by Angela Moreno

For me, certain parts of the Bible are more enjoyable to read. The Old Testament is alright and I realize it is every bit as important as the New Testament. However, I really enjoy and almost prefer reading the New Testament since it shares the history of Jesus and teaches us exactly who we are in Christ and what we are expected to do.

After spending some much needed time in the Old Testament, my online bible study switched back to the New Testament, the book of Mark. Reading the gospels always puts into perspective what Jesus did on this earth, but I always felt like I was reading the same stories over and over.

Yesterday while reading through Mark 6, one particular verse stood out to me and made me really think. To fully understand the “shock” value of the verse, we need to look at the previous chapters.

Jesus has selected His disciples, men Jesus is putting His faith and trust in. These are men He expects to teach after His mission on earth is fulfilled. These men have walked with him, listened to Him teach, ate with Him, and slept next to Jesus. They’ve watched Jesus drive out demons, heal the sick, and even raise a child from the dead.

But two events went over the disciples heads: Jesus feeding the 5000 with three loaves of bread and two fish and Jesus walking on water. These events were too much for the disciples to understand and comprehend.

Carefully read these two verses:

And he [Jesus] got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. Mark 6:51-52

The part that jumps off the page and I’ve been turning over in my brain for two days is “their hearts were hardened.” Insert emoji with eyes bugging out of its head. That’s exactly how I felt when I read that verse. I’ve read this verse many times before, but I never really caught what the verse was saying. The disciples hearts were hardened towards miracles that they saw occurring before their very eyes.

How can men who spend every waking (and sleeping) moment with Jesus have hearts hardened towards the miracles occurring before their eyes? How can they not understand the significance of what they see? These were Jesus’s right-hand men and they didn’t fully understand what was going on around them.

At first, I was confused by the disciples not understanding the miracles and who Jesus truly was. And then it hit me. This is a lesson for us on how easy it is not to recognize who Jesus is and the miracles He performs right in front of us every day.

How often do I not see what Jesus does right before my very eyes? How often do I turn a blind eye to the miracles I see all around me?

I may not have personally walked side-by-side with Jesus like the disciples have, but I know that He has a part in my life every day. Jesus provides everything I need each and every day and I don’t even have to ask for it. The disciples grew accustomed to what Jesus was doing and expected the miracles to occur. They didn’t understand the deity of Jesus…yet.

I too have grown accustomed to what He does and the miracles He performs around me every day. A newborn baby, a beautiful sunrise, and stories of healing I read on Facebook all show the glory of Jesus and the miracles He still performs to this day. All things that I have grown to expect but don’t always recognize as a sign of God and His grand design.

Eventually Jesus’s disciples understood the significance of EVERY event, and all but one of His disciples died as martyrs because they recognized EXACTLY who Jesus was and what He was sent to do. We may not be called to be martyrs, but we are called to teach and show others the love of Jesus.

Don’t let your heart be hardened towards Jesus. Don’t lose perspective of what He gives you each and every day. And don’t forget to recognize the miracles you see all around you each and every day.