Acting Out Our Faith Series

Mark 6:30-44

Read Mark 6:30-44

It was when I was in Covenant Players that I began learning about faith. Before hand I was living at home trusting in my parents to provide for my needs. But in Covenant Players, I began to see God doing miracles in my life & in the lives of the people around me. We lived out of suitcases, & traveled in old broken down vans. It was an adventure.

In Mark 6:7 we read where Jesus sends out the 12 apostles on an adventure. Jesus gave them the power to do miracles. The disciples were amazed by all that happened. In verse 30 the apostles returned to Jesus & told him all that happened to them. Jesus tries to take them on a little vacation but they come across some people that needed help. Jesus saw the people as they truly were. Sheep without a shepherd. How many people today do we see like that? Sheep need guides to help them find food & water. Shady places to rest. There are alot of people today who need others to guide them. They are starving spiritually. And the first guide that comes along & gives them something has them hooked. There are alot of false prophets out there. There are children in need of heros. We all need someone we can look up to. Someone we can believe in. In John 10:11-15 Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep.

So Jesus gathers the people together & he teaches them. What he taught them the Gospels do not say. John wrote that Jesus did & said many things that if it all was written down the whole world would not have room for all the books that would be written.

Evening came & it was time to go home. But people wanted more. And they were hungry. The disciples come to Jesus & tells him to send the people home so they can eat. But Jesus has something else in mind. He told them to feed the crowd. Boy, I wish I could have seen the suprised look on their faces! How in the world can we feed all these people! We don’t have enough money!!! Now remember these disciples had just comepleted a faith mission where they did some miracles. They, not Jesus had cast out demons. They had healed people. And they did all this by faith. Here Jesus asked them to do something that looked impossible to do & they were saying they couldn’t do it. In John 6 where this same event is mentioned, a little boy comes forward with 5 loaves & 2 fish.

Jesus takes the food, blesses it & starts breaking it up & passing it out. Soon everyone gathered has something to eat & they eat to their hearts content. There was over 5000 people gathered & afterward the disciples picked up 12 basketful of leftovers. This was a miracle of Jesus & a blessing.

Why is this event mentioned in the Bible? Why didn’t Jesus just tell the people, "that’s all folks!" And send them home?

I think it was because Jesus was trying to visibly teach something.

1. Jesus was trying to teach the disciples that nothing is impossible with faith. God can do anything through us. God can do great & mighty things. God can heal the sick. God can control the weather. God can make the lame walk again. Make blind eyes see. Make the deaf able to hear. The muted talk. God can even provide something simple like food to eat. And he can do it all through us.

2. Jesus was trying to teach the people giving & receiving. Give what little you can. And God will multiply it a hundredfold. Don’t just keep taking for yourself. But give to others. Share with others what you have. And it will become a blessing.

This teaching is for us today as well. God wants & can use us to do great & mighty things. God can use us to bring joy in midst of sadness; healing in midst of pain; salvation in place of death. God can also use us in the simple things as well. A helping hand to someone in need. A loving smile, a simple touch.