Influences - August 7

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 80; PM Psalm 77, [79]; 2 Samuel 7:1-17; Acts 18:1-11; Mark 8:11-21

The Pharisees are arguing with Jesus.  “Give me a sign!” they demand.   And Jesus gets in a boat.  Apparently, no sign.  Then the disciples get in a boat, limited with one loaf of bread, worried they don’t have enough food for the journey.  Jesus has to remind them of the feeding miracle.  They don’t understand, even though the disciples helped to feed thousands with just a few loaves of fish.

One thought: Have the disciples been influenced by the Pharisees? Have these followers of Jesus who have actually lived some of Jesus’s miracles now become influenced by the voice of others?  It’s a spiritual journey of doubt, faith, and doubt lived out before us.

We are social creatures.  We influence each other.  Think of the ridiculous amounts of money paid to people on social media who have no other skill than that of ‘influencer’, paid to use products.  The other night Anne and I just watched the 1980s classic Can’t Buy Me Love starring Patrick Dempsey. Dempsey pays his neighbor to act like she likes him for a month in order to change his social status. It’s a story about influence and trends and our ridiculous drive to follow others in order to appear important, or popular, or successful.  It’s hard to deny that the influence of others shapes our lives more than we often understand or want to admit.

Have the disciples been influenced by the Pharisees?   

Most often, when we talk of our faith, we think of the people who have had a positive impact on helping us to become the people that God has called us to be.  But do we take time to consider the people or forces that draw us away from the love of God?  Maybe today’s reading from Mark is an opportunity to consider what are the forces or the people shaping our lives in a destructive way in order to be more intentional about surrounding ourselves with the positive forces in our life. 

Faithfully,

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection:  Who helps you grow in your faith?  Are there people who challenge your faith, or cause you to challenge the person God has called you to be?  How to reconcile your relationships with these people?