Well, Mark sets the scene for the telling of this event by noting how the disciples had recently returned from their evangelistic mission.
You remember from our study earlier in the chapter, Jesus had sent the apostles out on their first kind of mini mission,
and they were going about the regions of Galilee, and they were preaching his word, and they were performing his works.
That's important.
They were doing it in his name, and that's exactly what the focus of their mission was.
They preached the gospel of the kingdom, and they performed the works that Jesus had given them authority to do,
casting out demons and healing the sick and so on.
And as a result of that, the name of Jesus spread even further than it had already spread.
In fact, last week, we realized that the name of Jesus spread all the way to the courts of King Herod,
or King Herod the Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea.
And Mark uses the arrest and death and execution of John the Baptist really as a way of reflecting the passing of time.
And now he's returning back to this issue of the disciples' mission as they are now gathering back to Jesus.
And so if you're just really kind of outlining or sketching out what's actually happening in this chapter,
Jesus teaches the lesson in Nazareth about rejection, and then he sends the disciples out,
and he gives them the instructions there.
And then Mark kind of reflects this passing of time, and he tells this story about John the Baptist,
how he was arrested and how he was put to death, and how King Herod was struggling over who exactly Jesus was.
Well, now that he's finished that particular story, he's returning to the disciples.
The time has passed. Their limited time for their mission has passed, and they're gathering back to Jesus.
And as they gather back to Jesus, there's really two things that they're doing.
They're reporting, and they're resorting.
Let's first look at their reporting in verse 30.
The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught.
So you can probably imagine the excitement on the faces of these men as they gather back,
and they're reunited with Jesus.
They're reunited with one another.
And you can imagine the stories that they begin to tell.
Excitement about all that God had done through them in preaching the gospel,
the people that they were able to heal in the name of Jesus,
and the demons they were able to have authority over because of the authority that Jesus had given them.
Perhaps even stories of rejection and the times that they did actually have to shake off the dust from their garments
and pronounce judgment on a particular town or a particular group of people.
Great excitement as they come back, and they begin to report,
this is what happened as we were out accomplishing the will of Jesus.
And we see that this pattern of reporting is actually clear in the New Testament.
It wouldn't only happen in this case.
It's actually a very natural thing.
As we get into the later New Testament books in the book of Acts,
we see the apostle Paul in particular and the other people who ministered with him
occasionally and periodically circling back around to their home churches.
And what were they doing?
They were reporting and resorting, taking time for rest,
reporting on all the work that God was doing in other places.
And missionaries do that still today.
They send letters or maybe videos or maybe they go on furlough assignments
and they go around to some of the churches to which they've been connected
to report on this is what God is doing.
These are the blessings that we have seen as a result of his hand.
These are the protections that he has given despite the difficulty,
and they report back on what God is doing.
And then we understand that God has built this into the fabric of the church.
That it doesn't just relate to those who are missionaries
and those who are going out on particular missions for the gospel's sake.
This actually applies to each one of us.
Think about this.
Our time of gathering Sunday by Sunday,
there should be some type of element of excitement
to which we're gathering back again with the people of God
in order to excitedly share with them what God is doing in us
and what God is doing through us.
In fact, we should be so engaged in gospel mission throughout the week
that every time we gather back together, there is more to share.
There is more about who we have been able to witness to the gospel with
and how God has blessed our lives and how he's using our lives.
The difficulties maybe that we're going through and that we're trusting God for.
But how seldom does that actually happen?
We don't have a lot of reports to give.
And sometimes it may just be out of timidity.
Sometimes it may be because we're not really all that engaged
throughout the week in what God has called us to do.
There's not really anything to report.
I think about it.
If this became the fabric of the culture of Lakeside Bible Church,
every week as we're gathering, we're sharing what God is doing.
We're talking of God's work in our lives and his work through our lives.
And it becomes an encouragement in God's mission.
It becomes exhortation for others to be involved in God's mission.
It helps us know how to pray for one another
because our lives are not just about what we want to do.
Our lives are about Jesus and what he has called us to do.
And why wouldn't we talk about that?
So they're reporting and they're reporting excitedly.
And then they're resorting.
Look with me at verse 31.
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 so despite the excitement from the reports,
they were weary.
They were tired.
Crowds were continuing to press upon them insofar as they were unable to even have a meal.
They couldn't stop even for just a few minutes to sit down and eat some bread.
And it's a helpful reminder to us as if we need the reminder
that life in the church at times can be draining, can't it?
These men are weary.
They're tired.
And they have no moment for a break.
But then we see Jesus is not a heavy-handed taskmaster, is he?
He understood the men's exhaustion.
And he insisted that they withdraw for a while to rest.
We can't pass this up.
But I want you to notice the two components of this rest.
They were to be with Jesus.
And they were to go to a quiet place of solitude.
Now, the intention of this from Jesus' perspective
was not to give these men a vacation.
That's not what this is about.
It's not that we go, and of course,
I'm not saying that we shouldn't vacate.
We need to do those things.
We need to do that.
God cares about our physical rest.
Certainly does.
That's why he's given us a Sabbath.
And we need to understand that.
But that's not what Jesus is doing here.
He's not saying, you guys have been working hard.
Let's go for a week to the beach.
Okay, that's not what he's saying.
Here's the rest that they needed.
They needed to be with him.
And they needed to be with him alone.
James Edwards said this.
The gathering of the disciples to Jesus means
that in the midst of business and busyness,
they are accountable to him alone.
And the greater the demands on them,
the greater their need to be alone with Jesus.
So don't miss the lesson here.
We regularly need quiet solitude with Jesus.
Jesus, no effort in this life,
no matter how noble it may be,
should ever prevent us from nurturing
our personal walk and fellowship with God.
And if we're not careful,
busyness will very quickly become the enemy
of spiritual growth.
And even good and necessary things like work
and parenting and even ministry
can devolve into forms of idolatry
when we allow those things to become the priority
even over our personal walk with the Savior.
We need to resort daily in solitude with Jesus.
We need time in his word.
We need time in prayer.
And we need to make that time.
We need to find rest in the weekly gathering of God's people.
That's a part of what our worship is.
It's a time of spiritual rest.
Perhaps even it would do some of us good
to take a day off
and go away somewhere
for the sole purpose
of spending time with Jesus.
to spend time in his word
and time in prayer
and not do anything else
but refresh ourselves
in our Savior.
And it was in this pursuit
of this rest
that the story unfolds here.
And Mark writes in verse 34
that when Jesus saw these people,
he viewed them as if they were sheep
without a shepherd.
And that's the lens through which
I want to view the main body of this text.
that Jesus is the good shepherd
that all of us desperately need.
And so let's look at it together.
Number one,
the good shepherd cares for the sheep.
The good shepherd cares for the sheep.
Look with me at verse 32.
They went away in the boat
to a desolate place by themselves.
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 we often think of these voyages
on the Sea of Galilee
as if they are being taken
across the open waters,
literally crossing the entire length
or breadth of the lake.
And there are certainly times
in the scripture
where we can be confident
that that is the case.
However, most of the time,
these small fishing vessels,
as they're traveling from town to town,
maybe perhaps more than anything else,
just to get off their feet,
they would follow the shallow shorelines
of the Sea of Galilee
or the Lake of Galilee.
Luke tells us that they were actually
specifically heading
toward the area around Bethsaida.
And so Bethsaida is just northeast
of Capernaum.
And it's reasonable for us to conclude
based on the movements of Jesus
and his disciples at this point,
that where they started
was somewhere southwest of Capernaum.
And Capernaum is right,
almost directly north of the lake.
And so you can imagine
they're somewhere southwest of that.
And they begin to follow
the shallow waters of the shoreline,
kind of around the top part of the lake,
on their way to a desolate place
near Bethsaida.
And as they're going past these towns,
these fishing villages,
particularly Capernaum,
where Jesus had really set up
his home base,
as they pass through these areas,
people began to recognize who it was.
And they started to follow them
on the shore.
Now the topography of the Galilean region
made this easy for them to do.
So as the ship is slowly
maybe sailing the shallows,
more and more people realize
and recognize who it is
because they've been following him
for some time now.
And they begin to follow along
on the shore,
just waiting for him to stop somewhere.
And as they go from town to town
and from village to village,
more people add to the mass of people.
And it just becomes this huge crowd.
And as they sailed along
and they got closer and closer
to the regions of Bethsaida,
the crowd really grows considerably.
And so it's at the point
where they're actually waiting on the shore,
not because they knew
where Jesus and these men were going,
but they just literally followed them.
And the men had to stop somewhere.
And wherever they were going to stop,
there was going to be
a whole lot of people.
And so as they're traveling around,
they get to the area.
Thousands of people are now gathered
to see Jesus.
Now remember,
the intention of this trip,
at least from the disciples' perspective,
was not to engage in ministry.
They needed rest and solitude with Jesus.
And I can imagine,
because I know my own tendencies,
that there were feelings of frustration
that began to grow
among these 12 disciples
that were with Jesus.
Now one option for them
would have been just to keep sailing.
Eventually, they're going to come to a place
where it would be more difficult
for those people to cross.
And maybe they would eventually go so far
as the people would just stop following.
And perhaps that is what the disciples
hoped that Jesus would do.
Just keep sailing.
Just keep sailing until we have a place
where we can just be alone.
But instead of passing on,
Jesus was determined to minister
to the people.
Why?
Mark says it was because of his heart
of compassion.
Because he cared for those people deeply.
This word for compassion,
it literally,
it's the Greek word for guts.
Like we could say that
I love you with all my heart
and it would be the equivalent of saying
I love you with all my guts
is how it would have,
the nomenclature that they would have used
in that particular time.
When it says that he's moved
with compassion at this moment,
it's the fact that Jesus sees
all these people on the shore,
they're looking for him
and he can't help
but care compassionately
for those people.
He needed rest too.
But when he saw them,
he couldn't help
but feel his heart
move towards them.
Feel his heart of compassion
and those fires
flare up once again
in order to go to those people
and serve those people
and teach those people.
Why?
Because they were like sheep
without a shepherd.
No one was leading them in truth.
They didn't understand.
They were all looking
for the wrong things.
They all said they were looking
for the same thing,
the Messiah,
but they were all looking for it
in the wrong places.
They had a misunderstanding
of what that really was
and Jesus so moved
with compassion towards them,
abandons this moment of rest
in order to go to these people
and minister to them.
Why?
Because the good shepherd
cares for his sheep.
And there's not the only place
in the Gospels
that we see this language used.
Matthew chapter 9,
36 through 38.
Matthew wrote,
when Jesus saw the crowds,
he had compassion on them
for they were harassed
and helpless
like sheep without a shepherd.
And in that compassion,
he turns to his disciples
and he says,
the harvest truly is plenteous,
but the laborers are few.
Pray therefore,
the Lord of the harvest,
that he would send more laborers
into his harvest.
One thing that we know
everywhere Jesus goes
is his heart of compassion.
And his main concern
in this compassion
was that the people
were not being led in truth.
And there's this sense
of overwhelming compassion
was the product of his desire
for them to know
the truth of salvation
and the truth of the kingdom
of God.
And we know this is the case
because at the very end
of the verse,
his response to their need
was to do what?
Teach them.
When the disciples saw the crowd,
they likely saw an obstacle
to their rest.
When Jesus saw the crowds,
he saw another opportunity
to preach the gospel
and help the people.
Why?
Because he cares.
He cares.
Infinitely
about our souls,
he cares.
He cares for you.
It's not by happenstance
that you sit
in this service today
when we come
to a passage
that specifically deals
with the compassionate heart
of our Savior.
That's not by chance.
You're here
because he cares for you.
You hear this message today
because he cares for you.
Because he has moved
with compassion on you.
And the compassion
that he feels for you
begins with your knowledge
of the truth.
He wants you to know the truth.
The truth of who he is.
The truth of how he alone
can provide salvation
and forgiveness
and eternal life.
Charles Weigel knew this well.
He wrote about it
in a song in 1932.
You may know it.
I'm sure you do.
I would love to tell you
what I think of Jesus.
For I've found in him
a friend
so strong and true.
I can tell you
how he changed
my life completely.
He did something
that no other friend
could do.
And what was it?
Charles wrote.
No one ever cared for me
like Jesus.
There's no other friend
so kind as he.
No one else
could take the sin
and darkness
from me.
Oh how much
he cares
for me.
If there's nothing else
you get from this passage
get this.
He cares
for you.
And his main concern
for you
is not that you get
a little bit of bread
and a little bit of fish
for lunch today.
what he cares
is that you understand
who he is
and that you would
turn from your sin
and that you would
believe him
and trust him
for eternal life.
For eternal life.
That you would follow him
as Lord.
Without his care
we'd all be without hope.
But the good shepherd
cares for the sheep.
Secondly
the good shepherd
provides for the sheep.
The good shepherd
provides for the sheep.
So these verses
verses 35 to 41
really make up
the main body
of the narrative
and I want to examine it
with two headings in mind.
First is a human crisis.
A human crisis.
Look with me
at verse 35.
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.
So at this point
the teaching
had probably
gone on
for several hours
and a legitimate
crisis was
beginning to mount.
Daylight was fleeting.
It was probably
about four in the afternoon
this time of year
somewhere around April.
The sun would have
gone down
around six o'clock
so we're somewhere
in the middle
to late afternoon.
The disciples can tell
that the day
is coming to a close.
They're in a remote place.
There's no towns
or villages near
and there was
no place
for the people
to get any food.
So the disciples
recognized a legitimate need
but you can't help
but get the feeling
that this is more
than about
the need of the people.
You get the sense
that they saw this
as a way
to finally get
these people
to go away
so that they could
do what?
Get the rest
that they wanted
and really
that they needed.
They knew
as long as
Jesus kept teaching
the people
were going to
stick around.
And so they come
to Jesus
interrupting
whatever may have
been going on
and then they take
more of a commanding
role over Jesus
and they instruct him
on what they feel
he needs to do
at that moment.
I don't want to
disparage the disciples
in a way
that's unnecessary
but I can't help
but read this
with flashbacks
to chapter one.
You remember
in Capernaum
when all of those
people were coming
to Jesus for healing
and he healed people
all throughout the night
and he gets up
super early
the next morning
before everybody
else gets up
and he goes
into a solitary
place to pray
and then everybody
is trying to find him
and the disciples
finally find him
in order that they
can control his
movements
and then he shocks
them and he says
no we're going
to go to other
towns because
I came to teach
and we need to
go teach them
also.
And so we get
flashbacks here
the disciples
are frustrated
they're tired
and they're weary
but Jesus knew
the needs of the
people better
than anyone
but they still
felt that it
was necessary
to take action
that seems
to undermine
Jesus'
authority here.
Now let's look
at how Jesus
responds
verse 37
but he answered
them
you give them
something to eat
and they said
shall we go
and buy
200 denarii
worth of bread
and give it
to them to eat
and he said
how many loaves
do you have
go and see
and they had
found out
and said
five and
two fish
now can you
imagine the
immediate reaction
on the disciples
face when
Jesus told
them to feed
the people
the whole
reason that
they tried
to instruct
Jesus anyways
is because
they couldn't
feed the
people
and they're
trying to get
Jesus to send
these people
away in order
so that they
can get
some dinner
and you can
sense that
their frustration
reaches its
peak at this
point and it's
not very difficult
to sense the
sarcasm in
this right
Jesus looks
at them and
says you
give them
something to
eat a
denarii was
a day's
wage for a
common laborer
and so 200
denarii would
have been like
two-thirds
year salary
these men just
got back from
a mission trip
where Jesus
told them
don't take
anything with
you they
have no money
there's no
money that these
men have so
it's not that
they're coming
to Jesus
and saying
all we have
here is 200
denarii do you
think we should
go and and
buy some bread
for all these
people with this
money that's not
what they're
saying they're
saying this is
absurd we have
no food we have
no money we have
no provisions how
are we supposed to
feed these people
this is sarcasm on
their part this is
frustration on
their part they
didn't have the
kind of money it
would take and
even if they did
there was no place
to buy it
they're in the
middle of nowhere
so Jesus moves
to his second
instruction and
he says well
tell me what you
do have go and
find out and
they come back
John tells us
that it's Andrew
Simon Peter's
brother that comes
back and he has
with them the
lunch of a little
boy there's five
small cakes and
two fish so do
you see what
Jesus is trying to
get across to his
disciples here there
was a crisis at
hand and they
were powerless to
help that's the
point why did he
say give them
something to eat
because he knew
they didn't have
anything to give
them to eat he
knew they didn't
have any money he
knew there were
only five pieces of
bread and two
fish that are out
there in the crowd
he knew it that was
the point you can't
feed them it's an
impossible task they
can't feed themselves
there's nothing and
nowhere for them to
go Jesus wasn't
losing his mind and
nor was he trying to
push the disciples
buttons he was
making it clear no
one could meet the
needs of those people
except him that's the
point you can't help
these people but I
can now I want to
note before we move
on this was not a
lack of faith on the
disciples part sometimes
we think that we think
that they bring this
this lunch to Jesus and
I think it's Andrew
that says what are
these among so many
okay I don't think
that's that's a lack
of faith thinking
that Jesus can't do
anything with this
this is just
frustration because
they don't want him
to do anything with
it really is what it
is think about
everything they've
seen they've seen
Jesus cleanse lepers
that's impossible
but he did it
they've seen Jesus
heal sick people
everywhere that they
went they've seen
Jesus cast out
demons they were on
a boat thinking
they were about to
die and Jesus says
three words and all
of nature obeys his
voice they've seen
all of that just
after they watched
him raise a little
girl from the dead
okay there's no
question in their
mind of what Jesus
can do this isn't a
matter of faith it
wasn't that they
doubted Jesus's
ability to feed the
people it's that they
didn't care if he did
or not they were
exhausted they were
hungry they were now
hangry and they were
so caught up in their
circumstance that they
just preferred that the
people try and find
provision in another
place now how many of
us have that same
tendency we know that
Jesus can save people
and we know that Jesus
will save people and
he'll save anyone who
comes to him genuinely
in faith and repentance
but do we care if he
saves people and do we
care if they come
God forbid that we ever
get so wrapped up in our
own circumstances that we
would sooner send people
away to find help on
their own than actually
make the effort to lead
them to the Savior that
can save their soul but
we're too tired to do
that we're too exhausted
to do that there's other
things we'd rather do and
we'd just sooner Jesus
send them to somebody
else no he was a
compassionate shepherd
he's a compassionate
Savior and he demands
that we be the same
compassionate toward
those whom he can save
so there's a human crisis
and now there's a divine
solution divine solution
look at verse 39 then
he commanded them all to
sit down in groups on the
green grass so that they
sat down in groups by
hundreds and by fifties
taking the five loaves and
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 so they he's
established the fact that
the people can't help
themselves he's established
the fact that the
disciples can't help them
either so it all relies on
Jesus now it always relied
on Jesus he takes control
and after organizing the
people in smaller groups he
initiated a solution that
only the almighty God could
accomplish it was an act of
creation you realize that we
don't know exactly how he did
this we don't know exactly the
the the process by which he
multiplied all of this food
all we know is that it was an
act of creation well there's
only one creator what does that
say about Jesus he is the
creator
notice the sequence of this
miracle he took the bread and
he blessed it and he broke it
and he gave it now it's probably
not an unusual table manner for
first century Jews but there's
foreshadowing in this there's
another passage where Jesus
followed the same sequence it's
in Matthew 26 says now as they
were eating this is the last
supper Jesus took the bread and he
blessed it and he broke it and he
gave it and he said take eat this
is my body and he took the cup and
when he had given thanks he gave it
to them saying drink all of it for
this is my blood of the covenant which
is poured out for many for the
forgiveness of sins say what is this
all about
when Jesus broke the bread on the
night of his arrest he was
symbolizing how his body would soon
be broken for the sins of man
when he looks up with these 5,000
people or more gathered around him
and he takes these five lobes and
he looks up to heaven and he blesses
it and then he breaks it and then he
gives it to the disciples to
distribute out to all of the people
he's foreshadowing this supper he's
foreshadowing the fact that he
himself is the one that will be
broken for those people listen this is
not about how we should be willing to
give Jesus our lunch it's about him
giving us what he has to offer it's
not about how he will meet our material
needs if we just trust him it's about
how he alone can meet our eternal need
of salvation from sin and death this
miracle is not about Jesus providing
5,000 people with bread it's about how
he has provided eternal life for an
innumerable number of people in fact this
is exactly how Jesus himself interpreted
the miracle in John chapter 6 the very
next day John says Jesus and his
disciples go to another place and the
people find him and they ask him for
more bread and he says you didn't you
didn't care to find me today to see a
sign you just want more food and they
essentially said yeah give us some more
food listen what Jesus said John chapter 6
verse 29 he answered them this is the
work of God that you believe in him whom
he has sent and then they said to him
then what sign do you do that we may see
and believe now wait a minute they were
part of the 5,000 the day before they saw
this sign they're not looking for a sign
they're tempting Jesus they're placing they
can play against any potential pride that he
may have to provide them with more food they
go on and they say what sign do you do that
we may believe what work do you perform our
fathers ate manna in the wilderness as it is
written he gave them bread from heaven to
eat in other words hint hint Jesus the sign
we'd really love you to perform is why don't
you give us manna from heaven what did Jesus
say 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 and they said
oh this is what we're talking about Jesus
thank you give us this bread always they say
Jesus says I am the bread I am the bread of
life whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever
believes in me shall never thirst they say just give us
some more bread and he says listen the bread of God is he
who who he has sent to give life to the world they say oh yeah
this is what we're talking about and he says no you don't get
it I'm the bread I'm the bread believe me and you'll never
hunger believe me and you'll never thirst and he's not talking
about a physical hunger he's not talking about a physical thirst he's
talking about their spiritual soul believe me and your soul will never be
hungry again believe me and your soul will never thirst again the miracle
yesterday wasn't about feeding you it's about me I am the bread
people often come to Jesus seeking the goods that may come from his hands but what we all truly
need is Jesus himself
we got all these churches and these pastors that are trying to manipulate people into thinking if you
will just come here if you will come and submit yourself here God will give you everything that
you want no we won't no we won't but he'll give you everything that you need because what you need is him
material gain and success are not guarantees of the gospel nor does Jesus always provide it to
those who come to him in faith these were prosperity gospel seekers in John 6 he is the guarantee of the gospel and all who come to him in faith and repentance will receive eternal life that's you
later in John 6 he says all that the father gives me will come to me and whoever comes to me I will not cast away ever
come to him
not for more money or for success or for happiness because you may not get any of those things
come to him
for him
because when you have him
you have a life
real
eternal
life
thirdly the good shepherd is sufficient for the sheep
cares for the sheep
he provides for the sheep
remember we're framing this around the good shepherd because of what Jesus noticed
they were without a shepherd
and he is the shepherd that they needed he's the shepherd that we need and he's sufficient
for the sheep
look at verse 42
and they all ate and were satisfied
and they took up the 12 baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish and those who ate the loaves
were 5,000 men
now I don't have a lot to say about these verses except to note
that every person that came to Jesus
was satisfied
every person that came to Jesus
was satisfied
5,000 men ate that day according to Mark
Matthew's quick to point out that there were plenty of women and children there as well
we don't know exactly how many people were there
there's lots of suggestions
we don't know
what we do know
is that everybody that was there
left
full
and as we consider this in light of its gospel meaning
we need to recognize
that Jesus alone
is sufficient
to satisfy
fully
the need of our souls
those people ate bread that day and they got hungry again
but anybody that comes to Jesus
he's sufficient
so that you will never again hunger
and thirst
no person ever comes to him in faith
without being totally satisfied
we sing about this
I rejoice in my redeemer
greatest treasure
wellspring of my soul
I will trust in him
no other
my soul
is satisfied
in him
alone
we sing that
it's an interesting note about the 12 baskets that were remaining
I don't think that this was Jesus's way of throwing the whole ordeal back in the disciples face
I don't think this was an I told you so moment
I don't think that's what he's doing
I really think it's just an earnest reminder
to them
of his identity
who he is
because they didn't get it
we know they didn't get it
because when we come to the next passage next Sunday
Mark plainly says
their hearts were hardened
and they did not understand about the loaves
and we'll deal with that then
but they didn't get it
but this is just another reminder
earlier they had acknowledged the lack of provision
but now they were forced to see the abundance that was left over
yet another sign that the man that they followed
was not only a man
he is God
he is the Messiah
now tell me
who fed the 5,000
Jesus did right
who gave the people the food
the disciples did
did you notice that
Jesus didn't walk through each group of 150
with that little bit of fish and bread
and hand it to the people
that's not what he did
he probably stayed in one place
and he gave it to his disciples
and they took it to the people
now
they didn't make the food
what'd they do
they just took it to the people
they couldn't force the people to eat
all they could do
was take what Jesus had given them
to somebody else
this is what each of us are called to do
we don't make the food
we can't feed anybody
we're just the servers
we take what he has given
and we give it to everyone else
now
how good of a server are you
it's not the point of this passage
but I can't help it
I can't help it
because we always think of the fact
that Jesus fed the 5,000
but Jesus didn't hand a piece of bread and fish
to anybody there
except for the people that already belong to him
guess what
if you know Christ
you belong to him
so take this gospel meal
and give it to somebody else
miracle took place
because Jesus saw
the people as sheep
without a shepherd
and he knew that he was
the only one sufficient for them
so I think it'd be helpful
for us to close
in John chapter 10
you can turn there if you want
John chapter 10
beginning at verse 14
Jesus said
I am the good shepherd
he just plainly states it
I'm the good shepherd
I know my own
and my own know me
just as the father knows me
and I know the father
and I lay down my life
for the sheep
that's how he feeds us
you realize that
that's the food
and I have other sheep
that are not of this fold
I must bring them also
and they will listen to my voice
so there will be one flock
one shepherd
for this reason the father loves me
because I lay down my life
that I may take it up
again
no one takes it from me
but I lay it down
of my own accord
I have authority
to lay it down
and I have authority
to take it up again
this is the charge
I have received
from my father
what makes him
the good shepherd
that he laid down
his life
for the sheep
his death
is our death
and because he has authority
to take his life
up again
as he did in his resurrection
he has authority
to give life
to all
who will come to him
in faith
he said
there are still people
not of the fold of Israel
that he intends
to bring into his flock
are you one of them
do you hear his voice
because he said
my sheep
hear my voice
and they know me
do you hear his voice
if you do
harden not your heart
listen
and believe
and obey