$3.13. That’s what was in our bank account the last 2 days. I don’t tell you that so that you feel sorry for us. I don’t tell you that to convince you we need help. I know I need plenty of help. LOL! I tell you this as a point of reference as you read Mark 6. If you’d like go ahead and do that now…go ahead, I’ll wait…it’s a little long as far as chapters in the Bible go but I’ll wait…it’s good…
Okay, there, so now that you’ve read that I want to point out a few things as far as the disciples go. Here are a few snap shots:
Verse One: “…and His disciples followed Him.” They left everything to follow Jesus. Good start.
Verse 7, 8, and 9: Jesus sends them out two by two and tells them to take a staff, one pair of underwear (okay, a tunic would cover you neck to feet) and a pair of sandals but nothing else. No food, no bag, no money, just go and do what I say. They go. They do what He says.
Verse Verse 30: They come back. They reported. Jesus says lets rest.
Verse 35 and 36: Lot’s of people found them. It was late. The disciples decide to tell Jesus that the people are hungry and to send them away so they could go buy their own food.
Verse 37: Jesus says: “You give them something to eat.”
Let’s stop here for a second. What would have been going through your head if you were one of the 12? You would think that after coming back from a trip where you did what Jesus said and He provided everything you needed you might look at Him with a certain glimmer in your eye and thought maybe the next miracle, right? But what did they say?
Verse 37 cont.: The disciples ask Jesus if they should go spend 200 denarii to feed all these people. (200 denarii, think $14,500) I don’t know, maybe the statement back to Jesus was more like, “Yeah right Jesus, let’s go spend $14,500 on these people. LOL!” Or maybe they had the money in the treasury. I really don’t know.
Verse 38: Jesus respond: “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” They went and found 5 loaves and 2 fish.
Verses 42-44: They all ate and were satisfied. No want. Just plenty of left overs.
And I ask you: How big is the God you serve? Is He big enough to take care you you? Is He big enough for you to have left over? If you follow Him and obey Him do you believe He will meet your needs?
Because here’s the thing. Followers of Jesus are a part of the Kingdom of God. You have been provided for. You are provided for forever. Even with $3.13 in your bank account.
My family is always fed. We always have clothes. But even if we didn’t, guess what, there is a mansion waiting for us forever.
And then the end of the chapter culminates with the disciples without Jesus in a boat in a storm. Jesus walks up to them on the water and they are afraid. Jesus says what every believer should believe then, and should believe now:
Verse 50: “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
Is there anything else we need to hear. He has got me. No matter what. Forever.
What if I lived in that. I am doing my best starting now. And I’ll remind myself tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day…Follow Him…Obey Him…Rely on Him…Think BIG of Him…Remember…Repeat.
Spoken by a True... 