Mark 6_30_44 A Timeless Lesson For The Disciples

Mark 6:30-44 “A Timeless Lesson For His Disciples” (John 6)

Two Pals are sitting watching the 11:00 news. A report comes on about a man threatening to jump from the 20th floor of a downtown building. One friend turns to the other and says, “I’ll bet you $10 the guy doesn’t jump.” It’s a bet,” agrees his buddy. A few minutes later, the man on the ledge jumps, so the loser hands his pal a $10 bill. “I can’t take your money,” his friend admits. “I saw him jump earlier on the 6:00 news.” “Me, too” says the other buddy. “But I didn’t think he’d do it again!”

Followers of Jesus seem to have a hard time learning the lessons He desires us to learn. After a successful preaching tour in which they experienced the provisions of God, the 12 disciples returned to Jesus in Capernaum and gave an account of what they had done and taught. They were tired and needed rest but the crowds kept coming, Jesus wanting to be alone with them (His 3rd year of ministry) and provide further instruction as to what they are to do when He leaves this earth takes them to a desolate place most likely 6 miles away into the desolate wilderness.

BUT THE CROWD FOLLOWED and Jesus uses this as an opportunity to give further instruction to His disciples. The lesson Jesus wanted them to learn was in utter dependence upon Him, this is made clear in the context of this miracle and Jesus’ statement after the feeding of the 4,000 and they found themselves once again alone with Jesus in a boat (8:13-21)and they had forgotten to bring bread for their travel Jesus told them to beware but then they began to discuss the fact that they had no bread, “They began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” “When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they said to Him, “Seven.” And He was saying to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Jesus would soon begin heading to Jerusalem and the disciples must understand that while Jesus ministered physically to the people it was a picture of His Spiritual Ministry and they were to be the Shepherds of His sheep because (Mark 6: 34) “they were like Sheep without a Shepherd.” (They didn’t have any spiritual leaders)The Bible tells us that Jesus was moved with compassion so Jesus used this moment to teach the disciples a lesson that they must not forget, Feed the Sheep and utterly depend on the Lord to meet all your physical and spiritual needs!

CPS: The lesson that Jesus wanted His 12 original disciples to understand is the lesson He wants current day disciples to understand, their purpose as believers is to glorify Him by feeding the lost sheep that are walking around without a shepherd.

The disciples’ responsibility is to feed the lost sheep (37a)

In this text Jesus miraculously feeds a huge crowd bread and fish, physical bread helps to sustain life but does not impute eternal life! We must ask the question, “Why did Jesus come in the flesh?” Did he come to provide merely for our physical needs (No, He could have done that from heaven) or did He come for our spiritual needs. Mark 10:45b He came to give His life a Ransom. John 3:17b He came to save the world!

This is one of two Miracles recorded in all 4 Gospels, that means this miracle is very important and the lesson given needs to be committed to the heart. It is good to feed the hungry bread and it is easy to feed the hungry people bread but as Jesus demonstrated physically He meant spiritually. Most people are not hungry spiritually and the great miracles of Jesus prove this Truth. The great crowds followed Jesus because they wanted something physically from Him, some wanted healing from Jesus, some food, ultimately they wanted to make Him king because of the bread He gave them (John 6:14).

I find it interesting that Jesus refers to Himself as the Bread of life, the Manna sent from Heaven. In fact shortly after John’s record of the feeding of the 5,000 Jesus tells the crowds that continued following Him, “you seek me not because you saw signs but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” (John 6:26b) In John 6:32 Jesus tells them that He is the true bread sent from Heaven that gives life to the world.” The people wanted this bread, then Jesus said (John 6:35) “I am the Bread of Life.” As Jesus taught “unless you eat of this bread you will have no life” (John 6:53), then the crowd went away.

The disciple of Jesus must feed the lost with the bread of life, Jesus, so that they may have everlasting life!

You must be a true disciple of Jesus

Disciple - Mathētēs = a devoted learner or pupil of Jesus

Be saved by Grace.

Be sanctified through the word (Learn the ways of Jesus)** The True Disciple is Committed to Jesus’ cause!

Be MATURE in the Word

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Hebrews 5:12-14

Be doers of the Word.

And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Mark 16:15

You must have a heart for the lost

If you were to sit down and watch people as they walk by you would not have a difficult time imagining what Jesus saw as He stepped out of that boat. The society we live in is a bunch of people who have gone their own way. The vast majority of people today are like sheep without a shepherd having no spiritual leadership. Why is that? It is because of our failures as disciples.

The disciples became annoyed and wanted to send them away (35)

The day was far spent, the time is far passed

The Savior was moved with compassion

(splagchnizomai – VERB = have one’s heart go out to someone). Jesus’ heart went out to them because they were helpless and He loved them. (John 3:16)

Friends, we can be the most gifted people of God, blessed with workers, blessed with dollars, blessed with gifts, but if we don’t have love for people including the lost it doesn’t mean a thing.

ILL: When D.L. Moody was building his great Sunday School in Chicago, children came to him from everywhere. They often passed by other churches and Sunday Schools to be with Mr. Moody. When asked why he walked so far to attend Moody’s Sunday School, one boy replied, “Because they love a fella over there!” The children could tell the difference.

The disciple is incapable of feeding the lost sheep on their own (37b-44)

You must realize the impossibility

The Crowd (5000 men and their families… 15,000 came from villages everywhere

The Cost (200 days wages, would have bought 2,000 qts wheat & 6,000 qts barley could not feed them)

You must trust the Lord’s provisions. (They distributed the Lord Jesus gave them) “Set”paratithēmi = present

Your bread (We must be feed full)

Bible Study/memorization/ meditation/personal worship/ corporate worship

(W.W) “God does want us to have a ministry by imitation.” He wants “ministry by incarnation.”

“For it is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13

Their bread (We must feed the overflow to others)

(W.W.) Ministry takes place when divine resources meet human needs through loving channels to the Glory of God.

Application: How do we do this?