Broken and Blessed
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
We are continuing in the gospel of Mark
We took a break last week
But what we have been looking at is the continuing growth of Jesus’s ministry
He started to do greater and greater things
And at the end of last time we saw that he gave his disciples a new task
He had sent them out in pairs to continue His ministry — growing the effect he was having
Now this is where we pick up today…
Jesus’s name has become well known
He is no longer a small town carpenter, that went about teaching in synagogues
King Herod hears about his spreading fame
And it terrifies him
Everyone is asking the question… WHO IS JESUS?
And even the king himself is disturbed by this question
He thinks it is John the baptist come back to haunt him
But this isn’t the story we are going to focus on today
After we hear about John the baptist’s death
We are told one of the most popular stories of Jesus
The feeding of the 5,000
One of the only stories told in every gospel
In particular we are going to look at what it looks like to be tired, sad, discouraged, and still be a blessing to those around us
What it means to be broken and blessed
Scripture Reading:
Scripture Reading:
(SLIDES)
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.
32 So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place, 33 but many saw them leaving and recognized them, and they ran on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.
34 When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things.
35 When it grew late, his disciples approached him and said, “This place is deserted, and it is already late. 36 Send them away so that they can go into the surrounding countryside and villages to buy themselves something to eat.”
37 “You give them something to eat,” he responded.
They said to him, “Should we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?”
38 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”
When they found out they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he instructed 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. 41 He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves. He kept giving them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 Everyone ate and was satisfied. 43 They picked up twelve baskets full of pieces of bread and fish. 44 Now those who had eaten the loaves were five thousand men.
(SLIDES)
Outline:
Interruptions Are Not Always Distractions
Compassion is Key
Jesus can use whatever we have
(SLIDES)
Interruptions Are Not Always Distractions
Interruptions Are Not Always Distractions
How many of you can’t stand interruptions?
I think in one sense, we all don’t like being interrupted
For one, in conversations…
I am guilty
Not just in conversations but in life
Sickness
Errands
Emergencies
The reality is we like to be in control
We want our time and we don’t want to give it up for other things… especially when they are unexpected
And the miracle we are talking about today… is one big interruption
It’s an interruption for both Jesus and his disciples
For Jesus:
For Jesus:
(SLIDES)
11 His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12 Then his disciples came, removed the corpse, buried it, and went and reported to Jesus.
13 When Jesus heard about it, he withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed him on foot from the towns.
Now Matthew, Mark, and Luke all have the story of John the Baptists beheading right before the feeding of the 5,000
And we see here, specifically in Matthew, that when Jesus heard this news: that his cousin, who was a ministry partner, a man of god, had been executed by the king
Jesus withdrew and went to a remote place to be alone
Have any of you ever lost a loved one?
It is hard.
It is natural and normal to mourn
Jesus was deeply sad
(SLIDES)
“Sadness is the feeling that speaks to how much you value what is missed, what is gone, and what is lost… Sadness is proportional—the more sadness you feel after a loss, the more you value what is lost… Sadness gives us the gift of valuing and honoring life.” — Chip Dodd
Jesus just wanted some time alone to grieve the loss of his cousin
But as he pulls away out to sea, He sees a crowd of thousands of people—waiting to interrupt his time
For the Disciples:
For the Disciples:
(SLIDES)
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.
32 So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place, 33 but many saw them leaving and recognized them, and they ran on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.
The apostles weren’t sad, they were tired
They had just came back from their journey in pairs of two, casting out demons, healing the sick, preaching the gospel…
And there was so much excitement, commotion, and energy that they didn’t even have time to eat
So Jesus tells them: “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while”
They had just worked their butts off and were not about to receive a mini-vacation, some time to rest
But as they took off in the boat, they saw thousands of people following them… Waiting for them when they arrived
We know how this story ends… but the set up to it is a mess
But we see here that they don’t turn away from the crowds
They could’ve very easily seen the crowds and they could’ve headed off in another direction (thats probably what I would’ve done)
But despite the inconvenience and interruption, Jesus made time for these people
And here is my first point:
(SLIDE)
Interruptions are not always distractions
Distractions are bad… they keep us away from relationship with God
But interruptions are not the same as distractions
Interruptions often times are from God
Sometimes they are interruptions we can ignore
Other times we can’t avoid them…
(SLIDES)
Moses - the burning bush
Samuel - the voice in bed
David - a visit from Samuel
Daniel - the Babylonian invasion
Mary - the angelic visit
Paul - the road to Damascus
Jesus
If you look at his ministry, he is always being interrupted, yet he always makes time for people — Jairus’s daughter/Woman
(SLIDES)
“We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions. We may pass them by, preoccupied with our more important tasks. . . . It is a strange fact that Christians and even ministers frequently consider their work so important and urgent that they will allow nothing to disturb them. They think they are doing God a service in this, but actually they are disdaining God”
—Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Will we be open to God’s interruptions?
When we are too tired for people…
When we just want to be alone…
When you DESERVE rest…
The miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 only happened because Jesus was willing to be interrupted
The second thing I want to note is that:
Compassion is Key
Compassion is Key
We read:
(SLIDES)
34 When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things.
This is profound…
We get a glimpse into the inner life of Jesus
He is sad, wanting time alone, but he sees all of these people… Thousands of them… and he is filled with compassion
You know, I would say I am a pretty compassionate person, I like to take my time to listen to people, especially when they aren’t doing well…
But thousands of people?
At least 5,000 (just men) ~ sanctuary seats ~2k
How crazy this is — how long it took
I would begin to see people as just numbers not humans
It’s a lot harder to have compassion on people when they are in one big crowd
Jesus is able to see a crowd, and see individuals
Jesus recognizes that each person in that crowd has a story, a family, hurts and pains, longings and desires
And he sees their desire for God, they are willing to follow him across a lake, just to hear what he has to say
He has compassion on them because “they were like sheep without a shepherd”
The religious leaders had failed in their caring for God’s people—and we’ll see this as Mark continues
But we see that compassion is the motivating factor behind Jesus’s ministry
And for us, whether we are in work at a church or not, we are all called to ministry
And love and compassion for others, must be the motivating factor for us as well
Here’s a list of some bad reasons behind doing ministry:
Feeling important/needed
Having the right answers—big head
Fixing the problem—because it’s inconvenient to you
Because it’s what we are supposed to do
Compassion is key
If we are to be like Jesus, we must be filled with compassion for others
Compassion—to suffer with someone
To allow yourself to feel the pain or discomfort of someone else
Jesus is our compassionate king
He didn’t use his rights or privileges to make himself immune from our sufferings, so why should we?
My final point is that:
(SLIDE)
Jesus can use whatever we have
Jesus can use whatever we have
So up until this point, this story is great
They all face an interruption
They don’t ignore it
Jesus is moved with compassion to minister to these people
But a problem arises
(SLIDES)
35 When it grew late, his disciples approached him and said, “This place is deserted, and it is already late. 36 Send them away so that they can go into the surrounding countryside and villages to buy themselves something to eat.”
And Jesus’s response is so wildly unpredictable:
(SLIDES)
37 “You give them something to eat,” he responded.
So they are scrambling
Should we buy everyone food?!
Certainly we don’t have enough money
But Jesus asks them:
(SLIDES)
38 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”
When they found out they said, “Five, and two fish.”
And according to Jesus’s estimations, that was enough
Again THOUSANDS of people
And we read that they separate them into groups
And Jesus blessed and broke the loaves and fish
And the disciples were just distributing the food back and forth, until
(SLIDES)
42 Everyone ate and was satisfied. 43 They picked up twelve baskets full of pieces of bread and fish. 44 Now those who had eaten the loaves were five thousand men.
Man, I love this story
Jesus chooses to bring his disciples in on this miracle
He could’ve instantly filled everyone’s stomachs
He could have made bread fall from heaven
He could have given them money to buy bread
He could have had everyone make a line getting their food directly from himself
But he chooses to give his disciples a part in this miracle
And I love the exchange Jesus has with the disciples
We should send these people away… they must be getting hungry!
You give them something to eat.
We’ll thats impossible…
How many loves do you have?
You see, even if its very little, impossibly small
a few loaves for thousands of people
God can use it
He wants it all, even if it’s not very much
Even if we think it can’t possibly make a difference
We’ve been up here—pretty abstract
But here are some practical examples:
Your friend is always down and complaining—it seems impossible for them to change—so often you ignore their cries for attention
What do you have to offer?— A listening ear
And God can use that
Your sibling is the most annoying person on Earth and they couldn’t possibly change
What do you have to offer? — Forgiveness and patience
And God can use that
Your parents seem to be uninterested or too busy for you—and you don’t think it could change
What do you have to offer? — Love even if it isn’t always reciprocated
Or a situation seems so overwhelming or impossible
What do you have to offer? — Simple faith
We might find ourselves in impossible situations with very difficult people, but we always have agency—we have a choice, and no one can take that away
We always have something to offer God, even if its just a simple faith
And in this story, Jesus took the little they had and did much with it
Look if you set out with a ministry vision to feed 5,000 people, you’ll probably fail
But if your vision is to simply see those around you with compassion and offer what you can to them, you will make a greater impact than you might think
Really, in the grand vision of changing the world, your country, your school, your team, your family, your friend group… it all starts with simple faithfulness and compassion for others
Conclusion
Conclusion
(SLIDES)
Jesus will interrupt your life
Are you paying attention?
People
Thoughts
Nature
Food
God might interrupt us but we can never interrupt God
He is always ready for us
I think the real problem is that we live uninterruptible lives…
They are so busy, there is no room for interruption
Like Moses missing the burning bush
Sometimes interruption takes noticing
Are we looking around us, seeing how God might want to interrupt our days?
“We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Ready, on the look out
(SLIDES)
2. Jesus has compassion for you
He is patient and present
He’s not too busy, and he’s not tired of you
Even in the crowds of people that make up this world
He sees you
He knows your story
He knows your failures
He knows your longings and desires
He loves you
He desires to help you
He loves you/He likes you
(SLIDES)
3. Jesus was broken and blessed for you
This miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 points to a greater miracle—one that we remember each time we take communion
Where the breaking of Jesus’s own body became a blessing to countless people
And theres enough grace for everyone
Everyone can eat and be satisfied
And theres still leftover grace
And if you have already been living in this truth
We have the mission of the disciples
We distribute this bread to others
We take from Jesus and give to those in need
We are a conduit of God’s love to this world
Even when you’re tired like the disciples, even when you don’t have much to offer
God wants to work with you, to change your life and the lives of everyone you meet
Reflection Questions
Reflection Questions
How do I respond to interruptions in my routine?
Who can I show compassion to this week?
What do I have that I can offer to Jesus?
