“You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”
During Jesus’ three years of ministry with His disciples many more miracles were performed than are recorded, John 20:30, 21:25. Living with Jesus for three years, witnessing daily His ministry among sick and poor, rulers and teachers, the disciples were unable to absorb the truth and come into an understanding of Jesus and his ministry to the people.
Jesus had just fed the four thousand, got into a boat with the disciples and left for another location. They arrived, met by Pharisees, who came to argue and demand a sign from heaven. Jesus got back into the boat with the disciples and went to the other side of the lake.
The minds of the disciples were on the one loaf of bread they had in the boat, but Jesus was thinking about the Pharisees whom they had just left. He said to the disciples, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” His comment sparked a discussion among the disciples about what to do about not having enough bread with them in the boat. There are a few places we see Jesus expressing His righteous human anger, this might be one of them.
“Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how man baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him “Twelve”. “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets did you pick up?” And they said to him, “Seven”. And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”- Mark 8:17-21.
Jesus is not speaking softly while looking at the bottom of the boat. This is clearly a strong rebuke. This occurred in last months of His ministry shortly before the transfiguration when Elijah and Moses appear on the mountain with Jesus in front of Peter, James and John.
Jesus follows up this event with a lesson. They dock on the other side of the lake at Bethsaida. Some local village people notice Jesus has arrived and they fetch one of their village members who is blind and urge Jesus to heal him. Jesus takes the blind man out of town, out of sight of the villagers but with his rebuked disciples. When he gets to a private spot, He spits on the blind mans eyes and lays His hands upon him.
Then He asked the blind man, ”Do you see anything?”
He looked up and said, “I see men, but they look like trees walking.”
“Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.”
This is the only recorded miracle where Jesus did a partial healing. It was a lesson for the disciples who had been with Jesus for more than two years and still did not understand about the “leaven” of the Pharisees nor did they remember that one loaf in the boat was more than enough when they had Jesus with them. They were like the blind man who was partially healed, they did not yet see clearly because of their lack of faith. They had belief but not faith. They were drinking milk but not yet eating meat.
The sinfulness of man penetrates into our bones. Our natural propensities blind us from seeing and hearing messages that are stark in front our noses if we are not ready to receive them. The disciples had just witnessed two events of Jesus feeding the five thousand and then the four thousand with just a few loaves and fishes. Yet, in the boat with one loaf, they don’t get it!
Another favorite example is illustrated in the life of Peter after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
Peter was on a hillside waiting for Jesus to return. Impatiently, he turns to his fellow disciples and declares: “I’m going fishing!” They go down to their boat and cast off.
In the morning on the boat early, a man is seen on the beach with a fire going. It is the beach where Peter and his fellow fisherman are going to beach their boat. It is Jesus and he yells out to the disciples, “Bring some of the fish you just caught”. Jesus gets some bread and fixes breakfast for his disciples.
The disciples warm their hands and enjoy breakfast with Jesus.
Afterwards, Jesus takes Peter with him on a walk on the beach. John watches them go together and strolls in their direction hanging behind.
Jesus asks Peter: “Simon, son of John, Do you love me more than these?”
Peter, a little embarrassed, responded, “You know I like you!”
Jesus responds, “Feed my lambs.”
Jesus asked, “Do you love me?” using the Greek word agapao (αγάπαω) but Peter responded using the Greek word phileo (φιλέω). Jesus used the love word, which speaks of abandoned self-interest, but Peter used a word for affection and friendly concern.
A second time Jesus asks Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you agapas (love) me?”
Pater responded with the same word, “Yes, Lord; you know that I philo (like) you.”
Jesus says, “Tend my sheep”.
Jesus is going to ask Peter a third time but this time Jesus changes his word for love to the word Peter is using.
“Simon, son of John, do you philo (like) me?”
Peter is grieved that Jesus asks him a third time and using philo instead of agapas.
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I philo (like) you,” Peter responds.
“Feed my sheep. … Follow me,” Jesus instructs Peter.
But Peter notices John is following and asks Jesus, “What about John?”.
Jesus tells Peter not to worry about John, just “Follow me.”
We notice that Jesus was willing to entrust His sheep and lambs into Peter’s care even though Peter could not use the agape love word. We might say that Jesus entrusted Peter because he didn’t use the agape word. Peter knew in his heart that there was more to his relationship to Jesus than he had yet achieved. In fact, Peter was not intimidated to use the agape word even though Jesus questioned him three time and even said to him, "do you even like me, Peter?". One thing Peter did know, Jesus knew and understood his heart and Peter was faithful to who he was in Christ.
Jesus knew John and what he needed and what he didn’t need. Jesus also knew Peter and taught him something about himself through this encounter but He wasn’t through with him yet. Peter still had much to learn after Jesus was taken to heaven.
Peter was the one anointed to speak when the day of Pentecost arrived. Years later, toward the end of Peter’s life, he wrote two letters contained in the New Testament. Reading these letters we find Peter teaching others to have brotherly affection love (philo) for each other and then he commands them to agape love each other with a pure heart. Peter learned through time to move from milk to maturity.
Jesus and Peter on the beach is the most intimate, gentle and caring scene. It describes how our loving Lord addresses our weaknesses and need. Peter’s heart is bare naked before the Lord. He confesses he does not love the Lord with the deep passion Jesus actually elicits from him. But in spite of Peter’s spiritual immaturity Jesus is willing to charge him with critical responsibility. Peter is charged with tending His lambs, shepherding His sheep and tending to His sheep. Why? Because He was Peter’s mentor and through him Jesus would be nurturing His flock.
Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love (φιλέω) of the brethren, fervently love (αγάπη) one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word (λόγος) of God. -1Peter 1:22-23.
Our loving Lord is still in the business of completing His love in us. It is His work and we need to let Him do it. Notice Peter’s words above, “since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls …”. That is the key, purifying our souls, how? Obedience to the truth! We need first to know the truth, then we need to summit our heart, mind and will to it! Do you yearn for a pure heart?
This fits our mantra well: Know yourself in Christ,
Accept yourself in Christ,
Be yourself in Christ.
We need to become habitual about expecting God’s promises to be true expecting God’s reality to show up in our experience because we hope in Him