Mark 8:17-18 And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? Perceive ye not yet, neither understand? Have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? And having ears, hear ye not? And do ye not remember?
Don’t Miss the Blessings!
There have been several classes that I have taken as a student that I got way behind on because I didn’t pay attention on one day. I think about Algebra, Spanish, and even Greek. I don’t know that I remember anything from any of those classes, but I do remember those classes. And I do remember that in each case if did not pay attention one day, then every day subsequently, I missed whatever it was I was suppose to be learning because every day built on the day before.
If I’m not paying attention to what God wants to teach me today, I’m going to totally miss a new lesson down the road. That’s what happened to the disciples. Mark talks about two times when the disciples were with a great multitude. Jesus fed the two multitudes with almost no food. There’s an obvious lesson twice told that Jesus is able to provide our needs.
That is a wonderful lesson, but you know there’s more to life than just that one lesson. Right after He fed the multitudes, Jesus was there to teach the disciples a new lesson. He warned them in Mark 8:15, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.” The disciples wanted to know the reason that Jesus was talking about bread. Bread was the first thing on their minds. They were guided by their hunger. The moment Jesus said anything remotely having to do with bread, (in this case leaven) they automatically thought He was concerned about not having enough food. The reason they didn’t understand the lesson of that day is because they hadn’t paid attention to the previous lesson of God’s provision.
God has so many blessings to offer you today, but you’re going to miss it if you don’t pay attention. The disciples were guided by empty stomachs, hard hearts, and bad memories. How much better it is to open our eyes and be guided by what is important to God not just what is immediately needed by us, and to grow strong because we grow in our understanding of a Lord who has a lesson for us today.