“For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.”
St. Mark 6:52 (KJV)
We are living in the days of mystique and mesmerizing wonder. People are delving into the paranormal with a mystical and warm-hearted romanticism. I wonder if this was the problem with the Lord’s disciples in Mark 6. Were they mesmerized by the mystical nature of the miracle? Had Jesus already performed so many miracles that they were not impressed anymore?
Today’s passage is a rather sad commentary of how fickle the human heart is. The Lord’s disciples had actually participated in a huge miracle as they passed out bread and fish to 5000+ people earlier in the day. Now they are rowing their boat in a storm, in the middle of the night, and Jesus comes to them walking on the sea. At first, they thought him to be a ghost until he spoke peace to them. Then, when he spoke to the storm and calm settled on the sea around them, they were so amazed that they could not grasp the wonder of such a miracle.
St. Mark tells us that they wondered at this middle-of-the-night miracle but totally missed the significance of the noon meal for 5000. Mark explains the reason, “for their heart was hardened.” What awful insight!
This is my fear. Will I be so intrigued by the miraculous that I totally ignore the God of the miracles? Will my heart become so cemented in apathy and complacency that I miss the significance of what God is doing? It won’t as long as I continue sensitive to his Spirit.
Dear Father, thank you for the miracle of Calvary and the Empty Tomb. O Lord, we humbly acknowledge that we can be apathetic and complacent from time to time. Forgive us, dear Father, and deliver us from a hardened heart. Empower us to see the significance of the miracles. In the name of Jesus, I pray. AMEN
Be courageous today and soften your heart,
