Bread For The Gentiles

Bread for the Gentiles

Mark 8:1-10

I heard a story of a first grade class, where a number of the students were recently-arrived refugees from other countries and the topic being taught in class was fractions.

The teacher defined what a half and what a quarter was, and after teaching on fractions, she asked the children to write down whether they would prefer a half or a quarter of a candy bar.

As she walked around the room; she noticed some of the new students wrote they would rather have a quarter of a candy bar.

The teacher thought she was going to have to re-teach the lesson, because the children didn’t appear to understand that a half was bigger than a quarter.

So she asked the students why they would rather have a quarter of the candy bar and one little girl replied, “If I only have a quarter, more people could have a piece of chocolate.”

Having compassion for others should come naturally to Spirit filled believers; because we are empowered to be like Jesus.

John 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

John 13:15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. NKJV

Please open your Bibles to Mark 8 as we continue that study

Last week, Jesus went to a pre-judged area and He met a Gentile woman, whose daughter was severely demon possessed.

We learned this woman heard about Jesus and that Jesus will not hide from a person in need, who truly seeks Him.

This woman had great faith because she believed and trusted Jesus, even when everything was against her. Jesus then healed her daughter.

Immediately after that; Jesus traveled to the Decapolis and a great crowd followed Him.

Jesus healed many from the crowd, then He took one man aside, who was deaf and mute and healed him in an extraordinary way.

This healing was so remarkable that those pagan Gentile people began glorifying the God of Israel; the very thing the religious leaders of Israel refused to do on the other side of the Sea.

Today’s narrative picks back up at the Decapolis as Jesus shows a tremendous amount of compassion to some Gentiles.

I. Compassion for all people.

Read Mark 8:1-3

There are some who say this is the same as the feeding of the five thousand; but, it is not. The feeding of the 5,000 took place on the other side of the Sea; this took place at the Decapolis.

Also note worthy is the fact that at the feeding of 5,000, the people were exclusively Jews; but here, the crowd is predominantly Gentile, which we will discuss in a moment.

There are other differences as well and we will look at them as we go through the passage; but, the most important clue for us to know this is a different event is the fact that Jesus said it was.

Notice we are told, Jesus called His Disciples. The word called means He “summoned” them; demanding their participation.

Jesus has compassion for the crowd because notice, they had been with Jesus three days and have had nothing to eat.

At the feeding of the 5,000, the people had only been with Jesus one day. In both narratives Jesus had compassion on the people.

At the feeding of the 5,000, He had compassion because the people of Israel were like sheep without a shepherd.

After the feeding of the 5,000 in the Gospel of John, Jesus followed the feeding by teaching the Bread of Life discourse.

John 6:26, Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

John 6:27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." NKJV

Here, the Gentiles have been listening intently for three full days and Jesus has compassion on them because of their hunger.

The dictionary defines compassion as sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.

One OT word for compassion (racham) is defined as to love deeply, have mercy, be compassionate, and tender affection.

The NT word for compassion (splagchnizomai) means to be moved deep within the heart, liver, lungs, and intestines.

So compassion moves us to the very depths of our being.

2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

2 Corinthians 1:4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.