Matthew 16:5

Thursday, 22 January 2026

 

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Matthew 16:5

 

“And His disciples, having come to the beyond, they overlooked to take bread” (CG).

 

In the previous verse, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees for having sought after a sign. From there, it says He left them and departed. The meaning of where He departed to will be found in the next words, “And His disciples, having come to the beyond.”

 

In Matthew, it isn’t obvious where Jesus is at this time. The reason is that in verse 15:39, it says that Jesus got into a boat and came to the region of Magdala. Nothing is said about His disciples, which is usually the case.

 

However, Mark specifically notes that they all had traveled together. Therefore, they have gone from the eastern shore of the sea to the borders of Magdala (Dalmanutha in Mark). Jesus talked to the Pharisees and Sadducees in that area. They then went back to the eastern side of the sea. When there, Matthew records, “they overlooked to take bread.”

 

A new word is seen here, epilanthanomai, to lose out of mind. It is derived from epi, upon, and lanthanó, to escape notice. The sense, then, is a focus on the consequences that arise when one forgets. The word overlook is a suitable match for what the Greek signifies.

 

Because of this oversight on their part, the disciples will misunderstand what Jesus will next convey to them.

 

Life application: It is interesting that Matthew did not record if the disciples traveled with Jesus in Matthew 15:39. Nor did he mention if His disciples went with Him in verse 16:4. Because of that, one might question if His disciples came to Him in Magdala in verse 16:5 or if He and His disciples traveled together to the eastern shore.

This is unlike Matthew’s normal precision concerning Jesus’ travels, but it shows that the accounts are dependent on each other to fully understand what is going on. And yet, each is a single whole that gives exactly what is needed to meet the intent of the narrative.

 

The Bible does this in both testaments. Each main narrative is sufficient for the purpose being conveyed, but there are details that must be determined from other narratives to see the full scope of what actually happened.

 

A long and detailed example is found between the details of the books of Kings and the books of the Chronicles. They each provide the necessary information to understand the intent of the books, and yet, without having both of them, there seem to be contradictions in the timing of the kings’ histories.

However, when placed side by side and along with an understanding of the type of dating used by each author, the histories come together to form a complete whole. Along with that, adding in the overlapping historical and prophetic narratives found in other books, an even more detailed understanding of what is being conveyed comes into focus.

 

This is true with the book of Acts and the epistles as well. Taken together, the timing and details of what occurred at various times are more fully understood. And so, what we have is a collection of books that are independently sufficient for the intended purpose being conveyed, but they are actually all dependent on the whole for the entire panorama of God’s redemptive purposes to be fully understood.

Without including all sixty-six books, there would be a deficiency in knowing what the ultimate purpose of Scripture is. There would also be an unraveling of being sure of the authenticity of the books.

 

Therefore, the Bible is like a tapestry that has been perfectly woven together. By pulling out one string, the book would unravel in its perfectly harmonious intent.

 

This pattern is followed by authors of series today. Each book written by an author is an independent whole, but when details refer forward or back to other books, you can say, “Ah ha! I see why this happened in that other book!”

There was no lack in the other book. And yet, there is a synchronization of all of the books that forms a complete panorama of the intent of the author. The difference, however, is that the Bible spans about fifteen hundred years and has about forty human authors.

 

And yet, it is a perfectly harmonious whole where thousands of years later, people are still finding new insights, almost daily, where it can be said, “Ah ha! I see why this happened in that other book!”

 

As the majority of the human authors had no idea who the other authors were, having come from different lands and different times, it means that the Bible is either the greatest fluke in human literary history, or it is truly the divinely inspired word of God. By faith, you can choose to believe the latter. That would be the wise course to take.

 

Lord God, we confidently receive the Bible as a reliable record of Your dealings with humanity as You work to reconcile us to You through the span of history. We know what we possess, and we thank You for it. Be glorified, O God, in our cherishing and careful handling of this precious word. Amen.