Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 16:8-10

"And Jesus perceiving it said, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have no bread? Do ye not yet perceive, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?" — Matthew 16:8-10 (ASV)

Lack of faith made them so dull and carnal. Lack of bread would not have troubled them if they had possessed more grace. Our Lord essentially says to them, "Why begin raising questions about what can be done in this small difficulty? Have I not dealt with far greater necessities? Have not your own personal wants been richly supplied? Has your store been exhausted even when all your thoughts have gone out towards the multitude and all your store of bread and fish has been given up to them? What occasion can there be for anxiety in My presence, when I have always supplied your wants?"

How foolish they were, but how like we are to them! We seem to learn nothing. After years of experience, our Lord has to say, "Do ye not yet understand, neither remember?" Two stupendous miracles had not lifted those disciples to that plane of thought which is fitting for believers, and after all our experiences and deliverances, we, alas! are much as they were.

How our mind dwells on the bread which we are lacking and how readily it forgets former times when all such wants were abundantly supplied! The many baskets which were so amply filled by former providences were the disciples’ own share and store, and therefore they should not have forgotten the miraculous festivals. Even the empty baskets should have refreshed their memories and reminded them of how they had twice been filled. If it were not for our wretched little faith and our reasoning among ourselves, the memory of our former deliverances would lift us beyond all tendency to mistrust our God.

O sacred Spirit, teach us or we shall never learn! Make us wise or we shall still continue in the folly of carnal reasoning!