Mark 8
I’m sitting, overlooking myyy pacific northwest coast, with poulsbo somewhere just across the way, and up wrapped around the corner of my northern coast lies the beautiful Whidbey. Today, sitting here, I read two stories out of Mark, the story of Jesus feeding the four thousand, and the story of Jesus speaking on Clean and Unclean. Both I read in a completely new way... :)
The story of Jesus feeding the four thousand... I think in the past I just saw it as Jesus feeding this large crowd, and it being amazing that he split a few loaves into being able to feed a few thousand... amazing still, but SOO much more there! Stick with me...
These people he fed... they were devout followers of Jesus... they were three days deep into their tireless journey of following him into the wilderness... they hadn’t eaten ANYTHING.
They knew Jesus, and they would do anything to follow him... four thousand of them.
Just imagine it... what did they seee?! (we know some of the stories...) They dropped ALL, and followed... into the wilderness... with no food.
They were houngry... Imagine the hunger??!
Do we trust our lord enough to go three days without food?? With this verse, a three day fast can be very powerful... think about it.
They trusted Him... in what he promised, because they believed... they knew their gift to come was so good, they were willing to wander, no food, into the wilderness... three days.
And then they were fed... their tummies filled.
Jesus took the only seven loaves this whole group had (the #7 being very important... can talk about that more maybe), he laid them down... and then he prayed for them... :)
"There was fish too..."
So, seven loaves, and a “few” fish were laid there “before the people”, and prayed over, by Jesus.
Imagine it... give your shitty circumstances to Jesus... what does he do, he takes them and fills the tummy of the spirit with His goodness, and afterward there amounts to seven basketfulls... FULL baskets, of leftover bread.
His providence will not only fill our lives, our stomachs, but it will leave us OVERFLOWING with leftovers, for others to enjoy.
Others might read this and hear the words of Jesus telling them that in the early days of our walk with Jesus (Just like Jesus taking on the holy spirit and spending an immediate 40 days in the desert experiencing all temptation satan could throw at him), we are going to experience a tough three days (we all have our different “three days”)... persecution, mockery, and all sorts of suffering, until - like jesus - we feel the warmth of the holy spirit in a way that brings power, confidence, and all sorts of joy... the feast.
I see it both... :)
So, Jesus after feeding them, giving them what He promised (a tirelessly full spirit, and a reward of a feast at the end... not until after three days in the wilderness), disperses them and “sends them away”.
He leaves now on a boat... over to a different region... Dalmanutha.
So, normally I might see a ‘different region’ as being a geographical location... But this time I see it as a different place of the heart... a different perception of the world, a different more ‘pharasaical’ way of living, by the law of man, and not the law of God... I saw Dalmanutha as this location.
Here you have the ‘pharisees’... they asked him for a sign, and he replies - directing his comments towards what he refers to as a specific ‘generation’ - with this...
“why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it.”
To me, he may be speaking to a different thing than he is you, but try and see this as pointing to areas we are blind to seeing the STINKING miracles right in front of us... like the one Jesus just did, feeding the four thousand.. Those suffering alongside jesus in the wilderness (spiritually, physically, emotionally, maybe all three?) with Him, experience his miracles and the gift of his spirit... Their hope, their joy amidst the suffering, is also shared with Him...
Two very different lessons I hear in this section...
The first having to do with the cost of following jesus, his promise, and the yummy reward.. :) Think on it...
The second being my oftentimes blind eyes to see the miracles right in front of my stinking face... it can be as simple as pausing to give thanks for the steady breaths which bring life to our hearts... or giving thanks for the fact that we’re able to even give thanks, that our spirits are magnetically directed towards something outside of life here on earth, the feeling that at our deepest level, something beyond ourselves exists and deservs our worship...
so pause, and give thanks to the god that created you... your thoughts... and a bazillion other things right in front of your face that deserve your... that deserve our ‘pause’.
Sink into these two warm truths, and as a shoutout to my friends who commented/liked the photo I posted earlier... now you know what I meant when I posted it... Promises in scripture comfort a person interested it's comfort, a person seeking the guidance of the spirit...
Next post is about when Jesus spoke on what made a man clean and unclean... don’t miss it, pretty wild, warmly embrassing stuff!
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