There were thousands of men. God’s Word, in Mark, states five thousand and Jesus wanted to feed them…..ALL OF THEM! Not a full coarse meal. Oh, but one day, at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, what a meal we will eat, and IT WILL BE HEAVENLY. But this day on earth, Jesus had something he wanted to teach his disciples and he used what they found among the thousands; five loaves of bread and two small fish. That was all, but with Jesus it was ENOUGH! For you see, HE WAS GOD and ALL THINGS ARE UNDER HIS AUTHORITY. He took those items, blessed them and then shared. Man’s impossible soon became a God miracle, that they physically touched.
With this MIRACLE, why does it state in Mark 6:52, that the disciples’ hearts were hardened? HARDENED?
After the men had been fed and the disciples had gathered the left overs, Jesus told them to go on to Bethsaida. He still had work to do and praying that needed to be done.
I can only imagine the conversation of the disciples while on that boat, conveying their “hearts”!
Jesus knew the struggles in their hearts. He knew what was needed to soften those hearts. Jesus also knew their physical struggles. The disciples were in the boat, struggling to row because of the wind. And JESUS KNEW HE NEEDED TO GET TO THEM! And he did by WALKING ON WATER. We have the disciples still trying to dissect, in their minds, and yes, in their hardened hearts, the feeding of the thousands. The endless breaking of bread and the never ending fish. How on earth could that have been possible? The only answer, God Almighty! And In the middle of this body of water, here comes Jesus and they are TERRIFIED! Jesus knows they are terrified. He calls out to them, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” He got into the boat, and yes, miraculously touched their hearts…..AGAIN!
How often does my heart harden at the curves, the hurdles, the hurts, the stress of life, only to be soften when I allow Jesus to get into the “boat” of my life. To hear him say through HIS WORD, “Donna, take courage! IT IS I. Don’t be afraid. I AM HERE.” He knows the struggles, the heart ache. He KNOWS my hardened heart and exactly what it needs to be softened.
With those thoughts, let’s choose to live in HIS COURAGE and HIS STRENGTH. The possibilities are endless. With God in the “boat” of our lives, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE, BECAUSE HE IS GOD!
