GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 8:20
Will You Repeat That Lesson
I wonder how many parents have said to a child, “How many times do I have to tell you?” At one college where I taught, I had one student for three semesters in the same class. The subject was not difficult—not like rocket science—but the student had difficulty mastering the material. Of course, I know that it could be that the teacher was the problem, not the student—that was possible.
On the boat trip across the Sea of Galilee from Dalmanutha to Bethsaida, Jesus tried to warn the disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees—their teaching and practices. It seems that the disciples had not completely grasped the significance of the miraculous feeding of two great crowds of people with a few loaves and fish. Jesus called their attention to the miraculous feeding of the five thousand. “’And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?’ And they said to him, ‘Seven.’” (Mark 8:20)
It’s almost possible to hear Jesus saying in this lesson, “How many times do you have to see these miracles before you grasp the idea that the Christ is in your midst?” He marvels that they have eyes to see and ears to hear, but they still fail to grasp the essence of his ministry. I wonder how many times I’ve been in that boat with the disciples, metaphorically, and failed to grasp the Father’s work in my presence. Father, open my eyes and ears.
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