Years ago, one of my tasks in full time ministry was to plan the yearly denominational event where representatives came in to praise, worship, learn, and grow in Jesus.  If attenders didn’t know Jesus, they were given an opportunity to know, accept and follow Jesus in this week-long celebration for all ages.  The work assigned to me was to make sure all ages had a safe, loving environment so that the “most was made of every opportunity”, as Paul writes, to tell the story of Jesus through special speakers, infamous musicians, comedians, and other artists.  This included securing many caring adult volunteers to help attenders feel welcome while meeting their needs.  Our goal was for all in attendance to have nothing that stands in the way of growing in Jesus.  But we are humans—not everyone “gets it.”  And we missed a detail.

As a staff we would give the attenders opportunity to evaluate their experience in efforts to improve our service to reach the intended goal of knowing and following Jesus.  Most people wrote beautiful testimonies of how God’s Spirit spoke to their hearts, taught them a new perspective of thinking, or led them to Jesus for the first time! 

But one year, there was this one evaluation that troubled me greatly.  She wrote a scathing, all caps, review of our lack of concern for hot tea drinkers.  Wait, what now?  She wrote paragraph after paragraph of the prejudice the planners had against those who drank tea and it was proven each day by not providing hot water and tea bags at the hospitality table where coffee, water and cookies were provided after each session of the event.  She spent a week with others who were seeking to learn more about how to follow Jesus and she just didn’t understand the goal.

“Don’t you see the point of all this? Don’t you get it at all?” Oh, Jesus, I hear you!                         

Mark 8, The Message

Contaminating Yeast

^13-15 He then left them, got back in the boat, and headed for the other side. But the disciples forgot to pack a lunch. Except for a single loaf of bread, there wasn’t a crumb in the boat. Jesus warned, “Be very careful. Keep a sharp eye out for the contaminating yeast of Pharisees and the followers of Herod.”

^16-19 Meanwhile, the disciples were finding fault with each other because they had forgotten to bring bread. Jesus overheard and said, “Why are you fussing because you forgot bread? Don’t you see the point of all this? Don’t you get it at all? Remember the five loaves I broke for the five thousand? How many baskets of leftovers did you pick up?”

They said, “Twelve.”

²⁰ “And the seven loaves for the four thousand—how many bags full of leftovers did you get?”

“Seven.”

²¹ He said, “Do you still not get it?”

^22-23 They arrived at Bethsaida. Some people brought a sightless man and begged Jesus to give him a healing touch. Taking him by the hand, he led him out of the village. He put spit in the man’s eyes, laid hands on him, and asked, “Do you see anything?”

^24-26 He looked up. “I see men. They look like walking trees.” So Jesus laid hands on his eyes again. The man looked hard and realized that he had recovered perfect sight, saw everything in bright, twenty-twenty focus. Jesus sent him straight home, telling him, “Don’t enter the village.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

No one is perfect.  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Everyone needs of a Savior and Lord to lead and navigate us through this world. 

Not everyone gets it when we get it.  Be like Jesus, who lovingly goes over it again and again and again…until that ah-ha moment when truth sinks in.

Sometimes we don’t get it!  His Holy Spirit will patiently guide us to Truth as many times as it takes until we internalize what Jesus is really saying to us with love, mercy, and grace.

Jesus’ warnings are for us to keep us from falling for evil’s temptations to sin which leads us through unnecessary pain and hurt and eventually to death unless we heed his words of compassion to us. 

Our sins hurt us and those around us.  But we sin anyway.  God knew we would and made a Way.  Jesus took our sins and carried them to a cross where they were crucified.  He died so that we may live.  He redeemed us!  He rose again three days later to prove He was indeed King of kings and Lord of lords.  This is Truth in the flesh who came down to seek and to save the lost—us! 

This is God’s demonstration of His love for us! 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Don’t you see the point of all this? Don’t you get it at all?

I cried at the words written by “tea bag” lady all those years ago as I sat in my office. What she said broke my heart—but not for me.  I cried, not because she hurt me but I wept over her inability to see, hear, or grasp the “point of all this.”  I prayed that someday she would.  God taught me to do that and gave me the power to pray this prayer.  To Him be the glory.

We are all at different stages of growth and understanding as we gather in God’s church and then be sent out to tell the world about Jesus.   So, I pause here to ask myself, am I as willing as Jesus to go over the Truth as many times as it takes to be understood? 

Do I understand Truth enough to tell it?  Does His Holy Spirit take me aside at times to ask, “Don’t you see the point of all this? Don’t you get it at all?” (Yes, He does!) 

None of us have arrived, but this one thing I know…I believe what God says is real.

I still don’t get all of what God is saying to me—no one can!  It’s more than we humans can wrap our brains around! But what I do know I share. I really believe all that God says to be Truth.  I believe His Son, Jesus, was born of a virgin, grew in stature from boy to adult as the Son of Man while being the Son of God.  I believe Jesus was God in flesh sent to the earth with one important mission—to save us and reconcile (reconnect) us to our Father, God.

Oh disciples—bless your hearts—I get you, I’m just like you at times!  Once I was blind, but now I see.  Once I was lost but now I’m found.  All because of Jesus.

Lord,

Thank you for your compassion even in our dullness. Thank you for cleansing our hearts, renewing our minds, refreshing and feeding our souls while restoring the joy of your salvation at work within all of us seeking to learn more so we can be more—like you!

In Jesus Name, Amen