Feeding The 5,000 Series

The Gospel of Mark #16 – “Feeding the 5,000”

Mark 6:30-44

Intro –

1. ILL – A priest was giving his flock a sermon on the Gospel, and he mentioned how with 5 loaves of bread & 2 fish our Savior fed 5,000 people at once; but instead of saying 5,000, he said 500. The altar boy told him that he had made a mistake, because the Gospel says 5,000. Whereupon, the priest said to him, “Be quiet, you fool! They already have a hard time believing 500!”

2. Each miracle in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ is unique in its own right. However, this miracle is 1 of only 2 miracles recorded in all 4 gospels. (Matt. 14:13-21; Mark 6:31-44; Luke 9:11-17; John 6:1-14). The other is the resurrection of Christ.

3. As such, this is this miracle is of primary importance to our understanding of who Jesus is and what His plan includes for each of us individually, for the church, and the world.

4. Mark 6:30-44 (Read)

5. What is a miracle? The Biblical idea of miracle is an extraordinary work of God, transcending the ordinary powers of nature that is performed for the purpose of authenticating the message or the messenger.

6. This miracle clearly reveals the Lordship of Christ over nature while proving that he is all sufficient for the needs of the entire world.

7. He was driven as the Good Shepherd to tend to the needs of the sheep. By late in the day the crowd had swelled to well over 5,000 (possibly 10-20,000) & it was clear that where & what they would eat was an issue.

8. However, this miracle has more significance than just God feeding 5,000 people from 5 loaves & 2 fishes, it teaches us in general about the power & interest of an almighty God in revealing himself to people & carrying out His plan.

9. While there are many players in this miracle – Phillip, Andrew, the boy, the disciples & the crowd – Jesus stands as the key player.

10. This miracle reveals 2of the most fundamental truths about Jesus character –

I. Jesus’ Compassion – Vs. 30-3

When we see a person in need, we can respond emotionally in several ways.

- Apathy – This word refers to an absence of emotion. You see the need, but you do not care. You are unmoved by it. There is a lot of apathy in our world today.

- Sympathy – This word refers to a harmony of feeling. In other words, you see a need and you know how they feel because you have felt that way too.

- Empathy – This word speaks of an emotion that is stronger that sympathy. When you empathize with someone it means that you hurt with them. It means that you share the pain they feel.

- Compassion – The word compassion, as it is used in the Bible means, “To be moved inwardly; to yearn with tender mercy, affection, pity & empathy.” It refers to the deepest possible feelings. It has the same idea as our modern expression, “From the bottom of my heart.”

- So, compassion is “sharing the feelings of others and possessing a desire to help them in their trouble.”

When Jesus saw the people He was touched by their need & He was moved by a strong desire to meet their need.

A. It can be seen in His attitude – vs. 30-34a

1. All through the Gospels we see the compassion of Christ –

a. He had compassion for those who were suffering – Luke 17:11-13

b. He had compassion for those who were sick – Mark 1:40-45

c. He had compassion for those who were in sin – Matt. 18:23-25

d. He had compassion for those who were sincerely seeking truth - Mark 10:17-22

2. Why was Jesus able to have compassion on so many different kinds of people in so many different situations? Because though He knew all their faults, he did not let that get in the way of His compassion & expression of love!

3. In this text –

a. He cared for the weary disciples – vs. 30-32

1) The disciples were exhausted. They were being “peopled to death.” People were coming to them from everywhere & they couldn’t even stop to eat!

2) Serving the Lord in His church is hard work!

3) POEM – Mary had a little lamb, ‘twas given her to keep, But then it joined the local church, and died for lack of sleep.

4) We need to rest from time to time. Jesus is our rest!

5) Matt 11:28-30 “28Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”