St. Mark 8: 11 – 26

Feb. 22, 2022

11 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.

12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

13 And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.

14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.

15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.

16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.

17 And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?

18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?

19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.

20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.

21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.

23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.

24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.

25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

26 And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

Poor Jesus. What a test of His patience the disciples were. What a test of His patience we are; we learn no faster than the disciples. Verse 12 just resonates with me; I get a little righteous indignation boiling up in me. He’s been doing miraculous healings and the natural and supernatural feeding of thousands of people and yet they ask for signs. What sign could be bigger, brighter, better than what He has been doing? And yet … they want a ‘sign’. The Blue Collar comedian Bill Engvall had a very funny routine about stupid people in which, after some stupidity, he’d say, “Here’s your sign”. I suspect Jesus may have felt the same way. He was also human, remember.

But we have the advantage of looking back two thousand years and the resources of the Apostles and the Early Church Fathers and the Doctors of the Faith. But more than that, we know – which the disciples do not (as yet) – we know His true sign. The Cross.

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