Today’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 101, 109:1-19, 119:121-144; Genesis 50:29-15:26; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; Mark 8:11-26

Today’s Writer: Peter Van Peborgh

Mark’s gospel, chapter 8: Pharisees and a boat ride with Jesus…
After yet another encounter with the Pharisees, Jesus and the guys are rowing their way across the lake. Somebody has forgotten the sandwiches.

Ever topical, Jesus grabs the opportunity take their minds away from the immediate to the important. Bread implies leaven. He warn his disciples not to let the thinking of the fashionable, the clever, the popular and the powerful pollute their thinking as His disciples. Leaven speaks of small entities influencing much larger ones. He is reminding them (and us) to be very God/Kingdom-centered in their thinking or they will not succeed in influencing the world and bringing about the Kingdom.

But, as ever, the disciples, are thinking literally (ok, they’re hungry!), and don’t get it. So Jesus comes down to their level and quietly points out that among them is the source and creator of all sandwiches (and fishes), never mind the lake, the planet, life the universe and every thing .

How habitually do we think like the world thinks?

How often do we forget just how important is the One we follow?

And that probably He has got the best thinking on all issues…