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Look at the disciples. They ended up interpreting everything Jesus said by connecting them with physical blessings--or with bread in Matthew 16.
When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”Everything Jesus said they connected with bread. They couldn't see it any other way. This was because they saw how Jesus multiplied bread to feed 5,000 and then 4,000 men. If we add their wives and kids, that's more 20,0000 people.
What enormous amount of blessings that feed the flesh! Man has the inclination to conclude that God's promises and His WORD is all about material blessings--how to be blessed by God and live a well-off life. So, if you don't live well-off, they conclude that you're not living God's will. You're misinterpreting the Word and not obeying God.
We marvel at moneyed people or ministries that easily dole out cash to other people. They're wonderful "givers" that's why God blesses them all, we surmise. Well, it's not in the amount of their giving that you see God's favor in people but how people are still givers despite their marginalized capacity.
You remember the poor widow who gave all that she had, even if it amounted to only a very small amount? That's how the Kingdom values things. It's not from abundance but from scarcity.
Back to Jesus and his disciples. So, when Jesus said beware of yeast from religion, the disciples thought it was about real bread. All material. To Jesus, what he said was plain to see--he meant something spiritual, not material or physical.
How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? [16.11]
How can you miss my point when I was plainly and clearly talking about something spiritual? That yeast from religion produces this mundane, worldly, earthy or narrow-minded interpretation of the Word. When church people read about how giving tithes will result to enormous blessings from God, they always think of it in the form of money or possessions--bigger church building, bigger salary, job promotion, business breakthrough, receiving a large sum of money, etc.
The biggest, most enormous blessing from God is the LIFE of Jesus Christ. This is the real interpretation of the Word, This is the true measure of blessedness. I read John 3.16 this way:
God loved the world so much that he gave his only SON. And whoever believes in him shall not perish or waste away spiritually but have the LIFE of Jesus Christ.
Hence, God often turns down requests for pure material or physical satisfaction. This tends to make us see everything in the Word from a worldly point of view. He disciplines whom he loves, so he gives you spiritual rewards instead. Thus, your situation in which you don't seem to get much material blessings as Jesus did. Jesus emphasized--"Blessed are the poor in spirit." Why, because they will get lots of possessions and material blessings? Nope, but because "Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."
You're wondering why you get so much material blessings? Well, it might be that God isn't disciplining you. And that's not exactly the bible's idea of being loved by God. And when you read the bible, you get the wrong ideas. And Jesus asks you: "How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread?"
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