Lord’s Day, Vol. 10 No. 10

Having Eyes, See Ye Not?

When we have the Lord Jesus Christ, we have all that we need. Truly, if Jesus is our sufficiency, what lack we anything? The psalmist testified well in Psalm 23:1 (KJV) A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. Yet, the disciples were worried.

Mark 8:14 (KJV) Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.  

Our Lord assured their hearts of His ability to care for all their needs.

Mark 8:19-21 (KJV) When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

When Jesus fed the multitude in the wilderness because they had been with Him for three days listening to Him and had nothing to eat.

Mark 8:1-2 (KJV) In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, 2 I have compassion on the multitude because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: 3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.

As Stephen in his testimony before his martyrdom testified in Acts 7:37-38 (KJV) This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. 38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

In the fullness of time, God entered human history in the incarnation of His Son Jesus Christ, to demonstrate His love and care for His people. When Jesus fed the multitude in the wilderness, it was manna right out of the hands of our Lord from heaven.

Mark 8:4-6 (KJV) And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? 5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. 6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.

Jesus warned His disciples when he said in Mark 8:15 (KJV) And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.

What was this the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod that Jesus was speaking about? Jesus explained Mark 8:11-12 (KJV) And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

The leaven was their unbelief! Just as the Israelites in the wilderness who murmured against God! It was a test to see if truly they had faith, that their faith were genuine and grounded in Christ. The Pharisees had no true faith and Herod was the lawless political despot that spurned the laws of God. He beheaded John the Baptizer for pointing out his sin at the instigation of Herodias (Mark 6:18).

Peter said well in concerning the trial of faith in the believers’ life – 1 Peter 1:7-8 (KJV) That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

Living by faith in Christ, we shall see the glory of God caring for us amidst our trials. Jesus is indeed the living and true God whom we can trust! Why? He came to heal us from the ravages of sin. He died for us so that the wages of sin is fully paid by His battered body and blood that was shed for the remission of our sins. He conquered death by His resurrection from the dead the third day.

What was the sign from heaven? It is the Person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Pharisees will not humble themselves to receive Him. Their faith was founded not on Christ but upon themselves. In their pride, they rejected their Messiah, the Christ, prophesized in the Old Testament Scriptures, fulfilled before them. Jesus is the final revelation of God and there is no further! Rejecting Jesus, they will not find forgiveness for their sins and thus suffer eternal damnation in hellfire. Jesus signed deeply in His spirit as he warned His disciples concerning their evil influence and their final destruction.

Mark 8:16-21 (KJV) And they (the disciples) reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. 17 And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? 18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? 19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. 20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? 21 And they said, Seven. And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

Jesus reminded them of the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand and another instance of the four thousand. The disciples witnessed the many excess baskets of bread and fish, twelve and seven baskets full attesting to His power to care for them. They ought to exercise faith to see with their spiritual eyes henceforth. Amen.

With love,

 Pastor Lek Aik Wee