Disciples Must Serve With What Jesus Provides

Welcome back to our study of the Gospel of Mark, Lessons in Discipleship. As the title of this series suggests, we’re exploring the theme of discipleship woven throughout this powerful book of the Bible.

As I’ve mentioned on several occasions, the Gospel of Mark was written to believers. So when we study Mark, we’re not looking for instructions on how someone receives eternal life. For that, we turn to the Gospel of John. John’s Gospel was written to unbelievers, and it makes the way of salvation unmistakably clear: the only condition for receiving eternal life is to believe in Jesus for it.

Simply put, John tells us how to get saved. His answer? Believe in Jesus for eternal life. In fact, the Greek word translated believe appears nearly 100 times in John’s Gospel. That’s why it’s often called the Gospel of Belief.

Mark, on the other hand, was written to those who already believe. The subject is different. If John is the Gospel of Belief, then Mark is the Gospel of Following. It’s about what it means to live out the Christian life—to walk in obedience, to endure hardship, and to follow Jesus wherever He leads.

We might put it this way:

John tells us how to receive eternal life.

Mark tells us how to use it.

So when I use the word discipleship throughout this series, I’m referring to people who have already believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life. These are individuals who have received God’s free gift—not by works, not by effort, but simply by believing in Jesus for that gift.

But now, having received eternal life, these believers are learning from the Lord. You see, that is the difference between being a believer and a disciple. A disciple is actively learning from and serving the Lord. They’re following the example He set during His earthly life. Discipleship isn’t about earning salvation—it’s about living in response to it. Simply put, we are living out our Christian lives as obedient servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And this is where the Gospel of Mark instructs us. It prepares us for a life of service to the Lord Jesus Christ. It encourages us in times of trouble, strengthens us in our daily walk, and comforts us as we watch the original disciples stumble and grow.

One of the key lessons we learn from the twelve is this: discipleship is a lifelong journey of growth. Mistakes will be made. Progress won’t always be linear. But through it all, the Lord is patient, faithful, and committed to shaping us into the image of His Son.

Let’s take a moment to review where we are in Mark’s Gospel. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been exploring the theme of rejection. First, we saw Jesus rejected in His own hometown of Nazareth. Shockingly, the very people who had watched Him grow up refused to believe in Him. Then, last week, we saw Jesus send out the twelve on a mission to the nation of Israel. But before sending them, He prepared them for rejection.. He told them that if any town or village refused to receive their message, they were to leave that place and shake the dust off their feet—a symbolic act done as a testimony against them. In other words: You have rejected our witness, so now we leave you to face God’s judgment.

This wasn’t an act of bitterness—it was a sober acknowledgment that the message had been refused, and the responsibility now rested with those who heard it.

So last week we saw the disciples get sent out , and we are going to pick up upon their return. But before we get into today’s text let’s go to the Lord in prayer.

Mark records the twelve returning from there mission in Mark 6:30 which says,

Mark 6:30 NKJV

30 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.

Now I want to point out a quick detail here. Notice how Mark refers to the twelve. He says, “then the Apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things,”. This is the only time in the Mark’s Gospel the twelve are referred to as “apostles”.

So what does this term mean?

The word apostle is related to the Greek verb ἀποστέλλω (apostellō), which means “to send out.” In extrabiblical sources, it can refer to “something sent”—like a naval expedition (Plato, Ep. 7, 346a)—or “someone sent out,” as in Josephus (Ant. 17.300).

In this context, the word apostles doesn’t refer to those who laid the foundation of the church. These were simply disciples who had been sent out and empowered by the Lord Jesus Christ to preach a specific message to the nation of Israel.

And don’t forget—Judas is still part of this group. He certainly didn’t help lay the foundation of the church. But in this moment, he was sent out with the others to proclaim the message of the kingdom to Israel.

Now, when we talk about the apostles who laid the foundation of the Church, the same principle applies—they were sent out by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. But this was a small, specific group of men.

It included the original twelve—minus Judas, who was replaced by Matthias—and later, Paul and Barnabas. These men weren’t just disciples; they were commissioned with unique authority to establish the Church and proclaim the gospel to the nations.

Here’s the point: there are no apostles today. Scripture names only fourteen men as apostles—those with a unique calling, special gifting, and divine authority. They were personally commissioned by the risen Lord Jesus Christ for a foundational role in the establishment of the Church.

No one today holds apostolic authority. That office was not passed down—it was specific, limited, and irreplaceable.

So if you’re following a ministry where someone claims to have apostolic authority or refers to themselves as an apostle, run in the other direction. That’s not biblical.

So, the “apostles” return from their mission and Jesus says to them:

Mark 6:31 NKJV

31 And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

Right from the start, we’re given a remarkable lesson in discipleship. Jesus says, “Come aside by yourselves”—an invitation not just to rest, but to be alone with Him. The Lord recognizes how busy His disciples have been. He had just sent them throughout Israel, preaching and performing miracles. Now, He calls them to step away from the crowds and “rest a while.” This idea of being at rest in the presence of the Lord indicates a time of fellowship and intimacy with Him. This is arguably the greatest benefit of being a disciple, the intimacy of being with the Lord.

And I want us as disciples to realize this. We need this intimate relationship with the Lord. We need these times when we come aside by ourselves to have fellowship with the Lord. Just us and Him.

I was talking to someone this past week about all the exciting things we going on here at Legacy, and he asked me. “How do you manage everything? How do you meet individual needs, handle all the church business, and still show up for your family—without it affecting your personal relationship with God?

My answer was, I spend the majority of days in the word of God. I devote the most time to the Sunday sermon, but then there are Wednesday night Bible studies, and Sunday School lessons as well. So, I’m fortunate in that I spend the majority of my day “aside with the Lord”, and if I didn’t do that I would have nothing to feed the people. Which is what we are going to learn in today’s lesson.

Disciples Must Serve with What Jesus Provides

And that’s exactly what we see in Mark 6:31.

Mark 6:31 NKJV

31 And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

Jesus doesn’t just send His disciples out—He calls them back. He says, “Come aside by yourselves… and rest a while.” Before the next miracle, before the next crowd, Jesus prioritizes time alone with His disciples. That’s not just a nice to have, it is essential —it’s the rhythm of real discipleship. And that rhythm is exactly what we see in the miracle that follows. The disciples don’t have the resources to feed this multitude. They’re painfully aware of their limitations. But what they do have is access—to Jesus. They bring what little they have: five loaves and two fish. And as they keep returning to Him, He keeps giving. They distribute, return, receive again, and repeat. The miracle doesn’t happen in one grand moment—it unfolds through continual dependence.

This is the heart of discipleship: not having enough, but coming back to the One who is enough. Again and again and again. Simply put, Jesus send out His disciples, and their work has drawn many people. The end of verse 31 says there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

So, the disciples’ mission had drawn the attention of large numbers of people. When Mark says, “many were coming and going,” he’s describing a constant stream of people, one group arriving after another. Because of their ministry efforts, so many people were coming to them and to Jesus that the disciples didn’t even have time to eat. In short, the disciples needed to recharge their batteries. They needed to come back to Jesus and receive what only He could provide. Rest.

You see, Jesus knows that ministry drains, and that spiritual effectiveness requires spiritual replenishment. So He draws them away to reconnect with the source. The disciples don’t just need food—they need fellowship. They don’t just need a break—they need to be reminded that everything they give must first be received from Him.

Let’s look at our next couple of verses.

Mark 6:32–33 NKJV

32 So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. 33 But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him.

Mark 6:34 NKJV

34 And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.

So whatever time Jesus had with His disciples was short-lived. The people saw them depart and quickly searched them out. And in verse 34, we read that when Jesus saw the great multitude, He was moved with compassion for them—“because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.”

There are a couple of points a need to make regarding sheep and shepherds.

First, let’s talk about sheep. Sheep are famously dependent on their shepherd. Sheep need the shepherd to show them where to eat, where to sleep, and where to drink. But it doesn’t stop there—the shepherd also directs them where to go and when to go. And here’s another fun fact: sheep don’t always realize how badly they need a shepherd. That’s why they often wander off and get themselves into trouble. Sound familiar? It should—because in this metaphor, we are the sheep. We are the sheep and Jesus is the shepherd.

And here is something else I want to point out. This image of sheep without a shepherd echoes throughout the Old Testament. Moses pleaded with the Lord not to leave Israel as sheep without a shepherd. The prophet Ezekiel described the people of Israel in the same way—wandering, vulnerable, as sheep without a shepherd. In fact, Old Testament kings were often referred to as shepherds because they were responsible for guiding and protecting the flock. But now, with the religious leaders having rejected their Messiah, the people were once again left without a true shepherd. And Jesus, seeing this multitude, feels deep compassion because they have no one to lead them and care for them. So because of this it says, “He began to teach them many things”. Simply put. This passage demonstrates that Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

Now we also find this sheep and shepherding concept in the NT. Peter, speaking to the elders of the Church in 1 Peter says,

1 Peter 5:2–3 NKJV

2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;

Peter says, the elders should shepherd thee flock of God. They should care for them, which obviously included teaching the the word of God. In other words, they should feed the sheep, protect the sheep, and care for the sheep. Then Peter says they should do this not because they are forced to , but because they want to. He also warns them not to act like lords over the flock, ruling with an iron fist, but to lead by example.

Now notice what he says in the next verse.

1 Peter 5:4 NKJV

4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

I love this verse. It says that the elders (under shepherds) will be rewarded for faithfully caring for the flock. Peter says that when the Chief Shepherd appears you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. The NT clearly teaches that faithful servants will receive eternal rewards.

But notice How Peter refers to the Lord Jesus Christ. He calls Him the “Chief Shepherd”. I love this. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd. He is the ultimate provider, the ultimate protector, and the ultimate giver of life. Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd, and oh how this passage demonstrates that He is indeed that. He is the one who provides eternal life for the sheep. He is the one who feeds His sheep with abundance, and He is the One who lays down His life for the Sheep. And as I mentioned a moment ago, as we work our way through this passage we will see the Good Shepherd in action.

Ok, let’s get back to Mark. At the end of verse 34 we read that Jesus “began to teach them many things.” Now picking up at verse 35,

Mark 6:35–36 NKJV

35 When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, “This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. 36 Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat.”

Now I don’t have time to dwell on these verses, but I do want to point out one quick detail. Notice that the disciples say, “this is a deserted place”. This is the same Greek word that is used to describe Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, and the wilderness also symbolizes the world. In other words, it is a place of trials and testing. Here’s the point—the Good Shepherd is about to care for His sheep in the wilderness. And this is the very place where the disciples will learn to care for the sheep as well.

Simply put, Jesus is with us in our wilderness experiences. He is present in our trials and testings. And this is also the place where we serve Him. Our ministry field isn’t always the comfort of the pasture—more often, it’s the wilderness of the world. It’s in the dry places, the demanding places, the places where resources run low and needs run high. This is why every disciple must depend on the Lord Jesus Christ for the provisions that only He can provide. We simply don’t have the resources to care for the sheep ourselves.

Which is the next lesson we are about to learn. Notice what the disciples said in verse 36, “Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves some bread; for they have nothing to eat”.

Now listen to how Jesus responds.

Mark 6:37 NKJV

37 But He answered and said to them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?”

We need to understand what is happening here. School is in session. Jesus is teaching these men. He says, “you feed them”, and there their response is basically “that’s impossible”. They say, “what do you want us to do? Go out and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread”. Now two hundred denarii doesn't mean much to us. We need to understand what a denarii was worth. A denarius was widely recognized as a day’s wages for a common laborer. So in the disciples minds, the amount of money needed to feed this crowd was staggering. I’m mean imagine trying to feed a crowd that would cost you over 7 months of your annual salary. The thought of it is insane, which is why the disciples respond this way. But Jesus is wanting to teach them something, and He wants to teach us the same thing today.

Disciples Must Serve with What Jesus Provides

If we look to our own resources when we serve God, we will never have enough. Disciples must serve with what Jesus provides. This is what the disciples are getting ready to learn. Let’s read on.

Mark 6:38 NKJV

38 But He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they found out they said, “Five, and two fish.”

So, when the disciples pool their resources together, needless to say they come woefully short. They come up with five loaves and two fish. During my study time I found out that these loaves of bread would have been a cheap kind of flat bread. The point is that what they had would barely feed one hungry man, and these men are facing a multitude of people. How many people exactly. Well the last verse of this passage says there “were about 5000 men”. But we need to understand that this was only counting men. So, once you add in women and children this crowd could have easily been 15 to 20 thousand people. And remember, they had enough to feed one hungry man.

So let me say this again, because it’s the heart of today’s lesson: disciples who try to serve the Lord with their own resources cannot meet the needs of the people God has entrusted to them. It’s impossible. Jesus knew it was impossible for these men. But He still told them, “You feed them.” And now He’s about to show them that He can use what they have to accomplish what He’s asked of them.

You see, Jesus wants the disciples to understand that they must not look to themselves—they must look to Him. He’s leading them into a moment where their insufficiency becomes the classroom, and His provision becomes the lesson. The Lord doesn’t want them to sit back and watch; He wants them to participate in what He is doing. But He also wants them to grasp that His power is essential to accomplish the mission.

And that’s the lesson every disciple must learn. God calls us to willingly participate in the process. He wants us to bring our resources—to study, to serve, to encourage, to help. But as we do, He calls us to depend on Him. Our effort matters, but it’s His power that multiplies. He wants our willingness, but it’s His grace that feeds the multitude.

Many immature Christians get this wrong. They get excited and want to charge onto the battlefield, saying, “Watch all these amazing things I’m going to do for God!” But then the world smacks them right in the mouth. And I need you to understand—this is a prideful attitude. Enthusiasm is good, but willpower alone will fail. Passion without dependence leads to burnout, not breakthrough. This is of the flesh not the Spirit.

Instead, our posture should be: “God, here I am. I’m willing to participate in Your plan. Work through me, Lord, to accomplish Your will. Use me as a vessel. Empower me by Your Holy Spirit—because without it, I will fail.”

And this is the very lesson Jesus is teaching His disciples. He’s not looking for self-sufficiency—He’s teaching dependence. He’s showing them that ministry begins not with confidence in themselves, but with dependence on Him.

So the disciples bring there five loaves and two fish. Let’s continue on...

Mark 6:39–40 NKJV

39 Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.

There is a detail in verse 39 that I absolutely have to point out. Look at what Mark says, “He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass”. This whole scene points us to the Good Shepherd. Can you think of a well known Psalm in the Old Testament that talks about green grass? How about Psalm 23?

Psalm 23:1–2 NKJV

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

Here is the point. The Lord Jesus Christ is the good shepherd. David said, He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters.” Now look back at our verse.

Mark 6:39–40 NKJV

39 Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.

It says He made them all sit down in groups on the green grass. The same God who led David in the wilderness is providing for the lost sheep of Israel in theirs. It is rest and provision in a barren place. It is green grass in the desert. And notice He sits them all down “in groups”. This points to a close, intimate, meal among friends. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gathers His flock, giving them rest, fellowship, and the food they need in the wilderness. Church, this is what the Lord Jesus Christ does for all His sheep. He provides for us in this wilderness, calling us into fellowship with Himself. Don’t be the sheep who wanders from the flock. Sheep need the safety of flock, and the protection of the Shepherd.

So, the Lord has HIs disciples seat the people in groups. And verse 41 says,

Mark 6:41–42 NKJV

41 And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all. 42 So they all ate and were filled.

I want to focus on one word in this passage. Notice it says Jesus “gave them to His disciples”. In the Greek, this verb is in a tense that indicates continuous action. In other words, Jesus didn’t just give the bread and fish one time. It means he was giving the bread and fish to them. You see, this process was happening over and over again. The disciples would go to the Lord and get fish and bread, they would distribute what they were given, and then they would return to get more. This was a continuous process. Get from the Lord, give to the people, go back and get more from the Lord.

Here is the point you absolutely need to walk away with. This is the rhythm of discipleship.

The rhythm of discipleship is dependence. It is always going back to the Lord for what we lack.

Let me put this a slightly different way to make it stick.

Go to the Lord for what you cannot provide.

Give to others what He has placed in your hands.

Return to the Lord for more.

This is so important I cannot say it enough: the pathway of discipleship begins and ends at the Lord’s feet. If you are not continually receiving His bread—His teaching—you will fail. He is our source of strength, truth, rest, and nourishment. He is the source of everything.

We are all in the disciples’ shoes. We don’t have the resources to feed God’s flock what they truly need. So what do we do? We sit with the Lord on the green grass. We have intimate moments of fellowship with Him. We let Him feed us through His Word. Then we go and give it out. And then—we return to Him for more.

This is the disciple’s life: receive, give, return. Always at His feet. Always dependent. Always fed by grace.

Let’s go ahead and work to close. So, the entire multitude gets fed through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source, but the disciples get to participate in the miracle. But notice this, not only do the people get fed. Verse 42 says, “all ate and were filled”. This was no small meal. Everyone was full.

Mark 6:43–44 NKJV

43 And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish. 44 Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.

“They took up twelve baskets”—one for each disciple. This isn’t just a detail; it’s a picture of discipleship. Jesus didn’t merely satisfy the crowd—He gave more. Each disciple walked away with a full basket. He provided not just for the moment, but for what lay ahead.

As long as we go to the Lord, He will continue to give us what we need to serve Him. But we must not start puffing out our chests, thinking we have the resources to feed the flock ourselves. That’s pride—and pride leads to failure. No, we humbly return to Him, again and again, to receive what only He can give.

Yes, we get to be His hands and feet. But He is the source. He fills the baskets. He sustains the mission. He provides for His sheep.

Disciples Must Serve with What Jesus Provides

Let’s pray.