“They were completely astounded, because they had not understood about the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened.” Mark 6:51b-52
I was a bit surprised to find this verse smack in the middle of the story of Jesus walking on the raging sea and approaching the terrified disciples who were in a boat (and in the middle of a storm- this is the second time the miracle of a storm being stilled is recorded in the book of Mark). The disciples thought Jesus to be a ghost. They were already terrified of the raging storm. And then when they sight Jesus walking towards their boat on the raging waves, they are petrified and they cry out in fear. Fear of one thing makes the heart open to more fears. Immediately Jesus speaks to them and says “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then He got into the boat with them and the wind ceased.
The verse that follows is the one at the beginning of this blog post: “They were completely astounded, because they had not understood about the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened.”
We need to understand the context of this miracle in order to understand what God is trying to tell us here.
In Mark 6: 7-8, we read, “He (Jesus) summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the road, except a walking stick: NO BREAD, no traveling bag, no money in their belts.”
In the verses following this, we read in 12-13 “So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they were driving out many demons, anointing many sick people with oil, and healing.”
The disciples were doing powerful miracles. There was deliverance and healing. So many people were being released from sicknesses and other conditions that had kept them bound. The disciples had much success in what they did.
In Mark 6:30-31 we read, “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest a while.”
Jesus instructs His disciples to get away by themselves and rest. Yet in the verses following this we read that as they get away on a boat to a remote place, people get to that remote place before them, so that when they arrive, they find a large crowd waiting for them!! Jesus sees this large crowd and begins to teach them.
In verse 35-37, we read something quite interesting, “When it was already late, His disciples approached Him and said, “This place is a wilderness, and it is already late!” Send them away, so they can go into the surrounding countryside and villages to buy themselves something to eat.” “You give them something to eat,” He responded.
They said to Him, “Should we go and buy 200 denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?”
And He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look.” When they found out they said, “Five and two fish.”
What followed was the feeding of five thousand men plus women and children. Jesus had performed a miracle: He broke the little that they had and distributed to the crowd. Everyone had eaten their fill and they picked 12 baskets full of leftovers of the bread and fish together!!
Just before the feeding of this huge crowd, Jesus’ disciples had experienced the miraculous: remember they were asked not to take any bread for the road. It is obvious that they were fed and taken care of wherever they went. They were performing powerful miracles. People certainly invited them over to their houses. They were amazed at the miracles they had performed and report to Jesus about that. Soon after their return, they were exhausted from the journey back and the experiences they just had. It must have overwhelmed them. Jesus immediately advises them to come away by themselves and REST. Yet they did not get enough rest since the crowd followed them. Just after preaching to the huge crowd, it gets dark, they are all sitting in the middle of nowhere and Jesus asks them to give the crowd something to eat.
I love how He says, “YOU give them something to eat.” YOU who have been given power and authority over unclean spirits. YOU who have just returned from experiencing miracles. YOU who have just experienced when you took no bread with you and had strangers feed and even clothe you. YOU, who should be knowing by now, that these things such as food and clothing God provides. YOU step out in faith, as you did before you went out to preach and heal and deliver people. YOU give them something to eat!! Wow! Jesus was in essence testing their faith here.
But the disciples were worn out and their thinking was like any of us would do as humans with limited minds: they were wondering if they should go and buy 200 denarii worth of bread. That used to be the average yearly wages. They were sitting down making calculations with their limited human reasoning.
Jesus then asks them “How many do you have. Go look” He was telling them in essence: you went out with no bread during your journey and were fed and never lacked anything. Now go look, you have some bread now. Do you think the entire crowd cannot be fed with just this? Rise above your limited, human reasoning!!
To show them, that the entire crowd can indeed be fed, Jesus performs the miracle and feeds the entire crowd. Right there, smack in the middle of wilderness. Where nothing is available. When it was dark. When people were exhausted and hungry. Jesus feeds them and there was plenty left over. Soon after this miracle, Jesus dismisses the crowd and sends the disciples ahead of Him on the boat. He goes away alone to a mountain and prays.
Now two things happen here, that I urge you to deeply reflect on:
- The disciples had experienced many miracles even with their own hands yet slipped into human thinking when a new challenge stood before them
- Jesus was also performing many miracles. Yet when a new challenge arose before Him, He was still able to apply wisdom and continue doing the miraculous.
Jesus was operating in a totally different realm. The disciples were going through the motion. They were mechanically going about what they were doing. Their excitement peaked when something great happened yet plummeted when there was a challenge before them. The Bible records many times that after performing miracles, Jesus always retired to a remote place where He prayed. Jesus took times to rest. This time of rest and relaxation gave Him the impetus, the wisdom and the strength to carry on in the supernatural. His disciples failed to understand this and because their bodies were tired, they were not thinking nor operating in the supernatural. They were going through the motion. Their hearts were hardened.
In this is a valuable lesson that I gleaned today: when we do not take our time to rest and pray, we allow our hearts to be hardened to the miraculous that happens around us. We take for granted the miracles God does in our lives. We fall into the danger of going through the motions. We go about our lives mechanically.
In Mark 7 that follows the miracle of Jesus stilling the storm, the Pharisees were admonished by Jesus when they point out to Him that His disciples were not washing their hands before eating food- a Jewish ritual expected of Jews. Jesus calls them hypocrites. He says, “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from ME. They worship ME in vain, teaching as doctrines the commands of men.”
Perhaps you are a preacher who is continually preaching and delivering and healing others yet taking very little time to come away by yourself to rest and pray. Or maybe you are a Christian believer, who barely rests or prays and is overwhelmed by things that seem trivial and small to God: you worry about family finances, about getting a job, about having food on the table. God is able to provide you with all this and more! God cares for you far more than you can imagine!! I pray that today you will resolve within yourself that you will not go through the motions. That you will take time to come away by yourself and pray. That you will rely on the Lord even for your needs instead of trying to make your own calculations. The disciples worried about feeding the huge crowd. Jesus did it in just an instant. Because HE was connected to God. Because He drew His strength and power from that connection. When our connection with God is strong, when we rely on Him every moment of our lives and do not fall prey to “going through the motions”, God gives us His strength and peace.
Psalm 29:11 says,
“The Lord gives His people strength; the Lord blesses His people with peace.”
Prayer
Heavenly Father I see that far too often I go through the motions. I am so engrossed in going about my daily tasks that I have failed to discipline my rest and time with You. I realize today that this is so important for me. You did it. You modeled rest and prayer. I see now how important it is for me as well to schedule this every day!! Lord would You give me wisdom to work on my daily routine and empower me to schedule in times of rest and prayer? I want to rise above my limited human reasoning. I want to rise above every circumstance that plagues me now. I want You to give me strength for my daily tasks and peace when circumstances and situations overwhelm me. I want Your peace that surpasses every thought to guard my heart and mind. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.