What Do You Think Jesus Thinks About You?
Notes
Transcript
Bible Passage: Mark 8:1-10
Bible Passage: Mark 8:1-10
INTRO
INTRO
“Soma Church exists to love the body of Christ and equip them to do the work of ministry here, near and far, all for the glory of God.”
“Soma Church exists to love the body of Christ and equip them to do the work of ministry here, near and far, all for the glory of God.”
If you have been following along in our study through the book of Mark, you may experience a bit of dejavu.
This is because if you turn back in your bibles to Mark 6:30, you are going to see a story that looks almost identical to the one we are reading today in Mark 8.
It is famously called the feeding of the 5000 and today is the feeding of the 4000.
There has been many people who have tried to say that these are the same stories in an effort to discredit the Bible, but Jesus is actually recorded as talking about them as separate moments later in Mark 8…
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.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
And while the similarities we will see between the two are uncanny, I wanna show us today that I believe the intention of our Savior in each account is very different.
but before we dive in let me give you a question that I want for you to chew in as we study…
What do you think Jesus thinks about you?
BODY
BODY
A couple of weeks ago now, we saw Jesus begin a short stint of ministry to the gentile people when He traveled to the region of Tyre and Sidon
Jesus’ primary ministry while walking physically on the Earth was to the Jewish people. He is there promised Messiah after all.
But these are not the only people whom Jesus has come to save.
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
These words from Paul explain to us the reality that Jesus has come to offer salvation to not just A people but ALL people
And the las several months of Jesus’ ministry in the gospel of Mark show this to be true as well.
Today marks the final record in the Gospel of Mark of ministry that is directly focused on the gentile people. He is still somewhere in the Decapolis (where He was last week. Gentile territory).
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, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 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.”
Once again, there is a crowd around Jesus listening and watching intently His every word and movement in order to witness something amazing.
But I wanna focus on something that I find to be very interesting. Look again with me at verse 2
“I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat.
This is the only time in all of the NT in which Jesus is recorded as saying in the first person he has compassion for those to whom He is ministering.
Every other mention of Jesus’ compassion is all in the third person.
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.”
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
But here, with His own words, says to His disciples that upon these people He has compassion.
This word compassion is interesting as well… splagchnizomai (splangkh-nid'-zom-ahee)
to be moved as to one's bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity)
This compassion that Jesus describes Himself feeling comes from the deepest part of Him. It wells up from the inside and comes out as He serves and loves those around Him.
My second child Sophia is rather clumsy and a bit of a space cadet
Sophia hitting her head on the fridge…
Every parent in the room and even those without whose heart is not made of barbed wire, will relate that seeing your/a child in pain, in need, lost or helpless moves you at a deep level that you cannot quite put word to.
This is the heart of Jesus towards these people. and let’s not forget either that this was not the jewish people from whom Jesus was born… These were the gentiles!
If the jews are the haves, these people are the have nots. We have established this at length in our study through Mark, but Jewish Rabbi’s like Jesus focused upon the Jews.
Jesus, the Son of God, second person of the Trinity is flipping the script on what the love of God looks like.
This love is not reserved for people of one ethnicity, socio economic status, political affiliation, or any other man made metric. God’s love is God’s to give.
And He said John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
God’s love is for anyone in the world who would place their faith in Him. and when the do, He saves them from their sin and gives them what they need…
And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 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. And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.
The compassion of Jesus compelled Jesus to do for these people what only Jesus could do.
And the same is true for you and me.
CLOSING
CLOSING
Let’s circle back to that question I asked you at the beginning of our time together… What do you think Jesus thinks about you?
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us…We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. - A.W. Tozer
The way that you think Jesus thinks about you says a lot about how you think about Him.
Is your mental image of Jesus one of harshness, anger and resentment?
Well if so, what do you do with the repeated reminders throughout the gospels of Jesus’ compassion? what do you do with How God has revealed Himself throughout the Bible? Like Exodus 34:6
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
Oh church listen to me, this man, Jesus the Christ is not an angry savior but a gentle and lowly one. He is the God that is full of compassion for the broken and the hurting.
Jesus is not scared of your sin, your pain and your wounds. His heart is actually broken because of them.
And what He does best is meet us in those places and provides healing. He shows up where we are lacking and makes something out of nothing.
He is not moving away from us in our brokenness but rather the opposite.
So is your original answer to the question beginning to change? are you maybe for the first time ever or in a long time beginning to see that Jesus is full of compassion?
Let us not forget that the compassion of Jesus didn’t just lead Him to break some bread and fish but His own body for you and for those 4000 people…
What do you think Jesus thinks about you?
PRAY
