To “See” or “Not to “See”

Happy 2014

The followers of Jesus Christ (Christians) are sometimes notorious at observing circumstances and drawing wrong conclusions. The eighth chapter of Mark presents a discourse on the earthly ministry of Jesus that shows how Believers can” see” and “not see”.  In this chapter Jesus feeds 5,000 hungry people who had been listening to His teaching.  Verse 2 shows the compassion Jesus had for this group of people.  He is a compassionate Savior.  Verse 4 shows the reasoning of the disciples in discussing the physical possibility of feeding the group.  Christians sometimes are focused on the natural world with all of its deceptions.  This sometimes causes their faith to be abandoned in the face of opposition.

In this instance Jesus needed with start in the natural circumstances so that they could track His supernatural intervention in them.   He asked them in verses 5 & 6 what food was available.  He then commanded that the people sit down (prepare to receive).   Through prayer He implanted supernatural power into the circumstance.  We can and must do this also in our life circumstances. There were seven loaves of bread available and a few small fish.  I like the fact that Jesus could get the job done with “small fish”.  It is not only the “big fish” that can get the job done.

Verse 7 points out the fact that praise and thanks played a big part in His supernatural operation.  We will never see God’s will by reasoning and figuring out how He will answer our prayer.  We just need to make our request known to God and begin to praise and give thanks.

You would think that after this great miracle, that the religious people (Pharisees) would have been praising God for the mighty Man from Galilee!  Instead they came to Jesus seeking a “sign” that He was indeed a “Miracle Man”.   Jesus groaned and sighed (verse 12) at this bunch because they had no clue to the mystery of Heaven that was standing right before them.  Let us not be like the Pharisees, blind and clueless to the grace, mystery, love, and compassion of the Savior of the world Jesus Christ.

Verse 15 is a key piece in successfully living the God-Life (Zoe).  Jesus (warning His disciples) says “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees (religious deception) and the Herodians (world system deception)”.  These two “blind fields” will kill your faith and drain the life from your walk with God.  

 Because Jesus mentioned leaven, His disciples thought that He was checking on their food supply again.  They were immediately operating in the reasoning of the natural circumstance.  We are supernatural people and must anticipate the supernatural intervention of God always in our lives.  We won’t be successful here on earth if we regard and limit ourselves to the natural world.  Verse 17 & 18 points out that we can have eyes and “not see”.  We can have ears and “not hear” if we are going to reason ourselves into the will of God.

 Stay in God’s word in study and meditation and the word of God will cause you to walk in the supernatural power of Jesus Christ.  You will not resign yourself to what is seen in the natural, but will begin to see in the supernatural where all things are possible in God.

A confirming manifestation happens further along in this power packed 8^th chapter of Mark in the city of Bethsaida.  Jesus encounters a blind man who wants to see (verses 22-26).  Jesus “spit” on the eyes of the blind man (Hey, it’s in the Bible!) and asked him if he could see anything.  His reply was that he saw men as trees walking around. Jesus then put His hand on his eyes and he began to see clearly.  This humbling act probably didn’t bother the blind man.  After all he was receiving his sight.

 Sometimes our ability to “see” manifests in the humblest of circumstances, places, and people. Our deliverance under the guidance of the Holy Spirit cannot be orchestrated and dictated by us.  After all Father knows best.

We need to choose to “see” rather than “not to see”.    Your reasoning ability cannot deliver you and cause you to “see”.  Jesus can!   The panacea for seeing is as follows.

“To See”

·        Continually reading, studying, and applying God’s word to our lifestyle

·        Walking in love and compassion towards God’s creation (mankind) as Jesus did on earth

·        Refusing to be deceived by the religious system and the system of the world

·        Offering prayers, praise and thanksgiving in and for everything

·        Maintaining unbroken fellowship and union with God through the intimacy of worship

“Not To See”

Cancelled  

(For Children of the Most High God!)