At school assembly, understanding about the loaves

When Jesus came to them walking on the water (as I told the children at assembly at St James's School this morning), Mark reports that the disciples were 'completely amazed.'

Or we might say, gobsmacked, or, what one of the children said with disarming honesty about how they would have felt: 'scared.'

Then Mark throws in that marvellous one liner by way of explanation: 'they had not understood about the loaves' (Mark 6.52), he tells us.

What is there not to understand about a loaf, you might ask, and what connection has that got with a man walking on water?

The clue is in the previous incident in Mark's Gospel: the feeding of 5,000 people from five loaves and two fish and then you can begin to see how Mark's brilliant bible logic works.

The feeding of the five thousand reveals Jesus's divine identity.

He is the creator, clothed in human flesh, doing only what the creator can do - make stuff from nothing.

Once you understand about the loaves, or rather what they reveal about Jesus, you can take a bit of water-walking in your stride (pardon the pun).

The one who made the waves can walk on them also (if he so wills it).

The disciples amazed reaction at Jesus walking on the water, shows, in Mark's wonderful logic, that they had not yet really understood about the loaves. In fact, he said their 'hearts were hardened.'

What they needed, and what we all need, and what I pray for all the lovely children at our school, is that God will soften our hearts, enlighten our minds, and open our eyes to see who Jesus really is, fully God, and fully man.