Signs of the Times
Opening Prayer
Dear God, You know my needs before I ask. This gives me confidence as I pray to You now.
Read MARK 8:14–21
14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”
16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”
17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they replied.
20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
They answered, “Seven.”
21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing” (Psa. 145:16). Thanks be to God.
Think Further
There is a saying, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” It is based on the idea that even an animal can recognize the person who brings its food and treats that person with respect—if it has any sense! This is the problem identified by Jesus—and it connects to the feeding story of the previous passage. The disciples are in danger of falling into the same trap as the Pharisees and Herod (15). We saw yesterday that the Pharisees want “a sign from heaven” (11), and Luke tells us of Herod’s hope, upon meeting Jesus, “to see him perform a sign of some sort” (Luke 23:8). Thus, both are fixated on “signs”—but it seems that only certain signs are good enough.
Imagine going for a walk to an unfamiliar place. You are unsure which way to go, but thankfully you reach a signpost to your destination. However, instead of following the sign to where it leads, you contemplate the signpost for a while and then turn around and return home! How foolish! Yet when we fixate on the sign, rather than the destination, we become like those whom Jesus criticizes.
The disciples, with their bellies now full, are very conscious of their daily needs. Jesus, however, expects them to be able to see significance in his miraculous feedings, as signs that point to his own identity and the operation of the kingdom.
In the church today, we can have certain, limited expectations of the activity of God. Like the disciples, we fail to see the signs when they come. Jesus invites us, with his disciples, to look beyond “bread,” “fish” and countless other activities of each day to recognize the hand of the God who provides.
Apply
Think over the things of this day. In what ways are they signs of God’s presence and provision?
Closing prayer
Lord, today I look to You and pray for insight to see You working in the details of my life.
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