Every day can be a learning experience. The more we learn, the better equipped we will be to meet life’s changing challenges. I believe that God gives each believer “pop quizzes” throughout their spiritual walk. The results of these tests will reveal understanding or lack of understanding of biblical truth. Most of the mistakes Christians make are due to not doing their homework. When we make mistakes in life, we must learn from those missteps, so that when a similar situation arises in our future, we will know how to handle those challenges. Not learning from the past will cause our spiritual journey to experience unnecessary obstacles and challenges. Believers should focus on the teachings of the scriptures so that when challenges arise, they will be better prepared to respond.
A few weeks after feeding the 5,000, Jesus and his disciples faced a situation that mirrored their experience in the desert near Bethsaida. In the Decapolis region, Jesus faced a mega crowd seeking physical and spiritual healing. For three days, the crowd watched and listened as Jesus expounded the Word. Jesus, realizing that they had no food, presented the disciples with an indirect challenge. He told them that he couldn’t fire people because they might pass out from hunger. The disciples responded to the “pop quiz” in the same way they did previously when they had no food to feed the five thousand. How could they fail this exam twice in a row? Jesus collected seven loaves, blessed the food, and the disciples distributed the food the same way they did in Galilee. After the party, they collected seven baskets of leftovers. (Mark 8: 1-9) Jesus and the disciples got into a boat and headed back across the Sea of Galilee to Bethsaida.
Not far from the trip, Jesus warned them about leaven (leaven) that the Pharisees and Herod were distributing. The Pharisees were teaching things that were contrary to the Old Testament scrolls. These teachings were influencing the people. Jesus was telling them to be careful not to succumb to these false doctrines. Herod would bring persecution to the believers and continue to gain momentum in the days to come. Those warnings were aimed at raising awareness of a growing problem. The disciples completely missed what he was saying and focused on what they thought he was saying, that he was berating them for not bringing more bread. When Jesus saw that they had not understood what He was really saying, He rebuked them for the hardness of their hearts. They were more concerned about not having enough bread than understanding what the yeast was all about.
Instead of trying to make them understand what he was saying, he responded to their field of thought and chided them for their brief memories. He asked them how many loaves were in the diet of the five thousand and four thousand. They timidly recalled what they had so conveniently forgotten to remember. Jesus ended the correction with: “How is it that you do not understand?” (Mark 8: 14-21)
Many times believers face similar recurring challenges in life with little recollection of lessons learned in the past. Satan wants believers to have amnesia when it comes to past victories, but to instantly remember past failures. Let us not be surprised, but let us be prepared in the knowledge and understanding of the Word. Let’s review our past victories, so that when similar challenges arise, we can face them with the same assurance that Jesus is still the answer.