He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
Mark 8:21 NIV
Jesus frequently expressed frustration with his disciples and their lack of understanding. They had spent three years traveling around the country with him. They had seen him perform countless miracles. And they had heard him teaching in both public and private sessions. But still, they did not understand.
To be fair to the disciples, they did not yet have the illumination the coming Holy Spirit would provide them. And the coming kingdom that Jesus proclaimed was quite different than what they had been brought up to expect. And as a result, they often misunderstood what he was telling them.
I wonder how often Jesus is frustrated with me because of my lack of understanding. How often am I guilty of failing to correctly discern what his word is saying to me? Allowing my beliefs to shape what I understand the Scripture to teach rather than allowing the Scripture to shape my beliefs?
When you go to God’s word, seek the direction of the Holy Spirit to guide your understanding. Allow him to be your primary teacher. And you will grow in your knowledge of who God is, what he is doing in the world today, and what he has planned for us who believe.
