Mark 8:1-21

OPEN

I loved Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the whole Peanuts gang growing up. I would read the newspaper everyday to see it. I would get excited about the Sunday newspaper because the comic strip would be in color that day. I watched the holiday specials and I was pumped to get the books. I devoured them!

One thing that always amazed me is how many ways things would go south for Charlie Brown as he took the mound. There was no shortage of opportunities that presented themselves to showcase the incompetencies and inadequacies of his baseball team.

Woodstock would be flatted by the ball 2 times his size.

Lucy would be distracted by all sorts of things, the sun, the bugs, the lack of world peace.

Linus would be holding onto his blanket.

Snoopy would want to be fed or was imagine himself in some far off daydreamed scenario.

Charlie Brown himself wasn’t immune to this either. He would strike out often or fail to strike anyone out and get leveled and de-clothed by a line drive. He would slide to soon and end of feet short from the base he was trying to steal and be called a blockhead.

This group was constantly dropping balls and was distracted by their own self serving interests.

The Peanuts baseball team reminds me of the Pharisees and the Disciples in the three stories we look at today. The foolery of all of them is astounding. They are all dropping the ball and failing to comprehend what Jesus was laying out for them miracle after miracle.

The stories Mark tells interplay with each other. It’s brilliant. No one but Jesus comes out smelling like a rose in these stories, but before we go judging everyone not named Jesus in the story, let’s make sure we know that Mark probably had us fools in mind as well.

So with a non-judgmental eye; let’s look at the stories.

Mark 8:1–21 (ESV)

1 In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them,

2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.”

4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.”

6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd.

7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.

9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”

13 And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side. 14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.

15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread.

17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?

19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.”

21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Let’s Pray

Jesus is the exclusive heaven-sent satisfier of your soul.

You and I will not find what we really need anywhere else other than in a right relationship with God through Jesus. We can chase after a thousand different things and even hold those things tightly in our hands, but they will all eventually leave us disappointed.

The first story Mark tells sounds very familiar to us - give or take a thousand people. He has already told the story of the feeding of the 5000 and now he is going to tell about the time Jesus fed 4000.

And he tells this story so that we understand that…

Jesus is the only source of eternal satisfaction. (1-10)

Mark 8:1 (ESV)

1 In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat,

Ok, Mark is assuming we remember story we heard him tell in chapter 6. He had miraculously fed 5000 people in a desolate place when they were hungry. Now he is going to tell us another one where 4000 are fed.

We could compare and contrast a number of elements in these stories including the numbers themselves and find some amazing insights, but we won’t. The only point of comparison that needs to be realized today is that this is taking place in Gentile territory whereas the feeding of the 5000 occured safely within the boarders of Israel.

This feeding of the 4000 in Gentile territory proves that the miracle working power wasn’t just for the people in the Promised Land. The satisfaction that He offers is open to anyone anywhere.

And Mark continues the story saying…

Mark 8:1–3 (ESV)

1 …he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.”

He sees people in need and has compassion on them. He sees hungry people and He is moved in His inner being for them to the degree that He is determined to do something about that need and will involve His disciples in the process.

Mark continues…

Mark 8:4–7 (ESV)

4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them.

First of all, notice the disciple recognize that they were seemingly under resourced for the task. “How can one feed these people.”

One person, feeding 4000 people bread in a desolate places? Seems unlikely. The task is too big for any “one” normal man. But Jesus is not a normal man. He is going to prove that He is the Bread that came down from heaven.

He finds out they have 7 loaves of bread and also some fish and they bring them to Him.

He gives thanks for it, He breaks it, He gives it back to the disciples and tells them to set it before the massive crowd of Gentiles.

Jesus utilizes the hands and feet of His disciples to distribute His blessings to others. He gives to it to them and then expects that they give away what He had given. The disciples were involved in the feeding. They were the ones distributing the compassion of the King.

And then we read this…

Mark 8:8–9 (ESV)

8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away.

Those experiencing hunger were fed. They were filled up with food. They grumble in their stomachs had gone away. Their bodies were nourished. They got what they needed to survive the journey back to their homes and what they got “satisfied” them.

They got what they needed and there was more than enough to go around to everyone else.

They had leftovers. They now had a whole bunch of left overs that they could give to whomever they wanted.

They had was 7 loaves to start with, but now they had seven baskets full of leftovers. What are you going to do with all that? You can’t just eat it yourself, you got to give it away!

The supply of what Jesus offers is able to meet and exceed the demands of sinful humanity.

As a disciple of Jesus don’t ever bemoan how inadequately resourced you might feel to meet the needs of the people you see around you as if you don’t have what they need.

Just give away what you have recieved from Him. Your souls hunger thirst for God has been satisfied.

All other problems on the planet pale in comparison to that need being met. So give away what has been given to you because…Jesus is the only source for eternal satisfaction.

Mark now is going to tell another story that will show that…undeniable proof of Jesus being the only source of eternal salvation has already been given.

Undeniable proof has already been given. (11-13)

Mark 8:11–13 (ESV)

11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.

This is another Markan ironic juxtaposition of stories that highlights the fickle nature of us humans. Here the Pharisees are so absurd that they demand a sign from him.

5000 people had been fed in Israel. 4000 people in a Gentile wilderness had ate and were satisfied. They laws of nature are breaking left and right through the ministry of this guys, but it all might be coincidence so, “Hey…why don’t you pull another rabbit out of that hat.”

We want a sign to authenticate the validity of what you are doing. We need to vet you and test you.

The Pharisees wanted a sign, but what they got was a sigh.

“And He (Jesus) sighed deeply in His Spirit.”

The “sigh” actually doubled as a sign.

Just as Jesus saw the hungry crowd in the last story and was moved with compassion; here Jesus sees the determined unbelief of the Pharisees, He sees their unwillingness to acknowledge the obvious and He is deeply troubled in His spirit to the degree that he audibly groans.

He expresses sorrow and grief over their perpetual skepticism.

Now we can give the Pharisees a hard time, but we do the same.

I want to tell you a story that might forever change the way you view me and that will simultaneously lighten my counseling load. No one will want to come to me for advice after this is known.

Oh…now you all seem interested.

Early on in my walk with Jesus, I demanded a sign from God. I put Him to the test.

Dog story: Honestly I can’t even remember what it was about / discipled by health and wealth preachers on television / sitting in my room / dog on bed / If i could get my dog to jump into my arms that would prove God existed.

It was really so silly and frankly stupid. What if they dog jumped? What if he jumped? Would that really convince me or would forever wonder if it just happed to be a coincidence?

Look, you and I need something more rock solid than that to place our hope in and thankfully, there is a sign that has been given to me, and to all of us that are so often demanding of proof. It’s called the resurrection.

The man laid down His life and He took it up again. A dead man lived again.

He is someone you might want to listen too…but in this story 9000 satisfied people wasn’t enough for these guys and They essential turn their noses up at Him and as a result, Jesus turns His back to them.

This is maybe the most alarming Scripture ever written.

Mark 8:13 (ESV)

13 And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.

When you put demands on God that He is under no obligation to meet and you turn your nose up at Him, and refuse to see the signs that He has undeniably given to you, don’t be surprised if you never know what His face looks like.

Jesus is the only source of eternal satisfaction. Undeniable proof has already been given…so…

We must remember what He has done. (14-21)

The foolishness continues in this next story.

Mark 8:14–16 (ESV)

14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread.

After Jesus turned His back on the Pharisees and got in the boat and sailed away, the Great Teacher chose to teach His disciples something important about the “leaven” of the Pharisees, but the disciples misinterpret Jesus’ words and think He is frustrated with them for not bringing enough provisions for the journey and they start, “discussing” (in quotes) with one another the fact that they had no bread. So many things here!

First of all, feeding hungry people doesn’t seem to be a probably for Jesus, so the one loaf should be good enough.

Second, the disciples misinterpret a teaching of Jesus and that leads to a heated discussion. The word used means: to discuss in some detail…which is a kind way of saying they were “arguing.”

Man its a good thing that the people of God never argue with each other while trying to interpret of the words of Jesus!

Third, as they are caught up in their arguing, they miss the point Jesus was trying to make.

The foolery is astounding.

What point was He trying to make?

As they were sailing away from these guys on the shoreline that didn’t recognize their need for what Jesus could offer them, Jesus said “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.”

What does that mean?

Just as leaven is the causative agent to make bread rise up on it’s own, the Pharisees self-centered, self-reliant ability to keep all the rules, puffed them up and made them proud. And since they were proud they thought we have no need for what Jesus is offering to us. We are all good. We don’t need you. We are self-sufficient.

They didn’t experience any hunger or thirst for God because they were so satisfied with themselves. They were self-rightous. They were skilled at a do it yourself religion and were skeptical of needing any help from any outside source…especially Jesus.

Jesus was trying to warn His disciples to never be self-reliant to meet the hunger in their hearts. That is something only He can do…and He was the one loaf in the boat with them.

But the disciples don’t get it and they evidence their self-centeredness by making themselves the literal center of Jesus’ figurative words.

The foolery is astounding! But Jesus wants to correct it so He reminds them of the reality they had all witnessed.

Mark 8:17–18 (ESV)

17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?

Mark 8:19–20 ESV

19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.”

Mark 8:21 (ESV)

21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

I have read this passage for years and honestly have felt like the only honest answer I can come up with is… “No. I don’t.” Maybe in my head I do, but the way I live my life sometimes I don’t.

But in order to fix the misunderstanding of His disciples Jesus asks them to remember a few things and then reflect on the spiritual significance of what they remembered.

5000 ate and were satisfied in Israel.

4000 ate and were satisfied outside of Isreal.

Everyone ate and was satisfied and there were leftovers…and we have One loaf in our boat with us, and it just so happens to be the, “Bread that came down from heaven.” (John 6:58).

I think we can all calm our fears that stem from our misunderstandings, but they only way that happens is if we remember what He has done.

That is the perfect transition into communion.

What we are acknowledging by participating in this meal of remembrance is that Jesus is the only source of eternal satisfaction. His resurrection provides us with undeniable proof of His love for us. He is the sent one from God to reclaim and redeem that which was held captive and tarnished and so we take in the bread and the contents of the cup to remember what He has done.

And when the reality of these three stories sink into the depths of your very being you will say,

Jesus is the exclusive, heaven-sent, satisfier of my soul.

What is one of your favorite comic strips?

What might be the significance of 5 loaves and 2 fish feeding 5000 people in Israel with 12 baskets left over and 7 loaves and 2 fish feeding 4000 people in Gentile territory with 7 baskets left over? Crunch the numbers and search your heart and mind first before doing a google search!

Fill in the blank: If I only had __________, then I would be satisfied. Now ask if that is true.

Have you ever asked God for a “sign,” for confirmation for something? How did that go? What undeniable proof does Jesus give us about His ability to love us eternally?

Have you eaten of the Bread that came down from heaven? If so, who do you want off the Bread of Life to this week, so that they can eat and be satisfied?