In our weekly Bible study with teens, we are going through the book of Mark (I always like to start people off with a book that has a cool name!) and Thursday we opened to chapter eight.
The crowd had been in church with Jesus for three days. Jesus commented to His dozen left-hand men that the people really needed to eat. How’s this for dumb—the disciples said to Him (Mark 8.4) “No way, José, we’re in the middle of nowhere and there’s not so much as a single taco stand to be found.”
Wait a minute, are these not the very same fellows who, just a couple of chapters ago, were filling 12 baskets with leftover bread? Or had Jesus fired the other guys, and this was a new crew?
When Jesus said, “Let’s do lunch,” did it not ring a bell in any of their hollow—oops, I mean hallowed heads?
And actually, this time around it was going to be easier. The first crowd was 5000 men, plus family. This time around it would only be 4000.
If I had been there that day, I certainly would have remembered!
I would have shouted right out, “Hey Jesus, you want I should look for some bread and fish?”
Or would I have?
How many times have I not remembered?
It is so much easier to forget, than to remember, all that the Lord has done for me.
The psalmist is right on the money when he writes to me (Ps 103.2):
"Bless the Lord, O your soul, and forget not all His benefits."