Matthew 16:1-12
It's Not About The Bread
Jesus always goes after the thing behind the thing. In Matthew 16:1-12, the Pharisees and Sadducees demand a sign they have already seen, and the disciples worry about bread right after two feeding miracles. Some people won’t see because they are unwilling, others don’t see because they forget, and Jesus stays with the weak in faith who remember what he has done.
Message notes
Pastor Pat opens with a fight about the dishwasher. A couple of years into marriage, he was sure he loaded it the right way, and one day it stopped being a joke. He was chucking utensils in and his wife asked what was going on. The dishwasher was never the issue. Underneath it was every insecurity and frustration he was carrying, and an unwillingness to be honest with God in prayer. There is usually a thing behind the thing, and Jesus “is always going after the thing behind the thing.”
In Matthew 16:1-4, the Pharisees and Sadducees come to test Jesus and ask for a sign from heaven. They already knew he had fed the 5,000 and the 4,000 and healed a leper. Pat says it wasn’t a lack of evidence but a lack of surrender. Matthew’s word “test” is the same one he uses for the devil testing Jesus in the wilderness. Demanding a sign moves the goalposts on obedience: “I will do this when you do that.” Jesus rebukes them, promises only the sign of Jonah, which points to the resurrection, and walks away.
Then the disciples cross the lake and realize they forgot the bread. Jesus warns them about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and they think he’s upset about lunch. Pat points out that yeast works slowly and then changes everything. So does influence. The two groups disagreed on plenty, but they shared a posture that kept Jesus at arm’s length. We catch the same thing through conditional faith and through the “borrowed cynicism” we pick up from news feeds and podcasts. “Nothing is neutral, family.” His challenge: if you watch an hour of TV, read the Bible for an hour.
The last movement is memory. Jesus asks, “Don’t you remember?” and connects their lack of understanding to forgetting the five loaves and the seven loaves. When we forget what God has done, every problem becomes a crisis. Jesus walks away from those who won’t see, but he stays with those who are weak and forget.
Pat closes with two responses. If you’re a “won’t,” name the condition you’ve placed on God and give it to Jesus. If you’re a “don’t,” remember your baskets. He calls it a seven basket week: each day for seven days, write down one time God provided, spoke or set you free. “If we’re willing and even if we’re weak, Jesus stays with us.”
From the message
Jesus is always going after the thing behind the thing.
I think sometimes unbelief actually has to do more with a lack of willingness than a lack of evidence.
Good memory equals good faith.
You might not need a new sign. You just need to remember the baskets.
Life Group discussion guide
It's Not About The Bread, Matthew 16:1-12. October 4, 2026.
Start here
What is a small household habit, like loading the dishwasher or folding laundry, that people in your home do differently?
Read Matthew 16:1-12
Open your Bibles and read it out loud together before you start.
What does it say?
In Matthew 16:1, what do the Pharisees and Sadducees ask Jesus for, and why does Matthew say they asked?
In verses 5-7, what have the disciples forgotten, and how do they misunderstand Jesus’ warning about yeast?
In verses 9-10, which two miracles does Jesus ask the disciples to remember, and what detail does he point to in each?
What does it mean?
The word “test” in Matthew 16:1 is the same word Matthew uses for the devil testing Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). What does that connection tell us about the leaders’ request?
Pastor Pat described yeast as something that works slowly and then changes everything (see Galatians 5:9). Why is that a fitting picture for teaching and influence?
What is the difference between people who won’t see and people who don’t see, and why does Jesus walk away from one group and stay with the other?
What do we do with it?
Where are you telling God, “If you do this, then I’ll trust you”? What condition have you placed on him?
Compare the time you spend on TV, news feeds or podcasts with the time you spend in Scripture. What is shaping you most right now, and what would it look like to match it minute for minute?
Pastor Pat challenged us to write down one basket a day for seven days. What is one time God provided for you, spoke to you or set you free that you can write down this week?
Pray
Name the condition you have been placing on God and hand it to Jesus. Then thank him for specific baskets, times he provided and was faithful, and ask him to give you eyes to see him clearly even when your faith feels weak.
New Hope Hawaii Kai. Watch the message and read the notes at newhopehk.org/sermons/its-not-about-the-bread/