Things Only God Can Do Series

Introduction:

A. How many of you have ever fed 5000 men, plus women and children with only five loaves and two fish? Anyone?

1. Well, our Camp Hunt cooking staffs have come pretty close, especially in those early years when we had a shoe-string budget and got by on government surplus commodities, like peanut butter, mystery meat, and prunes.

2. Yes, I think it created some septic system issues.

B. How many of you have ever walked on the water? And not when you know where the stumps are.

1. Did you know that there is an animal called the Jesus lizard that can walk on the water?

a. Actually, it runs across the water.

2. Wasn’t the Looney Tune Road Runner cartoon character able to run across the water?

3. Believe it or not, I once walked on the water – well, actually, I water skied barefoot.

a. It was a lot of fun, until I decided I wanted to end my fun.

b. The guys I was with had taught me how to get going, but hadn’t taught me how to stop.

c. I had water skied before, so I assumed you just let go of the rope when you are done.

d. I was wrong. Do you know what happens when you are barefooting along at 40 MPH and you let go of the rope? You immediately faceplant on the surface of the water.

e. It’s like belly flopping at 40 MPH – not good! I thought I had broken my face!

C. As you know, feeding 5000+ with five loaves and two fish, and walking on the water are things that only God can do.

1. Today in our study of the Gospel of Mark, we will see that Jesus did both of those things.

2. Mark continues to answer the question: “Who Is Jesus?” by showing us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who can miraculously provide food for His hungry sheep, and Jesus is the Powerful Shepherd who can walk across stormy waters to rescue His needy sheep and calm their storm by simply stepping into the boat.

I. Jesus is The Good Shepherd Who Feeds His Flock (Mk. 6:30-44)

A. Mark wrote: 30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. 32 So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place, 33 but many saw them leaving and recognized them, and they ran on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. (Mk. 6:30-33)

1. We notice that these verses are transitional and take us back to the mission of the apostles, which began before the information about the execution of John the Baptizer.

2. The apostles had been sent out the first time and had now returned from their mission.

3. Interestingly enough, this is the only time in the Gospel of Mark that the 12 are called apostles.

a. Jesus had many disciples, but only had 12 apostles, until the addition of Judas’ replacement and Paul.

4. Mark doesn’t tell us how long they were on their mission, but it probably lasted weeks if not months.

5. And although their preaching excursion had been exciting, it must have also been exhausting.

a. In addition to the positive experiences of teaching and healing, Matthew tells us that they had experienced persecution and rejection (Mt. 10:16-23).

b. Being the Good Shepherd, Jesus recognized that they needed some rest and recuperation.

c. Vance Havner the evangelist of old said, “If you don’t come apart, you will come apart.”

6. But getting the opportunity to rest and recuperate would prove to be difficult.

a. Mark tells us that so many people were coming and going that they didn’t even have time to eat.

b. So, Jesus had them get into a boat to try to get away from the crowd, but the crowd followed them on shore and arrived where they were going ahead of them.

c. On a calm day, the crowd could walk around the Sea of Galilee in less time than the sea could be crossed by boat.

d. At least they got a short break from the crowd while they were in the boat. Right?

7. Have you ever tried to get a little alone time, but just couldn’t get away from others?

a. Maybe it was your siblings who you couldn’t escape from when you were young.

b. Or may as a parent, it was your kids who you just needed a few minutes away from.

c. An ordinary person might get frustrated and resent this intrusion of people on their privacy, but Jesus looked on the crowds with love and compassion, as sheep without a shepherd.