Mosaic in fishes and loaves

Jesus spent time teaching his disciples.

Remember the miracle of the fishes and loaves?  In Mark 6:36-52 we read of how the disciples gathered together 5 loaves and 2 fish.  Jesus blessed it and gave to the disciples to distribute.  They were left with 12 basketfuls.  5,000 men (not including women and children) ate and were satisfied, from 5 loaves and 2 fishes. 

Right after this miracle Jesus told the disciples to get into their boat and go to the other side.  There was some resistance from the disciples but they obeyed Jesus and started out.  Jesus dismissed the crowd and went to be alone and pray.  About 3-6 am Jesus saw that the disciples were rowing in a fierce storm.  He walked on the water as if to pass them by in the boat. 

It’s a Ghost!

When they saw Jesus they didn’t recognize him and began screaming that it was a ghost.  He called out for them to “Stop fearing, I Am” and then got into the boat.  At this point the disciples were astonished exceedingly beyond measure.  Why would this astonish them when they were just a part of the miracle of the fishes and loaves?   Jesus said it was because they failed to consider or understand the meaning of the miracle of the fishes and loaves.  He said they had grown callous, had become dull and had lost the power of understanding.  Jesus called it a hardened heart. 

What’s So Important About Considering?

Boy, that happened fast!  First they’re at the grounds serving up fishes and loaves and then they’re on a boat in a storm.  And do you know what caused it to happen?  The daily affairs of life…just living.  They’d gone from fishes and loaves to storm at sea and ghosts.  It happened because they did not consider. 

Consider means to study, ponder, deliberately examine and meditate.  Jesus is telling us we can think about the Word of God at all times.  We can consider what we have just read in the bible, heard in a sermon or a teaching.  We can meditate on that while we change the babies’ diaper and do the laundry. 

Whatever you consider, your heart becomes sensitive to that. 

Whatever you fail to consider, your heart becomes insensitive to that. 

There’s a portion of His Word that says, “We have the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” Romans 5:5 and “A soft answer turns away wrath.”  Proverbs 15:1  So your spouse comes home in a bad mood and you have failed to consider that you have the love of God shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit.   You will not be sensitive in your heart to have a soft answer and show that kind of love towards your husband.  You’ll pick up the bad mood and the whole evening will be one large fight.  You mean it would not end up a fight if I had ‘considered the Word of God about walking in love’?  Jesus said that when you consider the Word about walking in love, you become sensitive in your heart to walking in love.  When you don’t consider it, then your heart becomes dull, grows callous and you lose the power of understanding in that area.  It happened to the disciples and it happens to us…we become spiritually dull. 

Life hit a snag for the disciples fast.  Had they considered what they had just been shown, it would have had a different ending.  What have you been considering?