"In those days, when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples and *said to them, "I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance." And His disciples answered Him, "Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people?" And He was asking them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven." And He *directed the people to sit down on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples to serve to them, and they served them to the people. They also had a few small fish; and after He had blessed them, He ordered these to be served as well. And they ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large baskets full of what was left over of the broken pieces. About four thousand were there; and He sent them away. And immediately He entered the boat with His disciples and came to the district of Dalmanutha."
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It isa privilege is to come together with you . It's To God be the glory! If God has been working in your life through Jesus Christ,
We welcome you to worship in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is
Please join us in praying for our brothers and sisters who facing severe persecution for their faith in Christ.
Our Lord has been preparing the twelve for the Great Commission by showing them that Gentiles are going to be incorporated in God's plan of salvation, which was something that the Jews didn’t understand. They had been taught to believe that Israel was the beginning and end of God’s purpose. You will remember the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, when he disobeyed Him because he had great animosity toward Gentiles and would have rather been dead than see Gentile repentance. And, of course, the Gentiles knowing how the Jews felt about them, their feeling toward Jews was mutual. The disciples needed to be trained to demonstrate the compassion of God to the Gentiles.
While the passage before us may appear to be very familiar, and there are some similarities to the feeding of the 5,000, it’s actually a completely separate incident. I mention this because critics of the Bible often point to these passages as evidence of a contradiction. But that’s not the case. In fact, in verses 19-20, Jesus Himself tells us that the two are separate incidents. God often reinforces spiritual truths we already know through repetition to remind us of how He wants us to live.
Though there are many references to the Lord's compassion, they are merely a human observation, with the exception of this one, it is the only place it’s found to be in the first person. We know that Jesus felt compassion because He acted compassionately. However, it's quite often a different story when it comes to those of us who claim to follow Him, isn't it? Do we replicate His compassion when we recognize the needs of others or do we send them away hungry for kindness?
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
Amen
Today's Message: The compassion of Christ
Open your Bibles with me to the Gospel of Mark chapter 8, verses 1 through 10. Though it’s the beginning of the chapter, it’s the end of Jesus' journey with the disciples in Gentile territory, before He heads back to Galilee, where He’s been ministering for well over a year. This will be His final ministry there. I
invite you to follow along with me as I read to set the text in our
minds. Let's open our hearts and our minds to hear what the Holy Spirit has to say to each of us today.
"In those days, when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples and *said to them, "I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance." And His disciples answered Him, "Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people?" And He was asking them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven." And
He *directed the people to sit down on the ground; and taking the seven
loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His
disciples to serve to them, and they served them to the people. They also had a few small fish; and after He had blessed them, He ordered these to be served as well. And they ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large baskets full of what was left over of the broken pieces. About four thousand were there; and He sent them away. And immediately He entered the boat with His disciples and came to the district of Dalmanutha."
Let's look at verse 1, "In those days, when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat." Let's stop there for a moment, the phrase, "In those days," is referring to the period of
time where Jesus is teaching the disciples the importance of taking the Gospel to the Gentiles, an area called Decapolis, which is important because it demonstrates the compassion of God towards those outside the covenant of Israel. A we said earlier, this was completely different from what the disciples were taught to believe. And, aren’t we glad that by nature God is compassionate?
Now, let's continue, with the rest of verse 1 and verse 2, "Jesus called His disciples and *said to them, "I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat." Jesus knows the crowd is hungry and it affects Him inwardly because they’re so overwhelmed by what is going on, they put hunger aside. Here we see the tender compassion of our Lord who recognizes the need of those who had remained with Him for the better part of three days, which tells us how the healing went on and He wanted His disciples to see their responsibility to help meet the need. The verb "splagxnízomai," come from the root word "splagchnon," which literally means bowels or inward parts. The bowels were believed to be the seat of where you feel things emotionally, like love and pity. Today, we would say we feel deeply in our gut or heart. This is compelling because it demonstrates that Jesus knows our distress and is not absent in times of our suffering. I believe this is a call for His Church to demonstrate the compassion of
God to the world by coming along side of others who are suffering and meet the needs of those around us.
Verse 3, "If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance." Jesus recognizes some of them have come from a great distance. I have personally known some of God’s people who complained about having to drive more than 15 minutes, and these people have traveled for much greater distances by foot! I love that Matthew 15 adds Jesus said "I do not want to send them away hungry.." The word used for faint is the verb "eklýō," it paints a vivid picture of a bow string coming completely unloosed. In other words, Jesus is concerned they'll collapse from hunger and exhaustion on the way home. He also knows that His disciples must first develop great compassion for people in need before they will live out the Great Commission. Sadly, their response is almost the same response they gave before Jesus fed the 5,000. Jesus wants them to cultivate compassion for people but it seems they are looking for a loophole.
Look at verse 4, "And His disciples answered Him, "Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people?" It looks as if they just throw their hands up in the air asking Jesus "What are You going to do?" Some have suggested they've forgotten all about when He fed as many as 25,000 just a few months earlier, but I believe we can assume they haven't forgotten but realize that once again, it's beyond human resources. I love that Jesus let them out of their responsibility to help meet the needs of these people. He doesn’t want them to miss this missional moment. Do you ever think that peoples needs are so overwhelming, what good is the little I can do? Is there someone that God is bringing to your mind asking you to help meet their need? As followers of Christ, when we see a need…we should do what we can to meet the need. I assure you, great things can happen if we are willing to put what we have into His hands!
Verse 5, "And He was asking them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven." Keep in mind, these loaves looked more like a cracker. There was absolutely no way this would be enough to satisfy all these people unless the Lord intervened. But notice, they're not getting as specific as they did last time, they're also affirming that when the Lord supplies a need, He does it to fully satisfy. So I don't believe it’s a matter of faith, they already know that He can supply enough to eat if He chooses to. Which I believe is more to the point, they're asking "Will You do it for Gentiles?" Remember, the Jews in Israel wouldn’t go near a Gentile, for fear of being defiled, much less provide a meal for one. This a lesson in compassion, I believe the Lord is teaching them a little compassion goes a long way.
Verse 6, "And He *directed the people to sit down on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples to serve to them, and they served them to the people." Don’t miss the power of prayer and the importance of giving thanks and acknowledging God as the source for what He has given to you. Have you ever asked your server in a restaurant how you can pray for them?
Notice the difference from the feeding of the 5,000 where they were seated on the grass, here they're seated on the ground, indicating that this is a barren, dried land. The Greek verb "anapiptó," actually means to recline. In the feeding of the 5,000, He directed the disciples to sit them in groups of fifties and hundreds with isles in between, so they could be served. "And started giving them to His disciples to serve to them." The disciples gave Jesus the little they have and then He multiplies
it, creating more loaves from grain that never grew and gives it back to them so they can distribute it to others. Jesus provided and the disciples were to be the conduit of blessing. I love that the more they gave away, they more He filled their empty hands to distribute. I believe it is our responsibility to glorify God and benefit others with what we have been blessed with. Luke 6:38 assures us when we give generously, God gives generously in return. "Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return."
Verse 7, "They also had a few small fish; and after He had blessed them, He ordered these to be served as well." He takes the fish, blessed them and starting creating more fish from out of nowhere. Verse 8 says, "And they ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large baskets full of what was left over of the broken pieces." The word satisfied means to be fulfilled, everyone ate all they wanted. Only a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ can give you perfect fulfillment. Notice the disciples gathered seven large baskets full of what was left over from the broken pieces. This was no small basket, it's the same word used to describe the basket the apostle Paul was lowered down through an opening in a wall in Acts chapter 9. It's amazing how God's supply always abundantly exceed your needs. That's why we will never find lasting fulfillment in people, possessions or pleasure. If you're not experiencing the satisfaction that only God can provide, frankly, it's because you’re filling yourself with everything else. Luke 1:53 says "He has filled the hungry with good things; And sent away the rich empty-handed." And Ezekiel 7:19 says "They will fling their silver into the streets and their gold will become an abhorrent thing; their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. They cannot satisfy their appetite nor can they fill their stomachs, for their iniquity has become an occasion of stumbling."
Verse 9, "About four thousand were there; and He sent them away." By the time you add the women and children, you're easily over 10,000 in total. After Jesus fed the crowd and they were totally satisfied, He sent them away. I believe there's a profound lesson here, I pray we get the message the first time. Those who came to Him were in need. and He met their need, He didn't qualify the crowd to see if they met any specific criteria, nor did He stick around to give them a sermon about neglecting to pack enough food. It is very easy to criticize others, pointing out what they should've done differently. Allow me to point out that Jesus not only met their need, most importantly, He has the desire to provide for them. What do we need to change about the way we demonstrate compassion to others to become more like Christ? I'd like you to meditate on it for awhile.
Isaiah 55:1-2, "Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. "Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance."
That brings us to verse 10, "And immediately He entered the boat with His disciples and came to the district of Dalmanutha." Dalmanutha, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is only mentioned here in Mark, Matthew calls it the region of Magadan, sometimes called Magdala, it's the same region that Mary Magdalene is from, though its exact location is open to debate. The reason for the differences may have been Mark and Matthew were wring to two different audiences. After He arrives at the district of Dalmanutha, we'll see another confrontation the Pharisees.
In Closing..
One of the greatest lessons we learn is Jesus' divine power and resources are boundless, His compassion and provision is demonstrated in His care and concern for those in need, not only our physical needs, but more importantly our spiritual needs. It’s one thing to satisfy a hungry stomach, it’s another to satisfy a hungry soul, for eternity. We need to be reminded that He not only blesses us, but He can bless others through us, so they will glorify God. Christ is revealed in the Scriptures but He's also revealed in and through our lives. In the end, isn't glorifying God and exalting Christ what it's all about?
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen