Gospel of Mark Study #19

“Guests for Supper with Nothing in the Fridge”

Mark 6:30-44

Study #19 in Mark Series

INTRODUCTION:

Husbands do lots of stupid things. Guys let’s just admit it because it is true. However, there are several things that are right up there at the top of the “Nasty NO-NO List”: (1) Forgetting your wife’s birthday; (2) Forgetting your anniversary and neglecting to buy her a nice gift; (3) Making any insulting comment about her parents, even if you are just agreeing with her; and (4) Inviting people home with you for supper without first clearing it with the little woman.

Do not even think about taking somebody home with you without first giving her a heads-up and finding out if she has anything to feed them. Wives freak out when they hear that guests are coming for dinner and they know there is nothing in the cupboard or refrigerator to feed them, or even to begin putting a meal together.

TRANSITION:

Jesus and the disciples found themselves in just such a situation. They had a whole bunch of hungry guests sitting there staring at them, and it was about more than the disciples could take. In fact, they asked Jesus to make the people all go away because they had nothing to feed them. They had guests show up but there was nothing in the fridge or in the cupboard. 

Our last study in Mark took in the story of the death of John the Baptist at the hands of Herod Antipas. That is described in verses 14-29 of this chapter. I explained to you then that the story of John’s death is a parenthesis in Mark’s description of the ministry of Jesus and His disciples. So, to pick of that context we are going to go back and read verses 12-13, which will connect us to our text for today. ¹² [The twelve disciples] went out and preached that people should repent. ¹³ They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. 

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 30: The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught.

• Jesus was a Master-teacher.

ü  First, He instructed His students about what He wanted them to do.

ü  Then He demonstrated to them how it was to be done.

ü  Next, He sent them out to gain personal experience.

ü  Then He brought them back for a debriefing to talk about how things went. In this way they learned how to preach the Good News, how to confront the demons, how to heal the sick, and how to lead sinners to repentance and salvation.

• How excited they must have been to see that the Lord could use even a bunch of nitwits like them! It just proves what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:18ff – ¹⁸ The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”  ²⁰ Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  ²¹ For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.  ²² Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  ²⁵ For the ‘foolishness’ of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the ‘weakness’ of God is stronger than man’s strength.  ²⁶ Brothers think of what you were when you were called [i.e., saved].  Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.  ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  ²⁸ He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before Him.  ³⁰ It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.  ³¹ Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
• The apostles were not strong or wise or of noble birth. They were just ordinary guys that had a love for Christ and a willingness to be used by Him. That was their great claim to fame—they were used by God. 

Verse 31: Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, “Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” 

• This frenetic lifestyle had already been going on for quite a while. Look back at Mark 3:20, “Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples were not even able to eat.” Because He had a physical body Jesus grew tired and hungry, just like His disciples, and they all needed time away from ministry and the pressures of constantly being with people. But it was always difficult to get away because the people would follow them, no matter what they did or said.
• “Come with Me by yourself to a quiet place and get some rest.” Jesus may be speaking these same words to some of us today. We are often more like Martha than Mary. In the Bible we have two similar windows into the homelife of these ladies that included Lazarus, their brother. The first is in Luke 10:38-42. On that occasion Martha was busy cleaning, cooking, polishing, sweeping, and arranging. Mary was seated at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him, looking at Him, adoring Him, praising Him, and learning from Him. When Martha complained to Jesus that her sister was not helping with the housework the Lord said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary, really only one: and Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” The second reference is in John 12:1-8. Again, it says in verse two, “So they made Him a supper there; and Martha was serving.” But what was Mary doing? Verse three says, “Mary therefore took a pound of very costly, genuine spikenard-ointment, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.” And right down until today we can still smell that fragrant, loving sacrifice that came from Mary’s heart. But no one remembers what Martha was doing. Mary chose the best thing.
• Today Jesus might be saying to some of us, “Come with Me by yourself to a quiet place and get some rest.” Remember, He also said, “Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” 

Verses 32-33: So, they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.  ³³ But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.

• They tried to get away for some R & R. However, it did not work out the way they had hoped and planned. People got in the way of their plans. But that often happens, doesn’t it?
• How would you have responded under those circumstances? The disciples were probably a little put out at the people who would not leave them alone. They were probably a little bit angry that people would not even let the Master get a square meal and a good night’s rest.
• I think that I would have been upset and frustrated if I had been there.

Verse 34: When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So, He began teaching them many things.

• Look at Jesus’ reaction—not a word of rebuke or sign of resentment. Even though He was tired and personally in need of rest He rose to the occasion because “…He had compassion on them…” So often, that is the very thing that is lacking in us. We often see people as an annoyance, a pain in the neck, a delay in our schedule. Jesus never looked at people that way.
• “…because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” What does that mean? First, you need to understand a little bit about sheep. Sheep are not brave, intelligent, or independent. They have more in common with rabbits than with coyotes. Sheep are prey animals, and they know it, and they act like it. They have no natural defenses against predators. They cannot move fast enough to outrun their enemies. They have no sharp teeth to wound their enemies. They are stupid, pitiful creatures who have cute babies. That is their major redeeming feature. Sound familiar? From Jesus’ perspective people are very much like sheep.
• So, what is the role of the shepherd? He is the wise decision-maker for the sheep when the sheep do not know what to do or where to go. He is the protector of His sheep, fighting off their enemies. He is the doctor for His sheep, binding up their wounds and often carrying them on His shoulder until they are strong enough to walk again. He is their leader, gently guiding them to lush green pastures where they can eat until their stomachs are full. He also leads them to clean, quiet watering holes where they can quench their thirst. He is their rescuer. He goes after them when they get lost. Sound familiar?  Those are the things that the Lord does for His people, His sheep-people. I am talking about US!
• “…so, He began teaching them many things.” These people were spiritually hungry. They could not get enough of the Good News. Jesus, the Living Bread, was satisfying their hunger. Jesus, with the Living Water of His Word, was irrigating their dry, dusty hearts and minds.

Verses 35-36: By this time, it was late in the day, so His disciples came to Him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. ³⁶ Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

• This wonderful story is told by all four of the Gospel writers, with each one adding some helpful details to round out our knowledge of what happened. The Bible says that this event occurred in a desolate, remote area in the hills somewhere above Bethsaida. We do not know the exact location but both Mark and John record that there was much green grass there. The people had followed Jesus without thought for their own personal needs. They left home without food or water or extra clothes. But that is how all of us are to follow Him—with the simple faith of a child, confident that He will provide for our needs. That was the lesson that Jesus was trying to teach the Twelve when He sent them out two-by-two with only the clothes on their backs, nothing more. And as they went, He met their every need!
• But now it was late in the afternoon, and it would soon be night. The disciples realized that something needed to be done. Their suggestion to Jesus was to send everyone back home so that they could get something to eat.

Verse 37: But He answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to Him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

• To really grasp this verse, you must underline and emphasize the word “YOU.” “You give them something to eat.” Why did Jesus say this? He must have known that the Twelve did not possess enough money to feed this crowd. Jesus was certainly not naïve in any way. So why would He command them to do something that was impossible for them to accomplish? That seems unfair!
• His command was only undoable if you take Him out of the equation. We have many examples in Scripture of God calling men to do humanly impossible tasks:

ü  He called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. = impossible

ü  He called Joshua to conquer all of Canaan. = impossible

ü  He called Gideon to defeat the Midianites. = impossible

ü  He called David to defeat Goliath. = impossible

ü  He called Esther to save her people. = impossible

• We even have some modern-day examples that can only be explained by factoring God’s hand into the equation:

ü  Israel’s defeat of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan in 1967’s “6-Day War.” = IMPOSSIBLE

ü  The preservation of Israel despite the world’s hatred of her. = IMPOSSIBLE

• There are many things that are impossible for men, but with God, all things are possible.

ü  He still heals the sick, even when we cannot.

ü  He still answers prayers, even though we cannot.

ü  He still saves lost souls, even though we cannot. 

Verse 38: “How many loaves do you have?” He asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five [loaves] and two fish.”

• Jesus sent them on a reconnaissance mission to scout out how much food they could come up with on their own. He already knew the answer, but He wanted them to see the absurdity and impossibility of the situation. He was letting them see for themselves that there was no human explanation for what He was about to do.
• Here we need to turn to the Gospel of John for some added details. In John 6:5-9 we read, When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”  ⁶ He asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do.  ⁷ Philip answered Him, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”  ⁸ Another of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Indeed! That is a great question! Humanly speaking this was insane.

Verses 39-40: Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.  ⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.

• Jesus used the Twelve as His servers and His crowd controllers. They spread out and explained to the people what Jesus wanted them to do and the people complied. Although they were tired and hungry, they were probably curious about what would come next. Why did He have them sit in groups of hundreds and fifties? Probably just to make paths between the groups and to be able to verify afterward about how many people were fed that day. 

Verse 41: Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to Heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to His disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.

• Because this was the season of the Passover (i.e., mid-April), I am almost positive that Jesus used the traditional Jewish prayer that is the blessing for the bread that is always said at the Passover service (Seder). Jesus held the loaves and dried fishes in His hands and lifted them toward Heaven as He offered up this short but beautiful prayer to His Father. “Barúch atáh Adonái elohénu, mélech ha-olám, hamotsí léchem min ha-árets.” That means, “Blessed are You, Adonai, our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”
• After Jesus prayed and gave thanks, He began to break up the bread and fishes with His hands. As He worked the food multiplied. It grew in His hands! He filled one basket, then another, and then yet another. As quickly as He filled the baskets the apostles took them and distributed the food to the hungry people. One after another Jesus filled the baskets, and the disciples carried them out to where the people were seated and patiently waiting. Everyone was eating. It was a simple meal but good and nutritious. Some asked for more, and there was plenty to go around. The disciples made a second pass through the crowd and people took more. Jesus continued breaking the bread and dividing the dried fishes as long as the people wanted to eat. The disciples were hungry, so they ate too. Finally, after everyone was fed Jesus took some bread and fish and He ate as well, for He too needed nourishment.
• I would have loved to see the looks on the faces of His disciples. They saw the whole miracle up close and personal. Many of the people were seated too far back to understand what had just happened. They just knew that they had been well fed and were no longer hungry. But the Twelve knew exactly what had just transpired, although they could hardly believe their own eyes.

Verses 42-44: They all ate and were satisfied, ⁴³ and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.  ⁴⁴ The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

• “They all ate and were satisfied.” When Jesus feeds us, He does it right. Our God is not stingy. He gives us all that we need. The Bible says in Psalm 84:11, “For the LORD God [Yahweh Elohim] is a sun and shield; the LORD [Yahweh] gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” And again, in Psalm 107:8-9, “Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men, ⁹ for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” He alone can truly satisfy us.
• “The disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.” Why is this important? Clearly as verification that a miracle really occurred. Yes, but why twelve basketfuls? After feeding the multitude Jesus sent all 12 of His guys back out into the crowd to gather up the leftovers. They each came back with a full basket. All twelve of them participated in the miracle and saw with their own eyes what Jesus had done. I believe that this miracle was more for the benefit of the Twelve than for the sake of the crowd.
• Jesus wanted them to experience what it is like to feed hungry people. He was preparing them to spend the rest of their lives sharing the Living Bread that saves and satisfies people’s spiritual hunger and giving out the Living Water that quenches people’s spiritual thirst.
• This miracle is traditionally called, “The Feeding of the 5,000” because the text records that there were approximately 5,000 men present. But that number does not include their dependents, the women, and children. The number was probably closer to 15,000 people. At any rate all the people who got a free meal that day were hungry again by the next morning because physical food is only a temporary cure for hunger. But the Bread of Life and the Living Water last forever, and satisfy the heart, soul, and mind as nothing else ever can.

CONCLUSION:

In performing this miracle Jesus was teaching His disciples about much more than bread and fish. He was teaching them about compassion for the lost and the fact that nothing in the world is more important than doing the work of the Kingdom.

For years this text has been preached as a missions message showing that our job, like that of the disciples, is to give out the Living Bread to those who are lost and dying for want of that Bread, who is Jesus. One of the most powerful missionary songs ever composed was inspired from these verses. It touches my heart every time I hear it. It is entitled, “The Breaking of the Bread.” The words and music were written by Beatrice Bush Bixler, and the song was dedicated to Mrs. J. J. Van Hine who, along with her husband, served for many years as a missionary in French Indochina. If you want to hear the song you can find a shortened form of it on YouTube at https://youtu.be/DYKlbTbCkYM. 

Verse 1:       

            Along the shores of Galilee when Christ five-thousand fed

            Not one was omitted in the breaking of the bread.

            Today they die in heathen lands; they die in want and dread,

            For they have been omitted in the breaking of the Bread.

CHORUS:

            Lord, I would give them the Bread of Life, the Living Water too.

            My heart cries out, “Oh here am I, ready Thy will to do.”

Verse 2:

            Long years have passed, and few have heard that Jesus Christ has bled,

            That they might feed on Him Who died to be that Living Bread.

            To gods of stone and wood they cry, yet they are never fed,

            For they have been omitted in the breaking of the Bread.  CHORUS 

Verse 3:

            Great God, who gave Thine only Son, help us now, Spirit led,

            To tell the story of Thy love to those who ask for bread.

            Then gladly will we go, or send, till this blest news has spread,

            And they have been included in the breaking of the Bread. 

CHORUS:

            Lord, I would give them the Bread of Life, the Living Water too.

            My heart cries out, “Oh here am I, ready Thy will to do.”

(Copyright, 1944, by Beatrice Bush Bixler. Assigned to Alfred B. Smith. Renewal, 1972, by Beatrice Bush Bixler. Assigned to Singspiration, Inc.)