The miracles that he is doing are teaching his disciples something. He's showing them with the 5,000 that he is the one who came unto his own and his own received him not. With the feeding of the 5,000, the majority of the congregation there, they were Jewish people. They were Jews. It was Bethsaida.

How many baskets? There were 12. 12 tribes of Israel. There were 12 apostles. Each apostle gathered a basket. And there were 12 baskets full. If you look at the words that are written here for basket, would see that there are two different types of baskets being used. The baskets for the twelve, the feeding of the five thousand, are small baskets. They are baskets that you would carry your lunch in.

And so each apostle was able to gather enough to have his lunch. He was able to gather and to fill his basket, showing them that Jesus is sufficient. He's sufficient for the Jewish nation. He's the fulfillment of the prophecy. He's God manifest in the flesh. He came to his own people, a light to his own, but his own refused him.

But then as we move on, we see that he then comes to this Gentile lady who falls down at his feet and who prays, Lord, help me, asking for a crumb, not a basket full, but a crumb that falls from the master's table. And so the Lord Jesus is slowly leading his apostles, he's slowly teaching them that there is to be this transition from the Jewish nation to the Gentiles. And he passes through this lady who sets the precedent that this woman knew far more than all the Jewish nation put together, that she knew the son of David, that she knew that she was the least She knew that she was just a dog and she was only worthy of a crumb. As we looked at on Wednesday, it's like she knew how to truly worship the Lord Jesus Christ.

No pride whatsoever. We see with the Pharisees how Jesus tells the disciples, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. What had happened to the Jews? They had become proud. puffed up. What is leaven? Leaven is, before we had powdered yeast, it is the flour, the bread all placed together where it puffs up, it becomes yeast by itself, ferments. And so the leaven was kept aside and then it was placed into the flour and the flour then became filled with the yeast and it became bread after they cooked it. And so Jesus is saying that the teaching, the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Sadducees caused them to become proud, which is why they hated the Lord Jesus Christ, because he made himself of no reputation. His teaching was all about humility.

And so we see that transition coming from the 12 tribes of Israel through to this lady, Lord help me, have mercy upon me. And now we see him coming to the Gentiles. The feeding of the 4,000 took place in a majority Gentile area. And they had been following the Lord Jesus Christ for three days, had been watching his miracles and sitting under his teaching. And he desires, he has compassion on them, the same words. Remember, as he looked upon the Jews, the feeding of the 5,000, he had compassion on the multitude. He had compassion on the one lady. When the disciples said, go away, stop pestering us. And now he has compassion upon the multitude that was following him for three days.

How many loaves do you have? And they said seven. And a few small fishes. Is that a coincidence? Is the number of loaves a coincidence? That it's seven. Is the baskets, seven baskets, just a coincidence or is the Lord Jesus speaking to his apostles? Is he showing them something? Is he giving them a deeper meaning to what is taking place? It is written down for us by the Holy Spirit.

And so therefore, God himself wanted these numbers to be recorded and they wanted us to be able to see the spiritual meaning behind them. We know that seven in the scripture is the number of God, a perfect number, complete number. Seven days. six days labour, a one-day rest, a seven-day week. There are the seven spirits of God, the perfection in God. We read in the book of Revelation that the Lord Jesus Christ stands in the midst, in the middle, of the seven golden candlesticks.

I am is alpha and omega he's the beginning and the end and the seven churches the letters written to the seven churches a perfect a complete number but also to the jews seven was the number of the gentiles They knew that there would be a time come when the gospel or the kingdom of God must spill out from the Jewish nation and go into the Gentiles. They knew that when the Messiah came, that the Gentiles would be gathered in. He would be the one that would go to the people that were held in the darkness. And so this number seven to the Jew had significance.

That the 12 tribes of Israel, the 12 apostles at the feeding of the 5,000, then now transitions over as Jesus' ministry begins to focus upon the Gentiles, he finds seven loaves. Perfect. A complete number. her completeness in the Gentile nations also. But also there is the seven baskets that are filled. Now, these are different baskets. Whether there is anything in the size of the baskets, we don't know. Whether there is something that there are going to be more Gentiles gathered in than the Jews themselves, it doesn't save speculation. But the size of the basket, it signifies the vastness of the food, the fragments that have been gathered in.

The same word, if you remember the apostle Paul, when he is being persecuted, he was let down from the wall in a basket. In Acts chapter nine and verse 25, or from verse 23, and after that many days were fulfilled, and the Jews took counsel to kill him, but their laying awake was known of Saul. And they watched the gates die day and night to kill him. Then the disciples took him by night and let him down by the wall in a basket.

Now this basket is the same word that is being used for the collecting of the seven baskets. So you can see the size of the basket, but it is a significant basket that's able to carry a person, different from the basket of the gathering in of the Jews, of the feeding of the 5,000, the 12 lunch boxes, you could say. And so with the Gentiles, he has seven great baskets filled. But it seems that the apostles don't take any of this food as they cross over the sea and they leave it behind. And they enter into the ship and they have forgotten to take bread. But what does Jesus show? He's showing that he is Lord over all. Lord over the Jews.

He's able to provide. He's sufficient. He's enough. but also he is sufficient and enough for the Gentiles. He's able to provide an abundance, that there is going to be a great gathering in of every nation, of every tribe, and of every tongue that will sit around the throne of God. Why? Because of the Lord Jesus Christ, that he is sufficient, that he had compassion upon the multitude. Even though the Jews rejected him, he then goes to the Gentile, And he begins his ministry among the Gentiles there, that he is the God of grace, and he is the God of providence.

He's able to deal with our spiritual needs. He's able to teach us and feed us spiritually in our spiritual walk, but he's also able to provide for our day-to-day livings. And so these things that took place These miracles that took place, Jesus says to his apostles, how is it that you don't understand? You've been walking with me. You've been listening to me. You've been seeing everything that I am doing. How is it that you are confused about what is going on? Verses seven and eight of Matthew chapter 16.

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, Is it because we have taken no bread? Which when Jesus perceived, he said, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves because you have not brought bread? Do you not yet understand? Neither remember the five loaves and the five thousand? How many baskets took you up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand? And how many baskets took you up? How is it that you do not understand that I spake it not unto you concerning the bread that you should be aware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?

You see, they misunderstood what Jesus was doing. They believed that he was focusing upon their forgetfulness. Jesus was teaching them something about the pride and the arrogance of the Sadducees, the self-righteousness of the Pharisees. They believed that they were sufficient of themselves, they were good enough themselves to get to heaven and therefore Jesus was demonstrating to the Sadducees and the Pharisees that he was sufficient in himself that they didn't need their own works of righteousness, that they were as filthy rags before a holy God. What they needed was Jesus Christ. And so he was teaching them to turn away from this prideful self-righteousness and to humble themselves at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so they lacked this spiritual, understanding. They had eyes but they couldn't see, ears but they could not hear and that they could not remember. They were, what the Bible says, carnally minded. The Bible says to be carnally minded, worldly minded, humanistic minded, it brings death. To them, it was just feeding the people. getting over a problem, but to Jesus there was a spiritual teaching behind it.

Jesus wanted them to trust him for everything. Isn't that what he calls his followers to do? He says, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. is what Jesus requires of those who follow. He desires for them to be his disciples, to sit at his feet and to learn of him, to follow him, to trust him both in providential situations and also in spiritual situations. He desires them to look to him as their teacher and their shepherd. desires them to ask themselves questions. What is the Lord teaching? What is he teaching me? by this providential situation that I'm passing through, what is he teaching me?

If the Lord Jesus Christ is in control of all things and everything in my life is ordered by him, then why has he allowed this specific situation to enter in? What is the reason for this specific pathway? Well, there must be a reason. For how he deals with us as individuals, he is moulding us and shaping us to be conformed to his own image. As he was with his apostles, by the things that he put them through, they had the providential, they had the visible things that they could see, but also they had the spiritual teaching that was behind the providential workings of God.

How is it that you don't understand? You see, we are slow learners in the school of Christ. Often in our lives, the Lord has to continue bringing the same thing over and over and over again for us to grasp something. If we turn to Deuteronomy, he tells us there of the reason why The Lord led the people of Israel into the wilderness.

The same reason why the Lord Jesus was teaching the apostles. He was leading them away from the teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. He was leading them away from the prideful mindset and causing them to sit at his feet and to learn of him, teaching them humility. humility, that coming away from the Jew, he showed them the religion of that Gentile lady, true religion. He then moves over into the Gentile nations, teaching his disciples to follow him.

In Deuteronomy 8 it says, verse 2, And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what is in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or no. He humbled thee, and suffered thee, or allowed thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know, that he might make thee to know that man does not live by bread only, but every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God does man live.

Is not this the same lesson that he was teaching his disciples, that man does not live by bread only, that bread must be provided and will be provided by the Lord Jesus Christ, but every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God does man live. That there is that spiritual hunger, that spiritual thirst, that spiritual side of us that needs to be taught, that needs to be fed, that Jesus Christ came to save us body but soul. Yes, as we've said before, So entwined is our spiritual and physical nature, yet Christ came to redeem us from spiritual death. It is our souls that he redeems, and in redeeming our soul, we have redeemed body and soul.

Our body is laid in the grave, yet our souls go to be with Christ. waiting and our bodies wait for that resurrection day and so our the teachings that we go through the the physical pathway that we walk is still part of the physical and spiritual teaching that Christ leads his people as he deals with with the apostles by physical yet there is the spiritual teaching all working to humble them and to prove them, to test them, to know what is truly in their heart. What was in their heart?

Spiritual ignorance. They were unable to grasp the spiritual truth of what Jesus was, what was demonstrating to them. And if we are honest with ourselves, we are spiritually ignorant. We so easily forget the providential pathways and blessings and teachings of the Lord. We are so slow learners in the things of God, in the school of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sometimes, I don't know if they do it anymore, but they used to put you back a year in secular school. If you weren't doing so well, they'd put you back into the lower thing. And how it is with believers, it's like we're put back a year. We're not growing as we should do. We're not learning as we should do.

We're still crying out, oh, I don't understand. Can you just explain it to me a little bit more? I can't grasp this truth. I can't grasp the reason why I'm going through this specific situation. And it's like the Lord says, well, how is it that you don't understand? How is it you've passed through the same thing before?

What am I doing to you? I am shaping you and moulding you and conforming you into the image of my son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I am removing from you your old nature. I'm removing from you the teachings of the scribes and the Pharisees, the pride that is puffing us up. bringing us low that we may be like the gentile lady. Just give me a crumb. Just give me a crumb. I just want to worship at your feet. I don't expect anything. I don't deserve anything. But if there's a crumb that would fall from the master's table, I would be satisfied. Oh Lord, help me.

I thought, you know, we're like sheep. The Bible tells us we're all like sheep that have gone astray, but a sheep that continues falling into the same ditch. The farmer goes, the shepherd goes, finds the sheep in the ditch. One morning pulls it out. The next morning, same sheep, same ditch. Pulls it out, same sheep, same ditch. The next, the next time.

How slow learners we are in the school of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet Jesus, so full of compassion, as our great high priest understands our weakness, understands our frame, remembers that we are dust. He understands that he's called us to follow him, to be obedient to him. But in response, he has promised to provide everything that we need, both physically and spiritually. We're to follow, we're to feed and we're to fix our eyes upon the Good Shepherd. How is it that you don't understand? When you don't understand something, what's the best thing to do?

Your pride will keep you silent. Pride will stop you from saying, I don't understand. But humility causes us to cry out, Lord, I'm a slow learner. Lord, I don't understand what is going on. I don't understand the pathway. And the Bible tells us that the ear of God is open unto the cry of the righteous. His eye beholds them. That's why he's given us the throne of grace. throne of grace to come unto him. How is it that you don't understand? Follow, feed and fix our eyes upon him. May the Lord add his blessing. Amen. Let's sing our final hymn this morning from Hymns for Worship, number 135. 135.

I need the precious Jesus for I am full of sin. My soul is dark and guilty. My heart is dead within. I need the cleansing fountain where I can always flee. The blood of Christ, most precious. The sinner's perfect plea. Hymns for Worship 135. I need Thee precious Jesus for I am full of sin. ♪ All is dark and guilty ♪ ♪ My heart is dead within ♪ ♪ I need the cleansing fountain ♪ ♪ Where I can always flee ♪ ♪ The blood of Christ was precious there ♪ The precious Jesus, the high and very poor.

Thou stranger and a pilgrim, I have no earthly store. I need the love of Jesus to cheer me on my way, to guide me dancing footsteps to be my strength and stay. I need thee, precious Jesus, I need a friend like thee, A friend to soothe the nitty, A friend to care for me. I need the heart of Jesus to fill each anxious care, to tell my every trouble and all my sorrows share. in thee precious Jesus, and hope to see thee soon.

Encircled with the rainbow and seated on thy throne, There with thy purple chair, June by joy shall ever be, To sing thy praises, Jesus, O praise thy God. Our loving Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ and we pray Lord that when we are confused by the way, when we don't understand what is going on, when we are caused to cry out why, Lord we pray thou incline thine ear unto us and Lord show us the way, make thy dealings with us clear we pray. We ask that we may be dismissed with thy blessing and do return us here this evening in peace and in safety. Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father with the fellowship and communion of the Holy Spirit to be with us each now and for evermore. Amen.

How is it that you don't understand

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about understanding Jesus' miracles?

How do we know Jesus is sufficient for our needs?

Why is humility important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About James Gudgeon

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How is it that you don't understand

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about understanding Jesus' miracles?

How do we know Jesus is sufficient for our needs?

Why is humility important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About James Gudgeon

Comments

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