The Gospel of Mark, Pt. 28

The Prophet Who Provides

(SLIDE) Mark 6:30–44 “The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered 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 it to them to eat?” And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.”

If we just take a moment and mentally examine our familiarity with the gospel letters, and we take the time to think about all the miracles that Jesus performed, what would be the most impressive or the most important miracle that comes to mind? Now most of us might say the Resurrection from the Dead when he rose from the grave on that first Easter morning. And you’d be correct is saying that - because the entire Christian faith, according to Paul, rests upon the historical claim that Jesus rose physically from the dead. But if we took that miracle off the table, what would be the next great miracle of Jesus? I’d like to know what you think, and so I’ve made a way to poll the church and see what you guys think in real time. So if you have your phone or other device, scan this (SLIDE) QR Code or to go this website.......www.menti.com.....and enter this code 1110 9640. And as you guys do that real quick, we’ll get a good idea of what this body of believers believe about the miracles of Jesus.

Now remember what the apostle John says about the miracles and stories of Jesus that he includes in his gospel letter.....(SLIDE) John 20:30–31 “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” So John’s letter and the acts of Jesus included therein were specifically chosen by John through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in order to make a sound case that Jesus is the Christ....he is the Messiah....and he is the Son of God. This is the confession of Peter, which we believe to be the “rock” that Jesus was speaking of in that famous discussion, and believing this rock - this confession about who Jesus is - we might have life in his name.

And then John goes on just a few verses with which he concludes his letter (SLIDE) John 21:25 “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” So according to John, who was a close companion and apostle to Jesus and one of inner 3, Jesus performed a relative countless number of acts and miracles, most of which were never even included in the pages of scripture. And nevertheless, we have a tremendous record of miracles, all of which speak of his power and glory and love and mercy as the Son of God and the second person of the Holy Trinity.

Ok.....so there’s the results of what you guys think is the greatest miracle of Jesus, excluding his own resurrection from the dead.

Interestingly, of all the miracles that Jesus performed, there are only two specific miracles that are recorded in each of the four gospel letters - the resurrection, and the feeding of the 5,000 that we just read here in Mark 6. So this should lead anyone interested in the Bible to follow with this simple question - why? I can see why the Spirit saw it necessary to lead these four men to include a narrative of the resurrection - for that is the single most important and pivotal event in all of human history. But aside from that....why not the turning of water into wine.....why not calming the storms by simply speaking......why not the exorcism of the demoniac who was called Legion?

Why the feeding of the 5,000? Well, as we examine this story through the lens of all four gospel writers, we’re going to find out why, and I think the answer comes specifically through details that are mentioned exclusively in John’s gospel, which we’ll come to in just a bit. So let’s go back to our story and see how Mark opens up. Again, (SLIDE) Mark 6:30–31 “The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.”

So remember the context, Jesus had just sent out the 12 apostles to be his representatives through the Galilee region preach and perform signs and wonders to further the mission and message of Jesus. Jesus was just one man who could only be in one place at a time. But now his gospel, being verified by the healing of the sick and by the casting out of demons was now being taken to an extent farther than Jesus was able to do on his own while in human flesh. And so I’m sure the apostles returned with remarkable stories of miraculous healings and people coming to faith in Jesus.....and I can only imagine the excitement with which they told Jesus all about their experiences.

But notice how Jesus responded to their excitement.....he invites them to go away with him for a time of rest. And this leads us to our first point for today - (SLIDE) Jesus is the Prophet who provides rest. As excited and overwhelmed as the apostle must have been, I’m sure they were like all of us who live a life of ministry - you get worn out. Look at the description Mark gives in the latter half of verse 31.....many were coming and going........just like with Jesus, people were flocking to the apostles not necessarily for their teaching of the gospel, but their miraculous healing and power. As we talked about earlier on in Mark’s gospel and as is the case even today, many people are interested in Jesus simply because of what they think he can do for them. And it was the same for the apostles, and they were getting worn out as a result.

Ministry is awesome and its exciting and its encouraging. Seeing the impact that it makes in the lives of others can be infectious and addictive......leaving you wanting more and more. But at the same time, ministry can be exhausting, especially if you’re involved in things that can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit. In our last missions trip to Haiti, the days were long, and you’re not getting tons of sleep, nor are you eating the way you’re used to. And so despite all the good that you’re doing in the day, its easy to become fatigued and worn out. And even here in our normal day-to-day, ministry can be physically and mentally and emotionally draining. And that’s why its imperative to find rest.

And look at what Jesus says to the apostles - “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” This was the pattern of Jesus himself. Time and time again throughout the gospel narratives, we Jesus escaping the company of others to go away to desolate places to rest and to be with his Father. Not only in ministry, but simply life itself, rest is something to be desired by most, if not all, of us! Life can be a rat-race filled with countless tasks and a never-ending to-do list, and we can be quite terrible at stopping and retreating to be alone with God. But this is exactly what we see in the life of Jesus. The word desolate literally means wilderness, and that’s exactly where Jesus was prepared for ministry - in the wilderness. And likewise, we see in Mark 1:35 Jesus getting up early in the morning to go to a desolate place to pray.

And this pattern repeats quite often in the life of Jesus, and therefore it serves as a spiritual discipline that Jesus is seeking to teach to his disciples. Yes Jesus invites all who are weary and heavy laden from life to find rest in him, but even for those who have already come to Jesus in faith and are actively serving the Lord, its important that we take the time to rest as well. And so resting alone with God is a spiritual discipline that I’d encourage all of us to develop in our Christian walk. And its a difficult one, because we want to stay busy....we want to remain in the company of others and we don’t like to be alone....but stopping to rest in the quiet presence of the Lord is truly one of the most spiritually-enriching things we can do for ourselves.

And so the apostles heeded the command of their master, and verse 32 says that they got in a boat and went away to a desolate place by themselves. So if we follow the narrative of Mark’s gospel, remember that they were formerly in Nazareth at the beginning of Mark 6. Well, in John’s account of the feeding of the 5,000, it say in John 6:1 (SLIDE) “After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.” This was an alternative name for the sea of Galilee as Tiberias was the largest and most important city in Galilee and was the regional capital for Herod Antipas, who, if you remember from our study from last week, was the tetrarch of this region.

And so it’s likely that Jesus and the apostles departed from Tiberias and went to the other side of the Galilee to a small town on the northeast side called Bethsaida (SLIDE), which Luke mentions in his account of the story. Bethsaida means “house of fishing” or “house of hunting”, and according to John 1:44, it was the hometown of Andrew, Peter, and Philip. Now as they made this trip to Bethsaida, its interesting that all four gospels record that the crowds saw them travel across the sea of Galilee and they followed them by foot. Keep in mind, Tiberias to Bethsaida is about 5 miles as the crow flies, so along the coastline, its easily a 6-7 mile trip. That’s nothing in a car, but imagine walking that by foot, just to follow Jesus and his disciples. These crowds were obviously willing to go to great lengths just to receive their miracle. In fact, Mark tells us explicitly and Matthew implies in his account that the crowds actually beat them Bethsaida.

And so Jesus and the apostles land at Bethsaida, and I love this next description by Mark 6:34 (SLIDE) “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.” And this leads us to our next point - that Jesus (SLIDE) is the Prophet who provides grace and mercy. When Mark says that Jesus had compassion, he’s using a form of the Greek word “splanchnizomai” - which comes from a root word meaning inward parts. And Jesus is having a visceral reaction to his observation of the people, in that he is physically moved with compassion for crowds. We see similar reactions on the part of Jesus in Matt 9:36, 14:14, 15:32......here in Mark 6:34, 8:2, 9:22, and in Luke 7:13 and 15:20.

Jesus is the good shepherd who sees people in need and is moved with compassion to act. Many of us see people in the depths of great need, and we are moved to feel sorry for them or to pity them, but Jesus’ compassion is so much greater, because he’s connecting it to the common condition of the human race whenever they are deprived of proper and effective leadership, whether it be spiritual leadership, national leadership, or both. We read about the effects of inadequate or oppressive leadership in the OT in places like 1 Kings 22:17 (SLIDE) “And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’ ”” Or in Ezekiel 34:1–6 (SLIDE) “The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.”

The religious leaders of the nation of Israel were neglecting the cares and concerns of the people and were only interested in feeding and filling and benefiting themselves. And as a result, the weak remained without strength, the sick unhealed, the injured remained exposed, and the lost remained unsought. But Jesus, as our Good Shepherd, came to give strength to the weak....to heal the sick.......to bind up the broken.....and to seek and save the lost. When Jesus looks at our dismal state, he is so moved with compassion that he acts upon it out of great love and offer us the grace and mercy we so desperately need! Mark says that the compassion of Jesus led him to teach the crowd many things. Matthew tells us that he was moved with great compassion and healed the sick. Luke tells us that he welcomed the crowd and spoke to them about the kingdom of God and cured those who needed healing. Jesus is truly the Prophet who provides the mercy we need and the grace we could never deserve!

Now this is where the story gets really good. We read in Mark 6:35–37 (SLIDE) “And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered 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 it to them to eat?”” Notice the stark contrast in the reaction to the crowd on the part of Jesus versus his disciples. Jesus is moved with great compassion, but not the disciples. They’re tired, they’re restless, they’re hungry, they’re irritable......and so they ask Jesus to send the crowds away so they can feed themselves. But notice what Jesus says in response - “You give them something to eat.”

Again, in our own most weakened and irritable state, we can look at the needs of others and grow cold and hardened. We can be so self-consumed with our own wants and desires that we become completely oblivious to the needs of others. And so I think Jesus was teaching his apostles, who were going to carry on his message and his ministry, a very important lesson that we need to remember as well - to follow Jesus means to meet the needs of others. We’re quick in our own frustrations and irritations and pride to forgo compassion and tell others to feed themselves. How often when people genuinely have fallen into bad times, but we are unaware of their circumstances, or don’t take the time to find out more, and we simply cast a broad judgment upon them and treat them like they’re lazy and unwilling to work for what they need.

Yes, we need to be wise and discerning and be aware of those who are ill-intentioned and seeking to take advantage of the kindness of others. And yet, we should never become so judgmental and hardened that we see the suffering of others and not act like our Lord and meet their needs in the moment. And rather than asking God to meet their needs, sometimes I wonder if God is answering those prayers like Jesus did with the disciples here in verse 37 - “You give them something to eat.” You’ve been given so much......you meet their needs! With discernment and wisdom, I think Christians need to be the most charitable and giving people in the world, and in fact, statistics show that Christians tend to be the most generous over all. And we should be, not because we’re trying to prove that we’re good people, but because we actively acknowledge that we’re not intrinsically good, but God is, and He has blessed us with so much so that we can be a blessing to others.

But like the spiritually ignorant and clueless men that they often were.....look at how the apostles responded to Jesus’ challenge. Mark 6:37 And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”” A denarius in their day was the equivalent of a day’s wage for a common laborer, and one denarius could be 15 lbs. of wheat in a basket. And so 200 denarii was likely the amount they estimated that would have been necessary to feed the crowd. And how did the come up with that number? Well, at the end of Mark’s account, as well as in the other gospel accounts, we’re told that there were 5,000 men.....specifically men. And if you then were to count women and children who were likely with them, this crowd could have very well consisted of 10-15,000 people or more. And so whether it was out of sarcasm, or an honest recognition of the immensity of the order, the disciples didn’t see how Jesus’ command could be the least bit possible.

And so Jesus asks them to go and see how many loaves of bread they actually have access to. Now in John’s gospel, we are given an important detail about the time and setting of this event. In John 6:4, we’re told that this is taking place during the Passover, and so it was reasonable to see that thousands and thousands of people were in the area for this great feast of the Jews. In Josephus’ “Antiquities of the Jews”, the famous Jewish historian of the first century records that over 3 million people would descend upon Jerusalem during the Passover Feast. And so maybe Jesus was asking the disciples to go throughout the crowd and see what they could come up, because surely there was someone with some food.

And we we’re told in John 6:8–9 (SLIDE) “One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”” In the other accounts, the detail about the boy is left out, and so when we’re told in Mark’s gospel that after they had found out, they said “Five, and two fish”, this was likely after they received the food from the boy.

So a young boy’s supply of five loaves of bread and two fish were all they could come up with...a meal sufficient for one person........to feed 10-15,000 people. And this is where Jesus flexes on all of them and shows off his true power and provision. Picking up in verse 39 and following........(SLIDE) Mark 6:39–43 “Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.”

So now the stage is being set not just for another amazing miracle on the part of Jesus, but a miracle that Jesus is going to use to point to himself specifically as the fulfillment of one expected to come from the OT. They’ve already retreated to a desolate place, or a wilderness, and now Jesus has the crowds of thousands sit down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. At first glance, this seems to be just some arbitrary thing, but if we put all of this in its proper context, we remember how Israel was divided up into groups and camps during their wilderness experience following their exodus out of Egypt. We read in Exodus 18:25 “Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.”

So Jesus is speaking to a crowd in the wilderness, and is dividing them up into groups in a manner that parallels what Moses did with the Israelites in the exodus out of Egypt. And he’s doing this at what time of the year?.......during the Passover. If we remember the focus of the Passover, which we’ve celebrated the past few years as a church leading up to Easter, and which we’ll be doing again this year, there are four cups of wine that represent four promises made by God to his people - I will bring you out of Egypt....I will free you from slavery......I will save you by my own hand.....and I will take you to be my own people and I will be your God. The fulfillment of these promises is sparked by the Passover when God’s judgment passes over all the Israelite homes that are covered in the lamb’s blood, and then continue as the Israelites flee Egypt and enter into the wilderness.

So as we see this story develop, we’re seeing Jesus intentionally create these significant parallels of this seemingly random event to the greatest story and celebration within the Jewish culture and religion. And continues to create another parallel by what he does next with the bread and the fish. Mark says that he took the five loaves and two fish.....he looked up to heaven and blessed the food....he broke the bread.....and gave it to his disciples to give to the people. Where do we see a similar pattern elsewhere in Scripture? How about Mark 14:22, when Jesus is celebrating the Passover meal with his friends during the Last Supper....(SLIDE) “And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them...”

Jesus is using this miracle and the picture of the Passover to point to this ultimate reality of who he is, which as I said before, is uniquely detailed in John’s gospel. Look at John 6:13–14 (SLIDE) “So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”” If you remember the circumstances involving the life and ministry of John the Baptist, people recognized that he was a prophet of God that held some kind of eschatological and messianic significance, but they couldn’t quite put their finger on it. And so they ask him......are you Elijah, or the Prophet?

Remember the expectations of the Jews in the context of second-temple Judaism.....there was an expectation that Elijah would come back to usher in the coming of the Messiah, according to Malachi 4:5. But when the people asked John if he was Elijah, he denied it. And then they asked him if he was the Prophet? What prophet are they referring to? Let’s consider Deuteronomy 18:15–18, where Moses prophesies to the people in the wilderness (SLIDE) ““The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.”

So when we put all this together......the people following Jesus and the disciples into the wilderness during the time of the Passover celebrations.....Jesus seeing the crowds as sheep without a shepherd.....Jesus dividing the crowds into groups of hundreds and fifties......Jesus breaking the bread and giving it to his disciples like in the Passover meal.....who is he saying he is? He’s the fulfillment of this promise by God himself, to send the people another prophet just like Moses. But this prophet Jesus is the final Prophet.....the ultimate Prophet.....the supreme Prophet.

Remember when the people grew hungry and desperate in the wilderness, Moses prayed and God sent down manna from heaven to feed the people. But remember that they could only take enough as was sufficient for each day. But here, Jesus miraculous multiplies bread and fish, and the text in all four gospels tells us that the people ate their fill and were satisfied. This points to what Jesus would say later in John 6:32–35 “Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

And this brings us to our final point for today.....Jesus is (SLIDE) the Prophet who provides salvation. Moses was able to help satisfy the people temporarily in the wilderness, and was never ultimately able to lead the people out of the wilderness. But Jesus alone can provide true lasting sustenance to where they shall no longer hunger and thirst, because he is the bread of life. And when we feast on Jesus....he becomes our portion and our strength, we never go lacking. Even if we’re lacking in material things, we never feel desperate or wanting when we look to Jesus to feed us and provide for us.

And its Jesus alone who leads us out of the wilderness of our sin and shame and welcomes us into the promised land of salvation. And now we can see why all four gospel writers included this story in their narratives. Yes, its a miraculous story that can create amazing visuals for us to imagine, and it shows us the great compassion and care of our Lord who can make something out of nothing. But more so, this shows us exactly who Jesus is - the long-awaited Messiah and Prophet who has come to satisfy his people set his people free. A quick and final note before we wrap things up for today.....how many baskets of leftovers are we told that were gathered up?......12......how many apostles are there with Jesus?......12......could it be that Jesus is also teaching the apostles something just for them.

In the midst of their physical and emotional weakness, Jesus asked them to do the impossible.....to feed thousands and thousands of people with five loaves of bread and two fish. But when all was said and done, they walked away not only personally satisfied, but enough for each apostle to walk away with a basket of leftovers. In the OT, the God is referred to as Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who Provides, like in Genesis 22 when God a provides a ram in the thicket for Abraham to sacrifice instead of Isaac. And it is the Lord who provides salvation, and its the Lord who provides for all our needs. Could this have been a powerful reminder for the apostles of the tremendous ability of Jesus to bless and to provide more than is sufficient. Could it be that Jesus was reminding them that with man, with our own power and our own understanding, such things are impossible. But with God.......ALL things are possible.

And to that.....we can all say a full and satisfied and overflowing.....AMEN!