Hardened Hearts and Selective Astonishment

In the 6th chapter of the gospel of Mark, Jesus performs two of his more spectacular miracles.  First he feeds the 5,000 and immediately follows that feat up with his stroll across a storm-ravaged sea.  Apparently that was a lot for Jesus' disciples to take in, and once again we can learn from their responses.




If you look back to the beginning of Chapter 6, Jesus had commissioned his 12 disciples and sent them out in pairs to preach.  Before He sent them out, He gave them authority over unclean spirits and gave them the power to heal the sick.  The Bible says, "They went out and preached that men should repent.  And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them."  Those are some pretty serious miracles these guys were performing!  How many of you wake up each day with the ability to cast out demons and heal people?  [crickets chirping] That's what I thought!

Not long after this, Jesus tells the disciples to gather up 5 loaves and 2 fish so he could feed 5,000 men plus their families.  When everyone was stuffed, the disciples picked up 12 baskets of leftovers.  Once Jesus was done preaching, the disciples set out to sea so Jesus could send everyone away.  A storm arose that evening and the disciples were out in the middle of the sea, so Jesus just took off walking across the waves.

We all know what happens at this point.  In Mark's account, the disciples thought they were seeing a ghost, so Jesus identifies Himself, tells the storm to calm down, and so assuages all fears.  Here's what the Bible says:

Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.


Mark 6:51-52

The footnote in my NASB says "had not understood on the basis of" and "their mind was closed, made dull, or insensible."

Wow!  These guys were given the personal ability to cast out demons and heal people.  They personally witnessed Jesus feed 5,000+ with 5 loaves and 2 fish.  But they were only "astonished" when Jesus identified Himself, stepped into their boat and removed the danger from their lives.  That's pretty telling, isn't it?

Is that you?  Do you only recognize God's miracles when they directly affect your safety and comfort?  Do you recognize when God performs miracles in the lives of others?  I think way too often we are so unbelievably self-absorbed that we miss out on God at work all around us.  If only we would open our eyes to what is going on in our immediate vicinity, we would see so much more of God's power.