All Need Bread

Scripture Reading

Mark 8:1–21 NASB95

In those days, when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples and said to them, “I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat. “If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance.” And His disciples answered Him, “Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people?” And He was asking them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.” And He directed the people to sit down on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples to serve to them, and they served them to the people. They also had a few small fish; and after He had blessed them, He ordered these to be served as well. And they ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large baskets full of what was left over of the broken pieces. About four thousand were there; and He sent them away. And immediately He entered the boat with His disciples and came to the district of Dalmanutha. The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Leaving them, He again embarked and went away to the other side. And they had forgotten to take bread, and did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them. And He was giving orders to them, saying, “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 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?”

I. Introduction

a. Last time we were in Mark 7 we ended with the people saying, “He does all things well”.

b. Syro-Phoenician came from the lineage of the Canaanites.

c. We saw how the woman understood the curse that was on the Canaanites and how she understood that He was the Messiah calling Him, “The Son of David”

d. because of her great faith Jesus delivered her daughter from being demon possessed.

e. The we learned how a group of people brought a deaf mute to Him testing Him to just see a miracle. It was not that they cared for the man, but that they were almost mocking Him.

f. Jesus took him aside and used sign language to explain what he was going to do and healed the man, that he could hear and start talking correctly.

g. Now we see Jesus with another large crowd or approximately 4000 men in the wilderness and they had been there three days.

II. All Need Bread

a. Now as before Jesus is trying to train His disciples in depending upon Him and that they should have compassion.

b. With the 5000 Jesus exposed there lack of compassion and their self-centeredness.

c. however in this case He is teaching them about compassion and that He is the source of bread.

d. He is teaching them that although we cannot and do not have the resources, that Jesus does and is the resource. With us things seem impossible, but with God all things are possible.

e. This is a classic case of Jesus is the source and He gives us the bread, which is Him, and we go and take it and set Christ, the bread of life before them.

f. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

1 Corinthians 3:6–7 NASB95

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.

III. Show Us A Sign

a. The Jesus got in a boat and came to the other side to a place called Dalmanutha. Here comes the Pharisees to argue with Him.

b. Due to their complete hardness of heart they were trying to get Him to do a sign to prove to them Who He was.

c. In Mark it says that no sign will be given to them, but in Matthew it goes a bit further and the only sign they will be given is the sign of Jonah.

d. Matthew 12:39-40

Matthew 12:39–40 NASB95

But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

IV. Beware of the Leaven

a. On the way to the other side, Jesus spoke to His disciples in a parable way, to beware of the leaven of the scribes and Pharisees.

b. Jesus was indicating the teaching of the Pharisees was one of legalistic, burdensome, glory seeking, prideful nonsense that did nothing to bring righteousness of God, but to bring self righteousness and self glory.

c. 1 Corinthians 5:6

1 Corinthians 5:6 NASB95

Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?

d. Matthew 16:12

Matthew 16:12 NASB95

Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

e. But again we see the disciples thinking in terms of temporal mankind of thinking we didn’t bring any loafs of bread, instead of seeing it like Jesus did that He was the great provider and if they needed bread He would make sure they had plenty to eat.

f. Matthew 4:4

Matthew 4:4 NASB95

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”

V. Summary

a. Even today we get to thinking how things are so impossible. But this teaching teaches us that with God all things are possible, Matthew 19:26

Matthew 19:26 NASB95

And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

b. Also we need to see that Jesus is that bread of life and we are to take that bread and place it before people. This is truly what the theme of the Gospel of Mark is all about. The Gospel of Jesus Christ.