To set the stage for the point we will try to make in this Bible Bite, let me ask you:
Precisely, how many leftovers did you lug to your car after the big summer picnic? How much did you pack into your trunk after your last family reunion? How many containers or bags did you take back home? Three, five, seven, nine? Or do you even have a clue? Usually, we remember we either had too much or far too little or just the right amount. But only a rare person would recall exactly, with science-like precision, how many of these or how much of that was left over.
At least two huge outdoor picnics are recorded in the Gospels, where the Lord Jesus was the star attraction. On one occasion, 5,000 men plus women and children attended and, starting with five loaves of bread and two fish, He fed the entire crowd. A slightly smaller crowd showed up another day, and with seven loaves and a few fish to start with, He did it again.
Shortly after that, Jesus and the disciples got into their boat. No sooner had they set sail when someone realized: “Oops. We’ve only got one loaf of bread on board, and we’re all hungry – the thirteen of us. One loaf will never do. This is terrible. Who overlooked this detail? There’s nothing worse than a hungry stomach!”
Jesus was trying to teach them something about the Pharisees, but they were so occupied with the measly one loaf to be shared between all of them that they missed His point completely. Right there, on the boat, Jesus popped a surprise quiz:
When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.” (Mark 8:19-20)
It’s interesting. The disciples had the right answers. They remembered specifically and precisely the numbers. Those numbers were etched firmly in their brains despite everything else going on. They passed the intellectual and memory test with flying colours. But what about the deeper meaning and the spiritual lesson behind such miracles?
Jesus asked them:
Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?…How is it you do not understand?” (Mark 8:17-21)
Intellectually, they had the right answers, but spiritually, they were not grasping the reality of WHO was in their midst – the One with whom nothing was, is or ever will be impossible. (Luke 1:37, Matthew 19:26, Genesis 18:14) Right answers but slow learners or, should we say – slow believers.
There have been times in our past when God has amazed us by doing something in our lives. We remember specific things He did for us, including the greatest miracle of all – our salvation. But perhaps today, you are filled with doubt. Intellectually, you have the right answers, and you can recite the relevant verses, but just now, everything looks so impossible, unlikely, unstoppable or unattainable. Right answers but a slow learner – slow to believe?
Child of God, don’t forget what He has done in the past and remember WHO He is and what He is capable of doing.
Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6
Don’t hesitate to share a thought from your personal experience or a verse that has been a blessing to you – in the comment section below. Or, if you would like to reach out privately, click below.
