daily java

Daily Java:

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!” Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in. (Mark 6:50-52)

It was rough being an apostle. Of course, you had the great points of daily contact with the Master, getting to talk to him and ask him questions one on one, something most of his disciples didn’t have. You got to be there and participate in the miracles he performed. It was a great job on one hand.

On the other hand, it was a hard job. They were constantly having to stretch themselves into what Jesus wanted them to be. and they were conflicted.

They saw him feed 5000 men with just a handful of food, yet they were afraid they would have to do without. They had watched him heal people, yet they were afraid they would be hurt.

And it wasn’t meanness or stupidity on their parts. Mark said that their hearts were too hard to take it in. That didn’t mean that they didn’t want to believe. It meant they just had not been around long enough with this radical preacher and his radical message to truly be able to assimilate it. Their hearts were not flexible enough would be a better translation.

In this passage, they are in a storm on the Sea of Galilee. They feel like they are about to die. Jesus will be without his apostles, their families will be without the husbands and fathers, they will die. What will they do? Help!!

But Jesus came along walking on the water and stopped the storm. Sounds simple when put like that, but it is what happened. The apostles were amazed, and it says they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. It had been too short a time. They could not understand yet that Jesus said he would take care of them and provide whatever they needed, even shelter from a storm. He had a job for them and was not anywhere near ready to let them go it alone.

It was just too hard for them to take all this phenomena in. Their hearts were not flexible enough to wrap around this. It was just too great for them to understand.

So they flapped along day by day, baffled much of the time, worried that Jesus might be mad at them for not understanding, trying their level best to do so. And really, for the most part, succeeding.

But it didn’t really dawn on them. They could not yet grasp all of these lessons gleaned over three and a half years or so. It took the presence of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost to sort it out for them.

Imagine if you were in this same situation. We look at them through the prism of 2000 years of theological study and meditation. They saw it for the first time. What if your failures like this were written up in the Bible for billions of people to read about for thousands of years? It is like that in other areas too.

I remember talking to people who saw their first car when they were teenagers. I also talked to people who marveled at electricity. Most of us can remember when computers came out and they were scary little dudes to most people. They still are and I am pretty good at them, but I do not understand them.

They accepted these things, but just could not understand them.

But they tried. And there was the key. Only one – Judas – didn’t make it through. Which goes to show you that you can sit at the feet of Jesus for three and a half years and still be lost. It never penetrated from acceptance to belief in Judas’ mind and heart. He had his mind other places.

Sooner or later, they understood and then began to take these personal experiences and were able to build others’ faith, too.

But, as I said, it took the Holy Spirit to do it. They could not do it themselves. And neither can you. There is no real understanding of the word of God, written, spoken, indwelling or anything else, without the Holy Spirit to guide you and make your heart soft enough to wrap around his miracles and his power.

That is the only way you will ever learn.