In the last two weeks, we’ve seen that disciples advance the kingdom of God and that advancing the kingdom of God comes at a cost. John the Baptist was beheaded because he refused to compromise God’s Word.
Last week, we saw that Herod’s birthday banquet led to death. In today’s text, Mark makes a stark contrast; he presents Jesus presiding over a feast in the wilderness.
In contrast to Herod, who had the innocent killed to preserve his position of power, Mark presents Jesus as the true leader of God’s kingdom and the one who truly provides for his people.
Sermon text: Mark 6:30-44
Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle besides the resurrection that is recorded in all four of the Gospels.
Jesus has great compassion for people (30-34)
30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 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. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 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.
Jesus cares for those who are weary from ministry (30-32)
30
The disciples (“apostles”) returned to Jesus and reported to him about how their ministry went. Here we see Jesus’ pattern for discipling his followers:
- Teach them.
- Send them out.
- Have them return.
- Report and evaluate.
31
Jesus’’ response: “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”
The disciples were so busy they were finding it difficult to even have a meal – “for many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.”
It’s interesting that Jesus tells his disciples to go to a desolate place, for one recurring theme in Scripture is that God provides rest for his people in the wilderness.
32
The disciples got into a boat and went to a desolate place. They had been ministering to people (Mark 6:7-13) and now needed to rest. We need to learn from this example.
In my experience, I’ve noticed that when it comes to serving and ministering to people, most people alternate between two extremes: doing something all the time or never doing anything at all. Neither are biblical. Jesus shows us that we are to sacrificially love and serve one another, but there are times when we need to be refreshed and renewed.
One of my mentors always used to say, “A man that’s always available isn’t worth much when he is.” In other words, wherever you are, be there. Be present and attentive to those whom you are ministering. Don’t take non-emergency calls during family dinner. Don’t be on your email during family vacation. When you’re having lunch with someone, give them your full attention.
I want to encourage some of you that are always helping and serving to take a day, weekend, or week and spend time with God and be refreshed and renewed. The disciples and even Jesus himself had to rest.
There is nothing spiritual about being a workaholic. At the same time, we should be prepared for ministry if the opportunity presents itself.
Jesus cares for the crowd (33-34)
33
Unfortunately for the weary disciples, the crowd recognized them and ran to where the disciples were going. When Jesus and the disciples arrive, many people are waiting for them.
Notice how Jesus responds in v. 34: “He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.”
Mark describes the people as those who “were like a sheep without a shepherd.”
The phrase “sheep without a shepherd” is an Old Testament picture of Israel without spiritual leadership (Num 27:16-17; Eze 34). In Jesus’ day, the people of God were impoverished by the powerless and lifeless religion of the Pharisees and Sadducees.[1]Robin Sydserff, Teaching Mark, 207. And so, Jesus taught them.
Today, there are people who don’t believe in God. There are many people who think that they will make it to heaven by their good works. Many people that Jesus spoke to on this day probably thought that if they just kept the law well enough and adhered to the extra rules of the Pharisees that they would be okay. The majority of people today have no idea how they can have true peace with God. They are like sheep without a shepherd.
And so, Jesus, seeing their helpless condition, began to teach them. We’re not told the contents of Jesus’ message, but Mark has told us what Jesus taught (see Mark 1:15). When we have true compassion for people, we will not just look to meet temporal needs, but we will share the message that will satisfy their eternal need of peace with God through Jesus Christ.
Jesus supernaturally provides for the needs of people (35-44)
35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 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?” 38 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.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 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. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
35-36
The disciples are tired and the daylight is fading. They tell Jesus to send the people away. Verse 35 is the third time the text mentions that the setting is a “desolate place” (vv. 31, 32, 35).”
37
Jesus shocks the disciples by telling them to feed the crowds: “You give them something to eat.” We learn from v. 44 that the crowd consisted of 5000 men, which probably means there were between 15,000-20,000 people. The disciples insist that they cannot afford enough food for this big crowd. The amount of money (200 denarii) would be worth around $30,000-35,000 USD in 2023.
Jesus is teaching his disciples something here. He wants them to listen to what he says and to trust him for the outcome.[2]Hans F. Bayer, “Mark” in Matthew–Luke, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. VIII, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021), 556.
This is where churches go astray – when they don’t trust the sufficiency of God’s Word. God has told us what to do – love God, love people, and obey the Great Commission. Many churches get distracted and will do whatever it takes to attract carnal people to their services. But God calls us to trust his sufficient Word and to trust him for the results. We are to trust and obey, for that is the way to be happy in Jesus and to please him.
38
Jesus asks the disciples a pointed question: “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”
John 6:9 tells us that the five pieces of bread and the fish were a boy’s lunch. Out of all these people, the disciples were only able to find one person who had something to eat.
The disciples realized that they were way beyond their resources. If Jesus doesn’t intervene, then feeding this crowd is not going to happen. The good news is that God loves to demonstrate his power in our lives! When we have problems that seem insurmountable, we are to look to God. Warren Wiersbe said, “Jesus looked at the situation, not as a problem, but as an opportunity to trust the Father and glorify His name.”
What if we saw every insurmountable situation not as a time to complain, not as a pity party, but as an opportunity to trust the Father and to see him work in our lives?
39-40
Jesus has the people sit down in groups of fifties and hundreds in order to make the distribution easier.
41-44
Jesus looked up to heaven, 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” (v. 41).
Notice that Jesus uses the boy’s lunch to feed the multitude and that he uses the disciples to distribute the food. Jesus could have rained down manna from heaven as in the Old Testament, but he delights in using us to do his work. We are his earthly ambassadors.
2 Corinthians 5:20
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.”
Jesus used his disciples. He gave the fish and the bread to them, and they are the ones that distributed it. The blessing to the people came through the disciples. Jesus is not walking on earth anymore, but he still uses the church, the body of his disciples to be a blessing to those who are without a shepherd.
We see that Jesus has the disciples take part in this compassion ministry and that Jesus can use a very small gift and multiply it for his glory.
Sometimes we think that our small acts of giving or serving don’t do much but Jesus can multiply our efforts. Be faithful and trust God with the results!
What can you give to Jesus that he can multiply?
What can you give to Jesus that he can multiply?
42
Verse 42 says that they all ate and were satisfied. In fact, there were 12 baskets of leftovers (v. 43)!
You see, God is able to supernaturally provide for our needs and we need to look to him as our provider.
Matthew 6:31-34
31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Jesus has great compassion for people. Jesu can supernaturally provide for the needs of people. And finally, Jesus is the Messiah.
Jesus hints at his Messiahship by providing a feast for the people (39-44)
If you only read Mark’s account of this passage, you may not see all the hints about Jesus’ messiahship. I would encourage you to read John 6.
Throughout Mark, Mark presents Jesus as a second Moses who brings salvation to his people.
Here are some messianic hints we’ve encountered so far.
In Mark 1 Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, the same river where the Israelites entered Canaan. After being baptized, Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights. Where Israel failed, Jesus, the true Israel, triumphed.
In Mark 3 Jesus called 12 disciples onto a mountain, just as Moses received God’s law on Mount Sinai and then called the 12 tribes of Israel to obey God’s Law
In Mark 6 and John 6 consider see the following:
- Mark alludes to Num 27:16-17 where Moses prays for someone to replace him after his death so the Israelites wouldn’t be left without a shepherd.
- Jesus has the disciples to have people sit in groups of 50 and 100 just as Moses appointed men to be judges over groups of people of Israel (Exo 18:25).
- When Jesus gave the bread to the disciples, it foreshadowed the institution of the Lord’s Supper, where Jesus gave bread to His disciples. The Lord’s Supper was established within the context of the Passover.
- Many in the crowd were likely on their way to celebrate the Passover (John 6:4). With the Israelites, God miraculously supplied bread from heaven. In our text, Jesus, God in the flesh and the Bread of Life, miraculously supplied bread to those heading to the Passover.
- The Jews expected the Messiah to repeat Moses’ OT manna miracle by feeding them at a great future banquet (John 6:30-35, Isa 25:6-8).
- After the event, the Jews attempted to make Jesus into a Messiah according to their military-political pattern (John 6:14-15).
John 6:14-15
14 When the people saw the sign [the feeding of the 5000] that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” 15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
All of these things point to a new exodus. Just as God had delivered his people from slavery in Egypt, Jesus has come to deliver his people from their sins (Matt 1:21).
CONCLUSION / GOSPEL
This morning, we have seen that Jesus has great compassion for people.
We have seen that he can provide for the needs of people.
We have also seen that he is the Messiah, the Son of God, who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
The crowds were like sheep without a shepherd and they were also hungry with nothing to eat.
We are in the same situation spiritually. We are sinners with no righteousness to bring before a holy God (Rom 3:10-11).
Just as Jesus satisfied the people’s hunger with bread, Jesus perfectly satisfied God’s wrath for our sin by dying on the cross in our place. In v. 42, they ate and were all satisfied. On the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Hebrews says Jesus is the once and for all sacrifice.
One day there will be a heavenly feast, the marriage supper of the Lamb. Attendance at that banquet is by invitation only. The only people that will be invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb are those who have put their trust in Christ. He has not left us as sheep without a shepherd but he himself is our good shepherd.