We forgot the bread! Now they [the disciples with Jesus] had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And He [Jesus] cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” And they [the disciples] began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. Mark 8.14-16
“Jesus, that guy is not on Team Peter-Andrew-James-and-John so we told him he can’t invoke Your name!” John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not following us.” Mark 9.38
“They’re just kids so keep them away from the Teacher!” And they were bringing children to Him that He might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. Mark 10.13
We’ve got dibs on the best seats in heaven! And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to Him and said to Him, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And they said to Him, “Grant us to sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your glory.” Mark 10.35-37
Do ever think maybe you are a little like the disciples who were with Jesus? The disciples who sort of regularly got lost in the water weeds of minutia instead of staying ashore and seeing the big picture? I am inclined to welcome you to my patch of the murky waters, but I really cannot with a clear conscience. Neither one of us should camp in the muddiness I sometimes make of learning the truths Jesus is imparting to His disciples, to His followers, to me, and to my sister who is you.
Sometimes I linger over a phrase or even just a word or two in Scripture and, as that old saying goes, I can’t see the forest for the trees. I let the purpose of the whole be clouded by the small piece. Like the disciples I am ongoingly learning a fresh way of living, better and different, new and different.
Like the disciples, I apply “regular thinking” to the extraordinary circumstances of Jesus’ teaching. But it’s not about having enough bread. It is about trusting the Lord’s supply is, and will be, sufficient for our needs – whether it is for me, for all of us in the boat together, or for a field of people.
It isn’t Team Colleen, it is Team Jesus! Only and always, it is Team Jesus. But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in My name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. For the one who is not against us is for us. Mark 9.39-40
Approaching the Lord with the innocence of a child is as one who is humble, teachable, and ready to receive. May we approach Him daily in this way.
As for the best seat … that is also the one with the most responsibility and the most chance to falter. Like first chair in the orchestra.
As I read this past week into Mark chapters 11-15, Jesus’ message and purpose is so weighty … His earthly death and burial are drawing near. He enters Jerusalem and considers if His Temple is being used as intended, as a welcoming place for true worship of God … as a house of prayer for all the nations (Mark 11.17). Not just for the Jews but for the Gentiles too! Jesus tells of the End Times and warns repeatedly … “Be on your guard! Stay awake!”
I am humbled by my surfacy concerns and worries. My heart is convicted and humbled. Such weighty matters juxtaposed with such simple, though usually well-meaning concerns. But sometimes, selfish and self-focused ☹
With the encouragement and conviction of Scripture and meaningful Bible teaching, I am ongoingly learning to not try to make Jesus’ teaching fit my thinking, but rather for my thinking to be changed by Jesus’ teaching.
It seems this is a worthwhile approach, as we each endeavor to grow in our understanding of God’s Word so that we can live that new, better, different life. Yes, sometimes I still wander around seeking the Lord’s intent and purpose, wading around in the murky waters trying to see what’s down there. When what I really need to do is look up and ask the Lord for clarity and for my focus to be on what He has for me today, for this subject, for this concern. He always answers that prayer. All praise to our Lord and God!
Trusting the Lord with you, Colleen