“O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?”
The full verse · Matthew 16:8 · KJV
Which , he unto , O ye of little , reason , ye have ?
Asked by
Jesus: the Son of God and promised Messiah, who perceived what His disciples were reasoning among themselves (Matthew 16:8)
Asked to
Disciples: "his disciples" (Matthew 16:5), who came to the other side of the sea and "had forgotten to take bread" (Matthew 16:5); they "reasoned among themselves" about it (Matthew 16:7).
The Scene
After the Pharisees and Sadducees demanded a sign, Jesus crossed to the other side with His disciples, who had forgotten to take bread; when He warned them about "the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees," they reasoned among themselves that it was because they had no bread (Matthew 16:1-7).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionJesus knew what His disciples were saying to one another. They heard His warning about leaven and could think only about their empty bread supply. Gill notes that Jesus knew their talk "by his omniscience," not by overhearing them, and pictures them "distressing your minds, as if you should be famished and starved." Barnes explains that Jesus' reply meant they should not be so anxious about the supply of their wants. The question presses them to see that the real problem was not the bread they forgot but the worry that filled their minds, which is why He calls them "O ye of little faith."
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe disciples give no recorded reply. Jesus answers His own question by reminding them of the five loaves and the seven loaves (Matthew 16:9-10), then says plainly that He "spake it not to you concerning bread" (Matthew 16:11). "Then 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" (Matthew 16:12). Mark records the same moment: "Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand?" (Mark 8:17).
Historical Context
The world behind the words"O ye of little faith" translates a single Greek word, oligopistoi, which Thayer defines as "of little faith, trusting too little." Jesus uses it when His hearers worried about food and clothing (Matthew 6:30), when the disciples feared the storm (Matthew 8:26), and when Peter began to sink in the waves (Matthew 14:31, "O thou of little faith"). The verb "reason" (dialogizesthe) means to consider or talk something over. Mark adds that they had only "one loaf" with them in the ship (Mark 8:14).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThis question comes right after two great feeding miracles. The disciples had watched Jesus feed five thousand men with five loaves and four thousand with seven (Matthew 14:20-21; Matthew 15:37-38). Yet the moment bread ran short, they assumed He was thinking about bread the way they were. Matthew Henry says Jesus "took it ill that they should think him as thoughtful about bread as they were."
Jesus' rebuke is also patient. He does not leave them in their confusion. He reasons with them until "then understood they" (Matthew 16:12). The passage then moves straight to Caesarea Philippi, where the question shifts from what they thought He meant to who they say He is (Matthew 16:13-15).
Look Closer
What did the disciples think Jesus' warning about leaven was about?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, when I start worrying about what I lack, what have You already done for me that I am forgetting?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- The disciples turned Jesus' warning into a conversation about their own shortage. What worries tend to crowd out what Jesus is trying to teach you?
- Share a time when remembering how God provided before helped you trust Him with a new need.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Worry can shrink what you hear. The disciples heard a warning about leaven and could only think about bread. If you notice that every sermon, Bible reading, or prayer keeps circling back to what you lack, worry may be steering your hearing.
Jesus' answer is to remember. He points back to what He has already done (Matthew 16:9-10). Make it a habit to recall specific ways God has provided for you.
This doesn't mean planning ahead is wrong. The disciples' real problem was not that they forgot bread but that they forgot what Jesus could do.
Scripture's own application: Matthew 6:30-33
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? Perceive ye not yet, neither understand? Have ye your heart yet hardened?”
“Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?”
“How 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?”
“Having eyes, see ye not? And having ears, hear ye not? And do ye not remember?”