Devotion - Monday, Sept 5

In Mark 8, Jesus seems to be fed up with the disciples. Perhaps it was his argument with the Pharisees which set him off. They had come to him, seeking a sign from heaven, to test him. Jesus "sighed deeply in his spirit, and said, 'Why does this generation seek a sign?'"

He gets into a boat with the disciples and they set out for the other side. Then, they realize they only have one loaf of bread.

What follows is a bit confusing; at least to me. Jesus "cautions them saying, 'Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.'" He asks them about the times he fed the 5,000 and the 4,000, then he says to them. "Do you not yet understand?"

What were they to understand? That he would provide for them.? That they ought to be concerned with something other than what they would eat or what they would wear?

Many answers have been given. And much has been made of the inability of the disciples to "understand." Many answers, and not all of them agree.

I realize that it frustrates Jesus when we ask for a clear indication of what it is that he wants us to do. While we may not seek a sign in the same way as the Pharisees, we do pray that God will "just show us the way." But hasn't he already been fully revealed to us? What more could be said than what has been written? If there were an answer for every question how many of us would read the thousands of pages on which they were written. Too few of us read the sixteen short chapters which make up Mark's Gospel.

This is not a condemnation of our asking God for guidance and help. Rather it is a reminder that we do "know ole mortal what the Lord requires." We just need to do it. There will be differing ways of answering questions, many times as a means of putting off action or excusing our unwillingness to follow. Yes, there are many more things Jesus could have said, and some of what he said is confusing. I will never understand all things; but I do understand that I have been provided for and that I have been invited to follow. Following I will discover the answers I need.