For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Mark 6
Mark made an interesting statement. He told how Jesus walked on the lake to the disciples and joined them in the boat, at which point the strong wind died down. He then said, “They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.” (Mark 6:51b-52). That got me to wondering what it was about the loaves that they had not understood. Was it that nothing is too difficult for God? Or perhaps that He provides for our needs? Maybe it was the deep-seated knowledge that God can be trusted in any circumstance.
At this point, I am wondering if I, too, am failing to understand about the loaves. So I went poking around a bit for an answer. In doing so, I ran across an article by a woman named Jennifer Richmond titled, “You Might Have Missed the Point about ‘Feeding the Five Thousand’”. At the start of the article, she makes the statement that whenever you read the Bible you need to ask what it tells you about who Jesus is. Since I have come to see the entire Bible as the story of Jesus, this makes perfect sense to me. And this is what she comes back around to at the end. So in essence, what the disciples failed to understand about the loaves is what they said about who Jesus is.
In other words, the disciples did not yet understand that Jesus is the bread of life, sent from heaven to satisfy our true need with abundance. They did not understand that He is God’s plan and promise to save us, not from the Roman, or any other, human government, but from the emptiness of our own spirits. They did not understand that He is God. I am so grateful for what their story tells me about who Jesus is so that I don’t miss the point.
Jer. 35-36
What was Jehoiakim’s response to Jeremiah’s prophecy? How do you respond to God’s word? Such arrogance from the kings’ court! “The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes.” (Jer. 36:24). No fear. No repentance. Instead, they snubbed their noses at God. And so it is with each of us when we choose to continue in our own way. God, may I understand in every big and small way that my way leads directly opposite to your way. May I understand and fully believe the consequences of moving away from you. And may it make me tremble to my core. You are a God of immeasurable mercy and grace. Thus, I need not fear being with you. But let me fear with all that I am ever being without you.
Ps. 123
What does it mean to “look to the Lord”? What examples does the psalmist use to illustrate this? Where are you looking to the Lord for mercy? My eyes look to God, my master, who provides for and protects me. May my eyes never waver from the One who gives me mercy, even if the rest of the world stands against me.