Bible Reflections From Scripture Union Volume OneSample

Overview of Mark 8–12 Mark wrote this Gospel as a witness to Jesus Christ and what better way to proclaim the deity of Christ than to record the miracles He performed during His public ministry? In these five chapters we see miracles of feedings, healings, etc. The Son of God has the power to heal and to do things that are impossible to human beings. This is solid proof that He is not just an ordinary man, but a divine person, for who can perform the miracles that Jesus did unless He is God. He also showed the religious leaders that He is the Son of God and that He had the wisdom to counter all their religious beliefs which were based on human understanding. Sometimes we too come up with many rules and regulations that hinder us in our approach to God. Like the religious leaders, we make Jesus Christ redundant or unnecessary because He does not fit our definition of who He is. The religious leaders of Jesus’ time had their own perception of what the Messiah would be like and Jesus did not fit that perception. So they rejected Him. We, need to ask ourselves if our perception of Jesus is hindering God from working among us. If so, we need to change our perception so that God has the freedom to work in us. Is our definition of who Jesus is determined by what others have to say about Him or is it from the word of God and our personal experience and relationship with Jesus Christ? Only when we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ can we, like Peter, say: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." What can God do with a Happy Meal? Read Mark 8:1-13 "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat." Mark 8:2 Asians are very concerned about food. The Chinese would greet one another with the question: “Have you eaten yet?” This is a common concern and a legitimate one too. After all we cannot live without food, can we? The disciples of Jesus were concerned that the people had not eaten for 3 days and that they did not have the money to feed all the people. They had a genuine concern for the welfare of the people, which was good, but they had not understood the power of Jesus. Jesus used the opportunity to teach a vital truth to the disciples and those around. This lesson took the form of a miracle. They had the Bread of Life and did not realize it. All the while the disciples were thinking of their own physical ability. They did not realize Jesus’ ability, even though they had witnessed Jesus’ miracles. How soon we forget what the Lord has done for us! When we have a problem we look at the situation and conclude that there is no solution to the problem. We have to continue to rely on the Lord and to trust in His ability to perform miracles no matter how grave the situation may be. God is a God who gives. He gives because He cares about our needs. His care extends to every need we might have. Pray that we will not rely on our own strength, but to rest in Jesus’ ability and power to help us when we are in trouble, no matter how big or small it is. Recall a time when you were in trouble and the Lord rescued you.