A Savior Who Cares

Mark 8:1-9

If you brought your bibles turn with me over to the gospel of Mark chapter 8. The gospel of Mark chapter 8 and in a moment we are going to read versus 1-9 as we continue our study in the gospel of Mark this morning.

In the passage we are about to read, we see Jesus is doing two important things. 1. As always, He is demonstrating He is the Messiah, and He is driving that truth home into the hearts and minds of His disciples.

2. In a more direct way. He is teaching the disciples, and us today, that we need to minister to the needy, no matter who they are.

What we learn from this passage is: Jesus cares about the needs of His people. And that is what we are going to talk about today. And we are going to see: in Jesus we have a Savior who cares.

Mark 8:1–9 KJV

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.

Lets pray together,

Heavenly Father we thank you for your word . We thank you for continuing to teach us about you and what you want us to know and to see.

Lord bless our time together, grow your people. Draw those whom you will to you, to be saved. And use your Word to impact our lives.

In Jesus Name, Amen

In our passage this morning, Jesus and His disciples are traveling through Gentile regions of the world, ministering to the people, and they have been doing this for 8 months.

Jesus is using this time, to train and prepare His disciples for when He is no longer with them. A time when they are going to be responsible for taking the gospel to the world.

You see, as Jewish men, the disciples would have been raised to consider Gentiles off limits. They would have been taught, from a very early age, not to have any contact with a Gentile.

And Jesus wants them to understand that the gospel is for everybody. That He didn’t only come to be the Savior of the Jews, but to be the Savior of the world.

To drive that point home , He has taken them through Gentile cities, where He is ministering to the people.

First, He healed the daughter of a Canaanite woman, who begged for the crumbs from her masters table, and then He healed the deaf man with a speech impediment.

Now, He has begun to teach the Gentiles the Word of God. And when our passage this morning opens we learn, He has been teaching them for three days.

When Jesus is ready to send the multitudes away, He acknowledges the fact that they have no food. He can’t send them away hungry, because He knows many of them will not make it home.

So, Jesus does something we seen Him do earlier in His ministry. In Mark 6:34-44, We saw Him do this very same thing in Galilee.

He performed a powerful miracle, when He fed 5000 people. And many bible scholars and skeptics think Mark made a mistake here, and recorded the same event twice.

While the similarities between these two events, cannot go unnoticed, the differences are in the details.

For example, both miracles involved huge crowds. In Mark 6 there are 5000 people, in Mark 8 there are 4000 people.

In both miracles, Jesus used a small amount of bread and a few fish, and it multiplied in His hands as He handed it to the disciples, to give to the people. In Mark 6 there were 5 loaves, here in Mark 8 there are 7.

In both miracles the crowds were satisfied and the disciples picked up large baskets of leftovers. In Mark 6 there were 12 baskets and in Mark 8 there were 7.

In the first miracle Jesus was motivated to feed the people because of their spiritual needs. Mark 6:34 says,“ He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”

Here in Mark 8 He is motivated by their physical needs. He can’t send them away hungry, they will faint along the way.

And the most important distinction between the two stories is the location. In Mark 6 Jesus was feeding Jews in Galilee, and here in Mark 8, He is feeding Gentiles in Decapolis.

And the point Mark is making, by recording these two miracles together, in just a few short chapters is: Jesus is not only, the bread of life for the Jews, but He is the bread of life for the world. He is the God of both, the Jew and the Gentile.

For us this morning, what we learn from this passage is: Jesus is a Savior who cares about our needs. He cares about our spiritual needs and He cares about our physical needs.

I. The Multitude and Their Need

A. Notice Vs. 2, it tells us, they had been with Jesus for three days. For three days Jesus has been leading a revival service among the Gentiles.

Now, He is ready to dismiss the crowds, but He knows the people have used up all their food. They have nothing left to take with them on their journey home.

According to Vs. 3 some of the people have traveled a great distance just to get there. So, what we see in the story is: the people had a common human need they couldn’t meet for themselves.

That is a condition we all find ourselves in from time to time. There are times in each and everyone of our lives when we have physical and material needs. And it is important we understand we have a God who cares about us.

B. Throughout scripture, we see that God’s people had physical needs..

For example, Exodus 16-17 tell us, the children of Israel complained about not having food and water as they journeyed through the wilderness.

In 1 Sam. 21 David was on the run from King Saul and didn’t have anything to eat.

Even Jesus knew what it meant to live in poverty and to go hungry and thirsty.

The point is; we know that suffering is a part of living in this world. Jesus Himself said in John 16:33 ““These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation.”

So, most of us here this morning have experienced tribulation, some type of agony and pain in our life. Most of us know what it means to go without, or to struggle through financial problems.

Some of us have even lived through emotional torture. One thing I know for sure is: every one of us, have been hurt by someone else.

Unfortunately, those are our common experiences in the world we live in. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 2:22–23 “For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun? Because all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity.”

I think we all understand, everyone has needs in life. And That was the condition of the multitude in this story. It is a condition we can all relate to, but they were in good hands, because they were in the hands of Jesus.

The next thing I want you to see in this passage is:

II. The Master and His Compassion

A. Vs. 2 tells us Jesus saw the crowd, and He knew their need. The people had been with Him for three days and they were tired and hungry. He knew that if He sent them away many of them would not make it home.

Notice in Vs. 2 Jesus says, “I feel compassion for the people.” That means His heart went out to them. The word “Compassion” means “to have sympathy with a desire to help.”

In other words, Jesus was moved by their need and He decided to do something about it.

Several times throughout the gospels we see Jesus being moved with compassion, and doing something about it.

In Matthew 14:14, He sees the crowd and He is moved to heal their sick. In Matt. 20:34 He is moved with compassion and He restores the sight of two blind men.

In Mark 1:41 He is moved with compassion to cleanse a leper, and in this story, He is moved with compassion to feed thousands.

That gives us a glimpse into the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ. He sees the need of His people and He is determined to do something about it.

So, I am so thankful today we have a Savior who cares.

1 Peter 5:7 says, “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” And the word “care” means that He takes an interest in what we are going through. Jesus is interested in the things that effect our life.

The compassion of God is something we see throughout scripture. Think about it, who would have cared about the needs of the nation of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness? All they did was grumble and complain. Yet God cared about them and gave them food and water for their journey.

Who would have cared about a slave woman named Hagar and her son? God cared and He came to her personally and provided for her.

Who would have cared about a Gentile widow, who was starving to death? God cared and He sent His prophet, Elijah to bless her and meet her need.

Hundreds of People died everyday in Israel during Jesus ministry. Who would have cared if a man named Lazarus, a twelve year old girl, or the only son of a widow died? No one, but Jesus cared and He raised them all to life again!!

B. The point is: who would have cared if a world that rejected God, hated Christ, and loved their sin would have perished for all eternity in hell? God cared and He sent His Son to die on a cross, so that we might be saved!!

We have a God who gave and cared enough to redeem us from a lost and dying world.

Jesus willingly took our place on the cross. Isaiah 53:4–6 says, “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

I thank the Lord, that we have a God who genuinely cares, about the needs of His people. And was willing to do something about it.

And we should never hesitate to bring our needs to Him. No matter how great or small they are, He knows our situation, and He cares.

Jesus invites us to do that. He invites us to come to Him, because He is moved with compassion to help us. Matthew 11:28–29 ““Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take upon you my yoke for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Are you yoked with Jesus today? Or are you battling through the problems you face on your own?

Paul would teach us in Philippians 4:6–7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

In other words, you can lose sleep at night and go out of your mind worrying. Or you can come to Jesus and with a heart of gratitude give it to Him, and He will fill you with peace. A peace that you can’t even comprehend.

So, in this story we have seen the multitude and their need. It was a need we can all relate to, and we have seen the Master and His compassion. Jesus was moved by their need and He decided to do something about it.

The final thing I want you to see is:

III. The Miracles and its Lessons

A. Notice that after Jesus made His intention known, to feed the people, He is immediately met with doubt.

Look at Vs. 4 says, “And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?”

Remember the disciples had already witnessed Jesus feed over 5000, and yet they still doubted His ability to do the impossible.

In Vs. 5 Jesus asks the disciples the exact same question He asked in Chapter 6, the first time He fed the multitudes. He says, “How many loaves do you have?”

The difference is: In the first miracle the disciples went into the crowd to see how much food the people had. In this miracle, Jesus calls on the disciples to give up whatever bread they have!!

And Just like the first time, Jesus took what He was given, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to His disciples to give away.

And just as it did the first time, the loaves and the fishes multiplied, as He broke them. It was a miracle that took place in the hands of the Lord.

When the meal was finished and everyone was filled, Vs. 8 tells us the disciples collected the left-overs. In the first miracle they picked up twelve baskets full. This time around they collect seven.

But the point is, they had more than enough, not only to the meet, but to exceed the need. And Jesus has more than enough to satisfy us today!!.

An interesting fact that is missed in the English translation is: The basket referred to in the first miracle, was a small basket, able to hold enough bread for one person.

The word used for basket here in Mark 8, was a large basket. A basket large enough to carry a human body.

For example it is the same word used in Acts 9:25, to describe the basket some men used to lower Paul down the outer walls of Jerusalem, when he needed to make a quick escape.

That tells us, this miracle in Mark 8, the amount of food left over was enormous. The disciples may have picked up a couple hundred pounds a piece.

B. There are several lessons we can take away from this miracle. Let me share just a few of the things I see in this with you today.

This miracle reminds us that Jesus is the universal Savior.

When Jesus fed the five thousand in chapter 6, the crowd was made up of predominantly Jewish people. When this miracle takes place in chapter 8, Jesus is feeding Gentiles.

So, He is teaching His disciples, and us today that He came to save a people from every tribe, nation, and tongue. He came first into the world as the Jewish Messiah, knowing He would be rejected by them.

But, ultimately, He came to die on a cross for the sins of His people. He came to give His life for those who would trust Him as their Savior. Jesus is the only Savior and He is the universal Savior.

This miracle reminds us that Jesus is more than sufficient to meet the needs of His people.

Consider Ephesians 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,”

That verse reminds us that there is nothing God can’t do. He is more than able. He is able to meet the needs in your life and mine, no matter how big they are. He is more than enough.

He is able to comfort us through all the storms of life. 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in your weakness.”

He is able to empower us to do His will. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ Jesus, who gives me strength.”

He is able to walk with us, no matter what we face. Hebrews 13:5 “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” and Matt. 28:20 says, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end.”

He is able to be exactly who we need Him to be at every stage in our life. Exodus 3:14 God told Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ””

God’s supply never runs out. He always meets or exceeds our every need.

This miracle reminds us that we are people of little faith.

The disciples had already witnessed Jesus feed an even larger crowd than this, with less food. Yet, they still doubted him when there was a problem. We are no different today. Every time we face a new situation in life we doubt.

Knowing what the disciples knew, they should have looked at this crowd and said, “Don’t worry people, we know you are hungry, but we know Jesus has a plan to feed you. We don’t know how it’s going to happen, but just sit back and trust That He is going to open the heavens for you.”

Let me ask you this, how many times has the Lord come through in your life? How many times has He made a way where there seems to be no way? And yet, we still doubt Him every time we face another trial.

Why? because we are people of little faith. We are just like the disciples in this story. How much better off would we be if we could just trust Him and have the attitude of Job, when he shaved his head, fell to the ground, and worshipped God!!

He said, “Naked I came in to the world and naked I will return, the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord!!”

How much better off would we be if we could just have the attitude of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 when he said, “If I am going to boast, I am going to boast about my weakness, because the power of Christ is made perfect in my weakness. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

This miracle reminds us that great things can happen if we take our needs and put them in the hands of Jesus.

A small amount of bread and a few small fish became more than enough for a great crowd, because it came from the hands of Christ. Those who were there that day did nothing special. They didn’t exercise great faith. They didn’t pray some great prayer. They trusted their need to Jesus.

Conclusion

What is your need today? What are you facing in your life? Maybe your marriage needs to be healed, maybe your finances are in trouble, or maybe your walk with the Lord is failing.

Whatever your need is, put it in the hands of Jesus and trust Him with it. That doesn’t mean that everything will work out the way you want it to. But, it means everything will work our for your good.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

If you are here this morning it is because you have been called according to the purpose of God. God has a plan for your life, and He is working the details out in your life for your good.

That doesn’t mean they work out according to your plan, but according to His plan. Jesus is “A Savior who Cares.”

Lets pray together,

Heavenly Father, we thank you that you love us and that you care about what we need.

But most of all Lord we thank you that you met our greatest need to be saved.

Thank you for your forgiveness, thank you for your grace, thank you for Jesus.

It’s in His Holy Name we pray, Amen!!