Following Jesus: Mark 6 (Part 2) Series

Following Jesus (7)

Scott Bayles, pastor

Scripture: Mark 6:30-44

Blooming Grove Christian Church: 2/12/2017

If you’ve been with us all this year, you know we began a sixteen-week journey that will take us from the banks of the Jordan River to an empty tomb on the outskirts of Jerusalem, and points in between.

The Gospel of Mark has guided us on this journey, as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Even though Mark is the shortest of the Gospels, Mark actually records more events than any of the other Gospels—making it a very fast-paced, action-packed biography of Jesus and the ideal starting point for anyone wishing to get to know Jesus a little bit better.

When we think about Jesus, we usually picture Him arguing with the Pharisees at the temple, or on a preaching circuit in some dusty Judean town, or healing the sick and casting out demons, or performing some other serious task. He did all these things, and more. But He also did "fun stuff." He attended a wedding. He played with children. He visited the homes of friends. And on two separate occasions, He even threw an impromptu picnic for thousands of followers.

The first of those two picnics—often referred to as the feeding of the five thousand—is recorded in the second half of Mark 6. But it’s also recorded in Matthew 14, Luke 9, and John 6. Jesus worked hundreds of marvelous deeds during his life on earth. Many are not recorded except by a summary statement. Several are mentioned only once. Others are recorded twice. A few are described three times. Other than His resurrection, however, the feeding of the five thousand is the only one that is found in all four Gospels. For some reason the Holy Spirit thought it was especially important. So if you have a Bible, open it to Mark 6.

The story begins with Jesus and His disciples trying to escape the crowds for a little rest and relaxation and ends with Jesus and his disciples sharing a picnic lunch on a grassy field with more than 5,000 men and their families! Certainly, there are many lessons we can learn from the day Jesus prepared a picnic for five thousand people. I’d like to highlight four in particular. You may see others as well, but these four stand out to me. First, Jesus taught a lesson in compromise.

• COMPROMISE

A horde of more than five thousand people had been following Jesus for several days. He was so busy healing diseases and teaching God’s Word that He and His disciples didn’t even have a chance to eat. So, Jesus says, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile” (Mark 6:31 NLT). Thus, He and his followers climbed into their fishing boat and set sail across the lake for a little peace and quiet. But Mark says, “But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them” (Mark 6:33 NLT).

Can you believe this!? I can only imagine the exasperation on the face of the Apostles as their tiny boat approached the shore. They were tired, hungry, trying to get away from the crowds and hoping for just a moment’s rest. Instead, when they arrived, they saw a massive crowd waiting. You might expect Jesus to get aggravated. This picnic was not a part of his itinerary and these “party crashers” weren’t invited.

Frustrated, he could have ordered the Apostles to turn the boat around and head for some other shore; he could have simply sent everyone home, telling them that he wouldn’t be doing any more healings or miracles. It certainly would have been understandable—but that’s just not Jesus. Jesus wanted his followers to learn a valuable lesson: “Blessed are the flexible, for they won’t get bent out of shape!”

If you’re a planner, someone who knows what you want, loves your “to-do” list and feels a small rush of adrenaline when even small tasks are completed as expected, it can be fairly frustrating when life diverts your plans and sends you on a detour. It’s no fun being so set in your ways that the slightest little thing sends you into a stress-filled panic mode. It sets you up for a very stressful life because things rarely go according to plan.

Life is full of small surprises. You get a flat tire on the way to work. Your in-laws showed up unannounced. One of the kids gets sent home from school after throwing up all over the classroom floor. Then there are the bigger disappointments. The pink slip comes. The doctor calls. The divorce papers arrive. The check bounces. The life that had been calm is now chaotic. Just when you think you’ve got life figured out, something happens that throws a monkey wrench into your plans and knocks you off-center. But that doesn’t mean you should get freaked out or bent out of shape by every little thing that happens during your day.