O You of Little Faith

I realized I didn’t pack enough bread. But there wasn’t a grocery store anywhere near. I was kicking myself for not preparing better.

I hung on as the boat bobbed up and down in the water. Maybe it didn’t matter that we didn’t have enough food. My stomach was getting queasy from all the rocking. And I didn’t even know where we were going.

Jesus, aware of every worry, was amazed at my lack of faith.

That was the experience I had after I asked Jesus to take me into today’s Gospel. It’s funny how true Jesus makes my heart in these imaginative experiences. I’m usually amazed at my lack of faith too.

In today’s Gospel (Mark 8:14-21), Jesus was on a boat with the 12. He instructed them to beware the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod. He was talking about spiritual problems. But, focused on their lack of bread, the 12 heard the word “leaven” and thought He must have been worried about bread too.

“Didn’t I just multiply five loaves into more than enough for five-thousand?” Jesus says. “Didn’t I just make seven loaves into more than enough for four-thousand?” I hear Him as perfectly incredulous at how little they understand Him after all this time: “I am not ever worried about bread. Why should you be worried about bread?”

Poor Jesus. He cast the seed of His word out and it landed among weeds in the hearts of the 12 and me too. I wasn’t listening to Him because I was anxious. I asked Him, “What do you want me to do, Jesus?”

Jesus said to my heart today, “Trust me. I can multiply bread. I know where we are going. And I can calm the sea because it obeys Me. O you of little faith, just focus on the fact that I’m in the boat and I’ll take care of everything.”

Matthew 5:27 Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?

Matthew 6:30 If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?