Mark 8:17-21 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.” He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
Even though Jesus performed many miracles in the disciples' presence, they did not realize fully or appreciate the divinity of Jesus or what it meant that He was in the boat with them. When they talk of bread, Jesus is frustrated with the disciples' inability to comprehend his analogy about yeast: the corrupting influence of the errant teaching and lifestyles of the Pharisees and Herod. Instead of understanding the dangers of following false philosophies, they were thinking about not having enough bread to feed all of them. Jesus expresses his exasperation, saying, Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand. Their dullness and lack of understanding of who Jesus really is causes Jesus to remind them of the supernatural acts they observed in his feeding of first the five thousand and then the four thousand. Jesus questions why would they wonder about having enough bread to feed them when He, who has fed thousands, is in the boat with them. Jesus shows disappointment with their lack of faith and spiritual depth. They have seen marvelous supernatural acts, but they still cannot view life beyond their limited temporal perspective. He bemoans their lack of insight and hearing. His frustration is clear: Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? Rather than thinking about eternal and substantive matters, their senses are stuck on earthly matters, which Jesus has recently proved He can take care of through his miraculous feeding of thousands of hungry people. What He really wanted them to know that day through the yeast analogy and his subsequent teaching was to beware of false teaching and that true and eternal food comes from the Spirit, from the hand of God, and not from the flesh. He wanted them to trust him with their immediate concern for daily bread and to focus upon what might destroy their very souls.
Are we Christians like the disciples? Do we find ourselves spending a great deal of time considering our daily problems as the essence of our lives, forgetting we are eternal beings? God has a plan for our lives: He has chosen us to be his image on earth. Without a doubt, God is concerned about our daily needs: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31) But our daily lives and surely our eternal destiny do not consist of living on bread alone: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4) The disciples' eternal lives did not depend on that one loaf of bread in the boat, but their eternal lives did depend upon whether they correctly discerned the words Jesus was telling them that day. They needed their spiritual ears attuned to what Jesus was trying to teach them. Are our ears on the right frequency; are we attuned to his voice? Or are we so concerned with our daily routines and needs that we miss what God is trying to teach us through his abiding Spirit? When our lives become overly focused on our present needs, we tend to dismiss or lose track of the many miracles God has performed for us and through us. Just as the disciples were worried about having one loaf of bread after observing Jesus' miracles, we can be that quick to forget the merciful acts of God to us. When he wrote the psalms, David constantly extolled the blessings of the Lord. Even when he spoke of his trials and his enemies, he never lost track of God's goodness, and he rested in God's strength: Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits — who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:1-5)
We should not frustrate the grace of God by failing to appreciate what God has done in our lives. If we forget to value his acts of kindness or we dismiss his previous works, we will probably miss what He is teaching us presently. If fear or anxiety cloud our thinking, we will end up believing He does not know what is happening to us right now, and we might think He is not working out what is best for us. Paul faced many trials and sorrows, yet he rejoiced in the Lord's sufficiency. He wrote: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Then he went on to express his trust in the Lord: I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:4-7 & 12-13) When we forget God's miracles, we are like the disciples who forgot the feeding of the thousands. We might forget as the disciples forgot that the crowds went away well fed. Instead, our focus will be on the insufficient one loaf for everyone in the boat. If so, we will have forgotten, as the disciples did, who is in the boat with us: the Christ, the Son of God, the First and the Last, the Creator of all things. Divinity was in that boat that day, but the disciples did not recognize him as the All-sufficient One. Christian friends, He is in your boat today. He is speaking to you right now, for He is always speaking if we will listen. He is reminding you to be cognizant of the yeast of a worldly view and understanding of life. As Jesus testified in the wilderness, we who trust in God, do not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Therefore brethren, live today, knowing you are in his presence, content to trust in his mercy and grace. Listen to his words as He speaks to you, understand his abundance comes from belief and trust that Jesus is in the boat.
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