And they reasoned among themselves, saying: Because we have no bread.
και διελογιζοντο προς αλληλους λεγοντες οτι αρτους ουκ εχομεν
5 Church Fathers comment on this verse
The disciples overlooked the loaves due to God's divine plan, allowing them to grow in understanding following Christ's serious admonition and to acknowledge His authority. They believed that the Lord was drawing their attention to the yeast of the bread.
As He was departing, He cautioned His disciples about the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees, using a metaphor to emphasize their doctrines and hypocrisy. He urged them to be vigilant against their influence (Mt. 16:12; Mk. 8:15; Lk. 12:1).
Following an encounter with the Pharisees and Sadducees in the regions of Dalmanutha and Magdala, Christ once again crossed to the other side of the sea, specifically the eastern shore, to avoid the hostility of His adversaries. Upon reaching this new destination, He cautioned His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Mt. 16:6), “of the Pharisees and Herod” (Mk. 8:15), and “of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees” (Lk. 12:1). He warned them against the materialism and secularism of the Sadducees, as well as the Herodians’ tendency to prioritize political concerns over spiritual ones. The disciples had forgotten to bring bread for their journey, “and except one loaf they had not bread with them in the boat” (Mk. 8:14). This oversight caused them distress.
When Christ issued His warning about the leaven of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians, they mistakenly interpreted His words as a caution about acquiring bread from those groups, thinking He was advising them to avoid interaction with His enemies. With a heavy heart, the Lord began to chide His disciples for their lack of understanding: “Are your hearts still hardened? Do you not see with your eyes, and do you not hear with your ears?” (Mk. 8:17-18). Had they not witnessed His miraculous provision for thousands with only a few loaves? How could they fail to comprehend these truths?
The disciples misinterpreted this admonition, believing that Jesus was criticizing them for failing to bring bread along with them.
After leaving the spiritually ‘incurable’ hypocrites behind, Jesus Christ climbed back into the boat and sailed to the opposite shore of the Sea of Galilee. The disciples, having forgotten to bring provisions, only carried a single loaf of bread with them. At this time, Jesus instructed them, saying, ‘Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and Herod's leaven,’ as noted by the evangelist Mark. He warned against the harmful teachings and superstitions of the Pharisees, the skepticism of the Sadducees, the moral depravity of the Herodians, and the corrupt lifestyles that threatened their faith.
Misinterpreting His words in a literal sense, the disciples believed He was cautioning them against consuming the bread they had received from these groups, fearing they might become spiritually unclean by association. Since they realized they had neglected to bring more bread, they viewed His warning as a critique of their own oversight. They murmured among themselves, saying, ‘We have no bread.’ Yet, the Lord, aware of their thoughts, admonished them for their lack of understanding and faith. As Blessed Theophylact noted, their foolishness stemmed from forgetting how He had miraculously fed multitudes with just a few loaves, and their disbelief lay in doubting His ability to provide for them despite their lack of provisions.
He asked them, ‘What are you worried about, O you of little faith? Do you not understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you not see with your eyes, nor hear with your ears, and do you not remember? When I broke five loaves for five thousand, how many baskets full of leftovers did you collect?’ They replied, ‘Twelve.’ ‘And when I broke seven loaves for four thousand, how many baskets of leftovers did you gather?’ They answered, ‘Seven.’ ‘Why do you fail to comprehend that I was not speaking about bread, but about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees and Herodians?’ It then dawned on the witnesses of this miraculous provision that their focus should not have been on mere sustenance, but rather on steering clear of the erroneous teachings propagated by the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 8 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS