We live in a world where everything has to be proven with tangible evidence. Even when the evidence is clear, people doubt and make excuses for why it could not be from God. A person goes to the doctor, and they find a brain tumor, then when it is time for surgery, it is gone. The public’s answer: the test was wrong, the technician made a mistake, or the doctor was wrong. This unbelief is not limited to those who are not Christians; I find it in Christian circles, too. Even for those who do believe God granted a miracle find themselves doubting when another need occurs. It is incredibly easy to develop spiritual amnesia.
In Mark 4:14-21, we find that the disciples were in a state of unbelief. They had developed spiritual amnesia. They board a ship to go to the other side and suddenly realize they forgot to pack food for the next meal. They find one loaf of bread, which might be enough for one of them. They suddenly panic, wondering how they will make it on one loaf of bread. When Jesus speaks up to warn them about the “yeast of the Pharisees,” their minds are so consumed by their empty stomachs that they assume He is scolding them for forgetting to bring provisions. Jesus’ response surprises them. He doesn’t scold them for leaving lunch; He speaks to them about a deeper issue. Their hearts are pierced with conviction as He scolds them about their unbelief.
It had only been a short time since he had fed the 4000 with seven loaves of bread. They were also there when He fed the 5000 with two fish and five loaves. They were not there as bystanders or recipients of His preaching; they actively handed out the food and picked up the leftovers! Yet, the moment a new shortage arises, their past experiences of God’s supernatural provision vanish from their memory. They were suffering from unbelief even though they were with the one who had proven He could handle any needs they had.
Mark 8:14-21 “Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. And when Jesus knew it, he said unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? Perceive ye not yet, neither understand? Have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? And do ye not remember? When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. And when the seven among four thousand, how many full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?
While we may say we believe in miracles and that everything in the Bible is true, so much of the time our actions and attitudes say otherwise. We say we know God can create a miracle, yet we don’t believe He will. When you know of a miracle that has happened, a need God has provided for, do you bring the evidence of what God has done to the present and believe He will answer? So much of our lives are lived on the practical side, where we take care of our needs by working hard, that it is hard to comprehend something that is extraordinary. We allow unbelief to thrive in our lives. There is a gap between what God has done and what we are currently facing. When we choose to see our lives through the lens of what we don’t have instead of what we do have in Christ, our hearts tend to harden.
Before we are too hard on the disciples, we need to take a long look at our lives. We have the entire Bible written for us to see and learn from. They failed to see Jesus, the Bread of Life, sitting next to them, yet we forget that His spirit dwells within us. We know the beginning and the end of the story, yet we still find ourselves in a state of unbelief when problems arise.
Where is unbelief creeping into your life today? It rarely shows up as a flat-out denial of God; instead, it usually shows up as anxiety over the “missing bread” in your life. It may be exhibited when there is a lack of funds to meet your needs, or when you or a loved one needs healing. You may have anxiety because your future may look as muddy as a lake after a big rain. We all have moments when God tests us to see if we still live in unbelief. Note, His testing is never to show Him what we believe; He already knows. It is to reveal it to us so that we will change.
When we forget God’s past faithfulness, we default to fear. The antidote to this unbelief is intentional remembrance. If Jesus could feed thousands with a few scraps, He can certainly handle the lack you are facing today. You are not empty-handed when Jesus is in your boat. We need to be like the father in Mark 9:24. He was seeking healing for his son from Jesus, “And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” While unbelief may be knocking on your door, never open up to let him in. Today, seek to know God more by prayer, study, and obedience. The more you know Him, the more you will trust Him, and this will push unbelief away from your heart and mind.
