Mark 8:1-26 Like Trees Walking

First Things: Devotions in Mark’s Gospel

Mark 8:1-26  Like Trees Walking

There is much that could and should claim our attention in this section. It is interesting that Jesus performs a miracle that He has already performed, and that it is repeated in the text, almost like He wants us to notice. And He does. In the first, He ministers to Jewish people in the countryside (12 baskets left over, get it? twelve tribes?). In the second, He is in “mixed” territory, and yet here as well, He is moved with compassion. Notice: Jesus’ love and compassion knows no bounds. Does yours and mine?

But then is confronted by the Pharisees, who are demanding a “sign” that shows that Jesus is properly authorized to do these things. And yet, we have witnessed miracle after miracle, sign after sign, that no one else can do, testifying to the fact that Jesus is no ordinary man, and He does the things that only God can do.

So then the disciples begin “discussing” about who forgot to bring bread. Because that’s a big problem. How in the world are they going to eat if someone doesn’t bring bread? It’s almost as though those “signs” were totally missed by the guys carrying baskets.

And then, a step further, Jesus warns them about leaven - the leaven of the Pharisees. They think He is talking about bread, but He’s not. He is talking about something, like leaven, that is contagious, and thus becomes captivatingly pervasive. Leaven does that in bread, and the bread is forever changed. And the Pharisees’ unbelief is like that. It spreads like a virus, and it binds people in an eternal condition from which they will not escape.

Guess what also is pervasive: arguing and complaining about dumb stuff. That is what the disciples were doing - blaming each other for not bringing the bread. The text says, “discussing,” but that’s what parents say to their children when the children ask why they are arguing. They say, “We’re not arguing, we’re just discussing.” But the kids aren’t stupid. They know the truth. And so does Jesus. The disciples were adopting an attitude, a mindset which would be contagious and captivating, and they needed to see the bigger picture: they were in the presence of Jesus, and bread, or lack of bread is not the point, nor the problem.

Finally, Jesus meets a man who is blind. Jesus  is again physically involved in the healing of this man, as in other cases, and the miracle is performed, but not completely. “What do you see?” The man says, “I see men like trees, walking.” He could see, but not really. Just like the disciples. Did they get it? Yes, but not really. Did they realize who Jesus was? Yes, but no. And what about us? Do we realize the difference that is made in our lives and in the world by the Person and Work of Christ, and do we walk in the light of that difference? Yes, we can see it clearly, like trees walking. Praise the Lord, Jesus is still working on us.