Mark 8:1-3
Life
is filled with so many small, practical matters. We develop mental checklists
to manage them. If you have small children you have probably perfected this by
now. There is the “out the door for shopping” checklist. Diapers, wipes, drink,
distracting toys, treat. Check, check, check, check, check. We all have these
types of checklists.
Shower,
shave, teeth, underwear, pants, shirt, socks, shoes, car keys, gas, map, time.
We all have these checklists of practical things. Many times we don’t even
realize we are going through a checklist, we just do it. But these small
practical matters make up the majority of our lives. Most of life is pretty
boring, pretty routine, not much change.
Every
pilot of every airplane must go through a preflight checklist before they dare
take the plane into the air. All those switches and knobs are connected to the
systems that keep the plane safe and comfortable. Despite the fantastic safety
record, flying is a delicate operation. Everything must work, or the flight could
be in jeopardy. So they follow along through a flipchart book, step by step, item
by item. Even the most experienced pilots walk through these checklists. They
are not checking themselves and their ability, they are checking the ability of
the plane’s systems, something over which they have no control.
Jesus
is training His disciples. He is teaching them to think ahead, to make sure
they are prepared for the upcoming tasks. This ability to mentally walk into
the future and brainstorm possible outcomes is important. We all need to think
through second and third order effects. We do this by asking a simple question
of ourselves repeatedly: What’s next? So we make a future choice and then ask
the ‘what’s next’ question. We do this with multiple choices. Then we take each
of the results of those questions and make the next choice, and ask the ‘what’s
next’ question again.
Jesus
has been teaching a crowd of people for three days and they have run out of
food. They obviously can’t call the local Events Coordinator and get a meal
package for the thousands. So what does Jesus do? He calls His disciples and
gets them involved. I think Jesus knew all along what His next actions would
be, but wanted to include His disciples. He heightens the need in them by
pointing out the danger of them traveling on an empty stomach. He points it out
in order to make what He is going to do stand out among the many things He has
been doing.
I
am sure they became a bit overwhelmed in that moment, thinking about how they
could feed all these people. There is this need of food over which they have no
control. Jesus want them to take ownership in order to feel their own
inadequacy. He wants them to feel a little bit of pain in order to know what
relief feels like.
We
can’t be so focused on the moment, that we fail to plan for the future. I think
this is especially true when things are not going well, when we are stressed or
in some type of pain. All we can see is the immediate trouble; we can’t see the
possible solutions.
Next
time you face a challenge, begin to make hypothetical choices and then ask the ‘what’s
next’ question. See if you can walk into the future in your mind.