Now if the fish were the size of my boy’s catch…whoa!
Jesus cracks me up. I wonder how many times He wanted to just shake His head and say, “Serious?”
First of all, He’s so considerate. In Mark 8:1-3 we see where a huge crowd, of about 4,000, had been gathered around and listening to and learning from Jesus for about three days. They had run out of food. The time had come for the crowd to leave when Jesus noticed the food dilemma. He told his disciples that he felt sorry for the people and didn’t want them leaving without food or they may faint.
Secondly, Jesus likes to include us. I think He enjoys making us feel wanted. See, there was a problem. The Christ could/can solve any problem at any time. He’s God! But He presented the “no food” situation to His disciples as if He was asking them what should be done about it, or maybe He was seeing how observant they were that there was a dilemma. Anyhow…In verses 2 and 3 He says, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance.”
Now is where I can imagine Jesus shaking His head at the disciples’ response. They replied in verse 4, “How are we supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?” As if to say, “There’s not a Chick-fi-La for miles! It would take us days to get there and back.”
He’s done it before, He’ll do it again. Jesus instructed them to give Him some bread. Seven were given. Then some fish were provided too. Jesus blessed the food and divided it among the four thousand men! Do the math…7 loaves of bread and a few fish to feed 4,000 people, if not more. God doesn’t just stop there, He not only provided enough food for all to be completely full, but to have seven baskets of leftovers. He’s so cool!
God is The Provider!
He provided for folks in the bible, and He will still provide for you today.
Trust in Him.
He is compassionate towards and passionate about you.
Just don’t take Him for granted.
In verses 11-13, I had to chuckle at Jesus again. This is where Pharisees demanded a miraculous sign, and “when He heard this, He sighed deeply in His spirit and said, “Why do these people keep demanding a miraculous sign?” (verse 12) Can’t you just imagine Jesus shaking His head as He was sighing deeply? Cracks me up.
He’s tough too. Also in verse 12 He says, “I want you to know that no miracle will be done to prove anything to you.” God doesn’t need to prove a thing. He is not a magician or circus act. He wants you to trust in Him and have faith.
Stop waiting around for God to show you a miraculous sign, and start believing in Him. He has great plans for you!
(Click here to read Mark 8:1-13)
I pray that you will enjoy soaking up The Son every moment of each day. –Stephanie
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