Mark 9:30–37

Be Still: Lord, quiet the noise within me that I may hear your voice. Amen

Read: Mark 9:30–37

'Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples.' (vv. 30–31)

Encounter: In what feels like a former life, I did triple maths A-level. I loved it - I'm a bit of a nerd. For 20 hours a week, I sat in a classroom learning formulas and theories - of which I can probably remember a solid 2% and need to use even less!

Day after day it eventually became a grind, and the temptation to truant grew. But when exam season came, I was so glad I'd  kept showing up. I had great teachers, and that meant there was nothing in the test I wasn’t taught in the classroom. Because of that preparation, I could pass - even under pressure.

In this passage, we see a truth that was understated in the church tradition I grew up in: Jesus is not just our Saviour – he wants to be our Teacher. That comforts me because it means we’re not left to figure out life on our own. We have a teacher who is the expert in all things that have ever been, and all things that ever will be. There is no subject, situation, or season of life where Jesus is not the greatest teacher.

Though he is not physically with us now, Jesus teaches us through his Word, his people, and his Spirit. That’s why moments like this - pausing to read Scripture - matter so much. Jesus knows the tests and trials ahead of us, and if we let him, he will prepare us to pass through them.

Apply: Bring to God any area of life where you feel out of your depth and ask the Spirit to teach you and lead you into truth. Then pause and await his response. In addition, ask the Spirit to teach you what you don’t know you don’t know - what you haven't realised you need to learn in this season.

Devote: Thank you, Jesus, that you are not just my Saviour but also my Teacher. Help me resist the temptation to play truant from your Word and open my ears to hear your instruction. Give me the strength to obey it.