And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. And there were about four thousand people.

Mark 8:1-26

And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. And there were about four thousand people. Mark 8:7b-9

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 8:1-26.  Excerpts from the commentary's introduction for the entirety of the text and for the first (of four) division (vv1-10):

• The title for this chapter of the commentary is "Sometimes We Just Don't Get It," and the main idea for the entirety of the text is "Jesus has the power to overcome our spiritual blindness and open our eyes that we may see."
• "Remembering what we have seen our Lord do in the past should help us trust Him in the present. Unfortunately, we are sometimes forgetful and even hard-hearted (8:17). In spite of seeing the Lord work in our past, we are not sure He can handle our present. We just don’t get it."
• For the first division, the title is: "Jesus Always Has a Plan, but We May Only See a Problem."
• "Once again Jesus involves His disciples in the problem. This is another teachable moment. So He calls them to Himself (v1), shares His heart (v2), and explains the situation (vv2-3). The Twelve respond with a question. It is not one of unbelief as much as it is of their bad location and lack of resources (v4). The implication is, “We can do nothing. What then will You do? Jesus, You are the only hope!” Good!"
• "Twice He has taught the people to thank God for their daily provision and to trust Him as their sole and sufficient resource to give them what they need."

The commentary also emphasizes how repetition is often needed to reinforce an important lesson. In Mark 6 we see Jesus feeding the five thousand, and here in chapter 8 Jesus feeds the four thousand.  The lesson of course is how all good and perfect gifts come from above (James 1:17) and how Jesus provides for all of our needs - apart from God we can do nothing (John 15:5).  We should always be thankful for how God provides, not take it for granted how God gives us the breath of life, etc. See also this post from a study in Leviticus. 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an incredible God who loves, saves, provides, etc.  Thank You for pulling me out of the pit of sin and saving me - while still an enemy and hostile to You.  Incredible!  I am not deserving...my sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.