This morning, we will read the story of Jesus miraculously feeding thousands of people starting with a few loaves of bread and fish. This story is so important that all 4 Gospels describes it. The miracle was actually repeated in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. The miracle of feeding the thousands of people by Jesus happened at least 2 times! And so, in a few weeks, we will note a similar story from today.
This miraculous story is repeated 6 times in the Bible because there is so much to learn from it. Let us keep it simple and learn what we can learn today from Mark 6:30-45….. Open your Bibles there and read along with me…
Let us summarize the story from this passage.
First of all what can we note from v30-32??
Jesus had compassion for and desired intimacy with His disciples!
And then we note in v33-34: Jesus had compassion with many people seeking but have no leader and so He (fed them?)… taught them! The first thing Jesus did to people seeking Him was taught them!
In the meantime, in v35-36: What were Jesus’s disciples thinking??
There could be a number of thoughts.
1. They thought the people needed to go and get something to eat.
2. They thought Jesus would be bothered.
3. They thought they were going to be bothered by the crowd.
Jesus of course could read their minds and so based on Jesus’ answer in v37, what do you think the disciples were really thinking??
v37: Knowing that the Disciples still needed to grow their faith, Jesus challenged them!
2 things can we note about the disciples with their answer in v37?
- The disciples still could not see God’s resources!
- The disciples simply were lazy and selfish!
And so we see Jesus teaching the disciples by feeding the crowd. What main points can we highlight in v38-45??
v38: disciples were challenged to assess the situation
v39-41: Jesus gave directions.
v41: Jesus acknowledged the source of everything with prayer!
v42-44: 5000 men were fed to the full (women and children?)
v45: It does not tell us why, but we can note that Jesus pulled His disciples immediately! Why do you think??
Let us not miss the point of the miracle of feeding thousands, Jesus was teaching faith! Jesus pulled away the disciples immediately because it was a teaching moment! How often do we allow Jesus to pull us aside for a teaching moment?
2 main points for us to apply.
1. How caring is Jesus Christ? How did Jesus reveal His care for people in this passage in Mark 6??
Based on John 3:16, we know God loves every person in the world! But what’s an important point to note from Mark 6:33-34??
Yes, God provided Jesus Christ for people but Jesus will have compassion on true seekers! Remember the lesson of “brushing the dust off your shoes”?
2. If we are Believers of Jesus Christ, we are to be His Disciples! What can we learn from the 12 Disciples from Mark 6:35-45??
a. We must demonstrate agape love (thinking of others)!
b. Build our faith with God’s limitless resources and our hardwork!
c. Learn to properly assess situations with God’s directions. It is part of knowing God’s will when we evaluate our circumstances.
d. Acknowledge God in every provision!
