Do we understand?

14The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15"Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod."
16They discussed this with one another and said, "It is because we have no bread."
17Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? 19When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"
"Twelve," they replied.
20"And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"
They answered, "Seven."
21He said to them, "Do you still not understand?" (Mark 8:14-21)

Have you ever noticed the warning labels on certain products? They warn us about not drinking things that are bad for us, or not to use something the wrong way. Warnings are important because they help protect us from bad things.
This is exactly what Jesus was trying to do for his disciples. He was trying to warn them about bad influences. They did not understand Jesus, again. Jesus warned his disciples to watch out for bad influences, but He was also warning us.
Things around us can influence us: internet, music, TV, friends, video games, books, magazines, etc. There can be positive influences, but there can also be negative influences. If something tempts us to do what is wrong, then it is a bad influence. If it starts to take up more time than we spend with God, then it is a bad influence. We must choose carefully what we surround ourselves with.
Jesus must have been a little frustrated with the disciples; they had spent time with him and had seen him do amazing miracles, but they still did not completely understand who Jesus was. It was not until after Jesus died on the cross and came back to life that the disciples really knew that Jesus was God’s Son.
Do we understand Jesus? We are probably just as dense as the disciples. We fail to understand the warning signs that Jesus talks about. We fail to realize that we, too, must be aware of bad influences and try to stay away from them. However, we do not have to do this using our own strength of will. Jesus is there to help us. Jesus is the only one who can remove all the bad things from our hearts and minds. All we need to do is to ask him.

Peace and love,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)