Faith Daily Lectio Thursday, October 22, 2026 Gospel
Thursday, October 22, 2026 · Thursday in the week of the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24)
Gospel
Oratio (prayer)
Lord Jesus, You are the true Bread from heaven. Send Your Holy Spirit as I read Matthew 16, that I may not ask You for signs but trust Your Word and remember all You have given. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Meditatio (meditation)
Matthew 16:1-12
1The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
2He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
3And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
4A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
5And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
7And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.
8Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
9Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
10Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
11How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
12Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Consider even rereading in another translation.
You could also consider listening to this chapter, narrated:
KJV (Max McLean) · ESV (Max McLean) · NIV (dramatized)
You might read the whole reading slowly, aloud, more than once.
Consider this verse, for example:
“Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6)
What other lines speak to you?
The Pharisees and Sadducees come asking for a sign from heaven, and Jesus gives them only the sign of the prophet Jonas. Crossing the sea, the disciples find they have forgotten bread, and when Jesus warns them about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, they think He is talking about their missing loaves. He reminds them of the five thousand and the four thousand, and at last they understand that He means false doctrine.
The Law The religious leaders "desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven" (v. 1), though the Son of God stood right in front of them. The disciples are not much better. They had seen two miracles of bread, yet "they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread" (v. 7). We also forget what God has done and worry about what we lack, and Jesus could say to us too, "O ye of little faith" (v. 8).
The Gospel Jesus does not leave His disciples in their confusion. He patiently reminds them: "Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?" (v. 9). The Lord who fed thousands will not let you starve. And the one sign He promises, "the sign of the prophet Jonas" (v. 4), is His own death and resurrection on the third day, for you. Through His Word He guards you from false teaching and feeds you with Himself, the true Bread of life.
Prayer Lord Jesus, I confess that I have asked You for proof and forgotten Your mercies, and that I have worried over bread as if You did not care for me. Forgive me. Keep me in Your pure Word, and feed me with Yourself. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Tentatio (trial)
Worry about what we lack can crowd out the memory of what God has already given. Jesus answers His anxious disciples by asking them to remember. Under trial it may help to do the same: to recall, one by one, the times the Lord has provided, and to hear His gentle question, "how many baskets ye took up?" (v. 9).
Prayer Lord Jesus, when I worry about what I lack, help me remember all You have done. Guard me from false teaching, and keep me trusting You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
My church home: Peace Lutheran Church, McMurray, PA. Looking for a church? See About Daily Lectio.
