Mark 8:1-3 (NLT)
About this time another large crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance.”
Not long ago, two friends (Brent and John, the Pastor not the Baptist) and I discussed the relevance and reasoning behind God using certain numbers. While we couldn’t find a specific “why” answer, its clear that certain numbers are more often used and are, therefore, more significant. The number “three” is one such digit. Three persons in the Godhead. Three crosses. Three denials. Three days in the grave. Three closest disciples. And so on…
Here we get three days where people were so focused on Jesus and his teaching that they neglected their basic need for food. In the fast-paced, highly stimulating world we live in today, imagine being still for seventy-two hours, hanging on every word of a radical and rebellious rabbi. This got me thinking. Would I do the same thing? Not can I. I’ve fasted and focused before. But would I be willing to listen intently as the Savior poured into my life for three consecutive days, unconcerned about anything but him. Disregarding food, shopping sprees, Smartphones, swimming pools, boat rides, exercise, sex, football recruitment updates, television, reading, or EURO 2012 (that’s a prestigious soccer tournament people!). Whatever yours and my thing is. Will I sit and soak in the Savior?
As I’m prayerfully considering what to write about this portion of Mark, I’m interrupted. I took care of what needed to be done and, before returning to my notebook, read a portion of Esther. (Jason, the wiser and wittier, and I are still reading through the entire Bible). In chapter five, verses fifteen through sixteen, a three-day fast is called. Yes, I said three! As in the number we’re discussing. And a fast, which this story in Mark also discussed. Not one to buy into coincidence, I knew what to do. Much like those listening attentively to Jesus or written about in Esther, I will give the LORD my focused attention for three days. Time I would have spent doing other things will be fasted; that time will go to meditate on the Scripture or pray.
Application: Join me. Over the next three days, choose one thing to fast (or abstain) from. The time you would have spent doing that, instead give that time to Jesus. For example, rather than surfing the internet after your devotion, read another portion of Scripture, pray for the lost, or write a friend an encouraging letter. It will change your life.
