Some concepts are hard to learn. I remember being in school and the class was having a difficult time grasping the concept of present participles, the quadratic equation, or some other hard to grasp concept. The teacher could explain it, draw it on the chalkboard, explain it again, draw it on paper and it still wouldn’t make sense to the class. Sometimes the teacher in her frustration would say something like, “Do you still not understand?” She was exasperated because she had been over and over the material and her students still didn’t get it.

In Mark 8, Jesus had just fed 4,000 people with 7 loaves of bread. Keep in mind that the disciples had already witnessed the feeding of the 5,000 at this point. Just a few verses down, the disciples began to worry because they had gotten into a boat and had forgotten to bring along some bread. Jesus asked them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up? …And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” …He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

During these uncertain financial times, Jesus wants us to look to Him for our provision. We worry about our 401Ks, our stock portfolios, our jobs, and Jesus is saying, “Why are you worried about your finances? Do you still not see or understand? Is your heart hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember how I’ve provided for you in the past, time and time again? Do you still not understand?”