Mark 8:21 (KJV)
And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?
John Gill pulls no punches in his comments concerning this passage: “It argues great want both of understanding and faith, and shows great stupidity, ignorance, and unbelief, to give such a sense of my words, and to be anxiously concerned on the score of your provisions.”
One of the great troubles of modern faith, as it apparently was in early faith, is overcoming our desire for the worldly so that we focus on our need for the eternal. The unbeliever, so settled upon earthly things and so unsure of those unseen, cannot be brought to faith by a professing believer who rides the same boat. We must be able to demonstrate such faith in the unseen that we have little concern for the earthly—or else we have nothing to offer them.
We likely spend far too little time contemplating how it is that we do not understand the things of Christ.
The disciples had made a mistake in planning. They hadn’t brought bread. When Jesus began to teach them spiritual things, their minds were so fixed on their mistake that they naturally interpreted Jesus’ lesson as a rebuke rather than a warning against false doctrine.
- Jesus can meet our needs.
- Jesus knows and can correct our mistakes.
- Jesus calls us to come out from those religious and secular teachings that tend to corrupt His doctrine.
We do not understand because we think too lowly of Christ.
We do not understand because we think too highly of ourselves.
We do not understand because we are too much conformed to this world.
#FaithOverFear #SeekEternalThings #TrustInChrist #SpiritualUnderstanding #NotOfThisWorld
Understanding Christ: The Barriers That Hold Us Back
What is one worldly distraction that most often keeps you from fully trusting Christ? Share your thoughts in the comments! Take an intentional step to shift your focus—whether it’s limiting time spent on unnecessary worries, setting aside extra time for prayer, or studying a passage of Scripture about faith.
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