Remember that yesterday I wrote of the desperate situation of the 4,000. They had followed Jesus to a desolate place, had no bread, and Jesus is concerned about whether they will be able to make it home without fainting from hunger. He feeds them, with only a few loaves.
The next story in Mark 8 involves the disciples. They are in a boat, crossing to the other side. "Now they had forgotten to bring bread; and they had only one loaf with them."
Jesus tells them not to worry.
Remember the 5,000. Remember the 4,000. Surely the one loaf will be enough.
Even though the disciples were present when Jesus fed those crowds, they still fret and worry.
We fret and worry, too. Sometimes, our anxiousness can be tied to our lack of planning. The disciples "forgot" to bring bread. It wasn't like their bread was stolen or washed over the side of the boat. It was their own lack of planning that lay behind their worry.
We fret and worry, too. Often, we are anxious about things we cannot control. At last evening's bible study we spoke of death and the shadow it casts over us. "Why do we worry so much about something that we can't change?" one participant asked. While death is an unwelcome reality, isn't the fear of a life lived in worry or anxiety even less desirable?
The disciples fretted and worried. We fret and worry. And where does it get us? What does it accomplish?
Jesus is the "bread of life." Jesus will offer himself as "bread for the world." So long as we remember this and cling to this, we can never be found among those who "forget to bring bread." The One loaf is enough.
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