Contemplative Bible Reading

Mark 2:8 (New Living Translation)

8 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts?

This is part of the story of Jesus healing a paralyzed man. “But some of the teachers of religious law” (verse 6) were questioning all of this. Whoa, wait a minute here. This Jesus fellow is about to do something that they cannot do and cannot explain. In fear and confusion, the teachers of the religious law were about to cause a ruckus (does anyone still say “ruckus”).

Jesus knew what they were thinking. Jesus knew what was in their hearts.

Stop a moment. Jesus knew these things. Jesus “saw right through them.”

Stop another moment. Despite what I think of myself on my sharpest days, I’ve never known what someone else was thinking. I’ve never known what was in another person’s heart. I have kind of, sort of, thought I did know these things, but that was just silly of me.

“But it’s obvious what they are thinking.” Nope, it’s not.

“But I’ve been through this before and I know what they are feeling.” Nope, again.

I’m not Jesus. I don’t know what people are thinking and feeling. And, by the way, I don’t need to know what others are thinking and feeling. All I need to know and do is love people and pray for them and pray for myself that I do these things in a manner worthy of Jesus Christ. That’s a big enough challenge for me.