A Hardened Heart

Mark 6:52

They considered not the miracle of the loaves; for their heart was hardened.

What an interesting statement this is. What do you think is meant by the statement that they did not consider the miracle of the loaves? We need to put the whole thing into perspective here to see what is really going on.

As you know, the disciples were in a boat and the sea was raging, being whipped up by a sudden and violent storm. They were all afraid, fearing that the ship along with their own lives would be lost. Suddenly they see Jesus walking on the water toward them.

This should have been good news to them, but, they were afraid and fear was ruling their hearts. Their faith was negated by fear. Had they been operating in faith, they would have said, “Now that Jesus is here, we will be alright.” Instead, their hearts were not in tune with the things of God. They were operating strictly in the flesh. They had hearts that were hardened to the things of the Spirit.

If they had considered the lesson that they had been taught that afternoon, they could have passed the test. Remember that Jesus had turned 5 loaves and 2 fish into enough food to feed 5000 men and who knows how many women and children. But, since their hearts were hardened to the things of God, they did not consider the miracle of the loaves, only the storm around them.

A hard heart is one that is more in tune with the natural than it is with the spiritual. It is not uncommon for Spirit-filled believers to fall into this same trap. Concentrate your efforts to be more mindful of the supernatural ability of God in your life than you are of the problems that you face. Avoid the condition of having hardness of heart toward the things of God