Satisfaction
Mark 2026 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:
And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?
And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.
And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.
And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.
Introduction
Introduction
In our passage this morning, we see the second of the great feedings of Jesus. The first was for mostly Jewish people and the second seems to be for mostly Gentiles. No matter who you are, there is satisfaction for you in Jesus Christ.
Mark was likely the first Gospel written. Under the inspiration of God, he writes with an intent to point his readers toward the Cross and the Empty Tomb. Those who read are faced with a question: who is this Jesus?
As we grow in our walk with God this year, we want to be Following in the Life of Faith. That means that we must begin with the correct Person to put our faith in. Mark gives us the message of Jesus to all people.
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Will you commit each day to believe God and His promises? Will you confess your sins and choose to grow in relationship to Him? If you have not yet, will you believe in Him for salvation? Let’s Follow in the Life of Faith this year and see God do something amazing!
One of the challenges of our lives is to find something or someone to satisfy us. Maybe we are interested in a hobby or our work. Perhaps there is some rest in our family or friendships.
CS Lewis talked about this in several of his writings. He was looking his entire life for what he called “Joy”. In his book The Pilgrim’s Regress, he describes the many ways that he was searching for this “Joy” in the things of the world. He looked to many different people for what they might use as as substitute for this “Joy”. Each person who claimed to have the answer ultimately was substituting for that which would truly satisfy.
We all want to be satisfied. We want to sit back on a beautiful afternoon and look out at our house, yard, and think, “I am happy with my life.” But the truth is that even this will not satisfy. We can think of the example of Solomon and his search for satisfaction. In his summation in the book of Ecclesiastes, he tells us that “all is vanity.” The man with the great crop in the parable of Jesus intends to build bigger barns but God has already determined that evening he will die.
We will never find our peace, satisfaction or a foundation for our life in the things of this world or the people of this life. No matter how hard we look, we will be disappointed. We will only find satisfaction in Jesus and the new life He gives. Jesus says,
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
In our passage this morning, the people are again in need. They need food because they have run out in the wilderness with Jesus. Nothing they can do will satisfy this need. Only Jesus can. What can we learn this morning about being satisfied?
Declaration
Declaration
God sees the faithfulness of those who are seeking Him. These people had reached the end of their resources. Today, we can be thankful for the provision of God for us, both spiritually and physically.
1. The Needs of the People
1. The Needs of the People
In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?
The first reality we see this morning is the needs of the people. They need food. They “have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat.” Jesus has been in the wilderness, probably teaching the people. Mark does not tell us but it seems to be the case as the previous chapter ended with a multitude and the healing of the deaf and dumb man in the Decapolis.
There is a physical need of food. As Jesus sees the people again, He has compassion on them. This is the care of Jesus for all people. If He sent them away, they would not be able to make the journey as He says in verse 3. The needs of each person are clearly visible and cared for by God. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminded us of the care of God for each person.
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Jesus saw the people and had compassion on them. He turns to the disciples and says to them, “I have compassion…they will faint by the way.” The key to this miracle is in the statement in verse 3 "they will faint by the way". Jesus knows that the journey will be long and hard. He knows that the people are not able to do it without the provision that only He can provide. They are now hungry but He wants to satisfy them and give them the strength to make it back home. We will see that Jesus sends the people away only when they have been filled in verse 9.
In response to the need that Jesus identifies, we see the response of the disciples. They have seen God provide for them when they were traveling and preaching and healing in chapter 6. They have seen Jesus feed over five thousand people after teaching them about the kingdom. And, when Jesus communicates the need to them, their first thought is “from whence can a man satisfy these men with bread”? A man cannot but God can!
There will always be those who will doubt what God will do. Verse 4 is the key question that we all have in the face of a need. The word that they use “satisfy” is defined by one dictionary (Brill) as “to feed, lead to pasturage.” How can a man help me in my need? How can I get out of my problem or concern? How can I have victory over that same sin? How can I see something happen in my life? How can a man do that and satisfy my need?
Jesus indicates something similar in the Feeding of the Five Thousand. How can a man bring pasture to these people?
And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
Jesus knows the needs and He is the Good Shepherd. He can satisfy even in the midst of the wilderness. He can meet a need even when there seems to be no hope. The Psalmist tells us,
I am the Lord thy God, Which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. But my people would not hearken to my voice; And Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: And they walked in their own counsels. Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, And Israel had walked in my ways!
People will doubt God all around you. But Jesus is still the One who works in miraculous ways. Jesus is teaching the disciples to expect God to do something. William Carey, the missionary pioneer to India, famously said
Christian Quotations Introduction
Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.
We must expect God to do something. We must believe that He knows our need and that He has a plan. God has lead us here for a purpose to glory Himself and strengthen our faith. The disciples have seen wonderful things. The people have seen a great miracle and heard the Word of God. There is a need and surely God will do something! Parker reminds us,
It is well for a man to be startled out of himself, to be taken to the very limit of the possible, and to be told by God to throw himself over into the impossible. It was so, practically, in this case. Hear the startling word,—Feed four thousand people with seven loaves and a few small fishes!
The solution of Jesus for the needs of man is a gift that must be taken by faith. The disciples need faith. We need faith. We need to remember the goodness of God. Israel doubted God would provide food in the Exodus. They called out to God,
Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
Jesus knows the need of the people. It is a real need. It is a dangerous need. The need of the people is for satisfaction. The disciples have no solution for their need. Man has no way for satisfaction in the wilderness. Only Jesus does.
2. The Provision of Jesus
2. The Provision of Jesus
And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.
We see in verses 5-9, the provision of Jesus. The people have a need. There is no way for man to fill that need. Jesus provides.
The disciples ask our question in the trials of life: “From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?” Jesus says let me answer your question with a question: “How many loaves have ye?" in verse 5. The response of Jesus is “what do you have that I have provided?”
All our resources must be taken to Christ if we would make them truly availing to the necessities of men.
We have been given what we need for the faithful Christian life. We have all of His Word. We have access to the throne of God. We have the examples of those who have gone before us. We have an opportunity to increase our faith. Each week we are seeing from the book of Mark that God has chosen for us to learn faith in 2026. We go through trials and God wants us to live by faith. Paul tells us,
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
The men respond to Jesus that there are seven loaves. In the Feeding of the Five Thousand, Jesus took five and fed over 5,000 people. This time there are two more. Jesus tells them to sit on the ground. Jesus then feeds the people.
Jesus does two things here with the bread and fish. In verse 7, the disciples also bring Jesus several fish. Jesus “blessed” and He “gave thanks” for the bread and fish.
Blessing is asking for God to do something with what is being mentioned or offered. Jesus wants God the Father to use the bread to satisfy the people.
Giving thanks is acknowledging that God is the source of what is before them at the meal. This word is only used by Mark here and in chapter 14 during the “Eucharist” or Lord’s Supper.
And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.
In other words, this is a picture to tell these people, Gentiles, that the kingdom is here for all people. There is no longer Jew and Gentile. Instead, there is just saved and unsaved. Every person has an opportunity to receive salvation. The Lord’s Supper was called “the Eucharist” for a long time because it is an opportunity to remember the sacrifice of Jesus for our sin and the new life in Him. We give thanks for what He has done for us. We no longer call it the “Eucharist” because that is identified today with a doctrinally incorrect practice found in Catholic churches.
When Jesus takes, give thanks, and brakes the bread, He only does it once. When He distributes it to the disciples and to the people, the Greek tells us that He continued to do it until all were filled. Jesus continues to give until all are satisfied. The same word used by the disciples in verse 4 as “satisfy” is the word used of the provision of Jesus in verse 8 “were filled.” The need is met by Jesus and the people are full of the provision of God.
Did the disciples have the right reaction to the need that they too faced? The answer is no. They failed this test of their faith. Martin Luther, preaching on this passage, reminds us of the importance of not failing to trust Jesus in the trials of life.
Thirty-Four Sermons on the Most Interesting Doctrines of the Gospel Sermon XXVI: Concerning Trust in God in Penury and Distress (Mark, 8:1–9)
faith is the foundation, whereby I look for that good thing which is neither seen with the eyes, nor heard with the ears, but which I must only hope for
They ate “and were filled” in verse 8. The disciples took up seven baskets large enough to put a person in with the leftover food. What is left is abounding from the provision of Jesus.
This is the same way that God provides for us today. He has provided for physical needs though often never the way we thought. He has heard our cries though we cannot see Him. He has put encouragements around us if we will look up at them.
I feel like that is really where we tend to get off of the path of faith. We look down at the road and the obstacles. We see the problems and needs. We think, “how can a man fix this? How can a person solve this situation?” But if we would just look up at the Cross, the Empty Tomb, and the Occupied Throne, we would see that God can do anything!
This is what we remember in the observance of the Lord’s Supper. We remember that Jesus lived a perfect life (the unleavened bread), died and offered His perfect blood for our sins (the grape juice), and is coming again to rule and reign.
And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.
Jesus wants us to trust Him. He will supply our needs. He cares about us and He will satisfy us. Are you looking to Him this morning?
Conclusion
Conclusion
God sees the faithfulness of those who are seeking Him. These people had reached the end of their resources. Today, we can be thankful for the provision of God for us, both spiritually and physically.
These people have all come to see Jesus in the wilderness. They are looking for something that they cannot find elsewhere. They have come to the right place but they have a need that only Jesus can supply. What did Jesus do? He satisfied them.
Surely food is one of the best illustrations of the provision of God. We eat it at least three times a day. We think about it almost every four hours. When it is missing, we are always wondering where we will find it again. When we have eaten enough, we call ourselves satisfied. “No, I am full. I don’t think I will order dessert today.”
This is what Jesus does here for these people. He will take care of our physical need and our spiritual ones.
What can we do today?
We can repent of our doubts. We can turn from our attitudes and anger. We can confess our complaining to Him. Often, it seems like we are told by those who never seem to have problems to trust God. The reality is that all of us are in trouble because we all struggle with sin and a sin-cursed world.
Will you repent of your attitudes of doubt? The disciples needed to. Will you believe the good news? The good news is that Jesus cares about your needs and He has already met the greatest one - sin.
For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
The disciples and the people in the wilderness were hungry. They had no other way to find food except through Jesus. For each person today, we are hungry for something that we cannot identify. We are hungry for peace with God and peace in our selves. Our hunger, Jesus says, is found in Him.
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
God has supplied your greatest need. Surely, He will satisfy you if you will turn to Him. We will only find satisfaction in Jesus and the new life He gives.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
- Annie Johnson Flint
Where is your satisfaction? Seek it in the compassionate hands of Jesus. Surely, He can and will provide for your needs!
