The Ministry, Message, and Messiah in the Book of Mark Week 13:
"The Feeding Frenzy of the 5000” (Mark 6:32-44)
July 5, 2015
Crossroads Community Church
Rev. Ricky A. Rohrig Sr., Founding Pastor
Communion Mediation:
• Why do bad things happen to good people? This has become a popular question in our time.
• Perhaps we need to be asking this question in a profoundly different way. Why does anything good happen to us at all? The Bible makes it clear that there are no “good” people. Jesus said in Mark 10:18 that no one is good but God. The Bible makes it clear that, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
• This puts things in a slightly different perspective. All of the evil and suffering in this world is brought about by our sins, and the Bible says in Romans 6:23 that, “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It is only by the kind grace of God that He does not wipe out Adam’s race when He sees all of the sin in the world and in our hearts every day.
• This is why this meal (communion) is so profound. We are reminded that the spotless lamb, Jesus of Nazareth, had His body broken and His blood spilled because of us. Our sins were placed directly on Jesus on the cross.
• This isn’t just bread. It is a symbol of our Lord’s body, as He said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:24b).
• This isn’t just a little cup of grape juice. This is a symbol reminding us that Christ is the Passover lamb. As He said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:25b). God now looks at Jesus’ righteousness instead of our sins if we have faith in Him.
• We should, therefore, approach this table humbly, but also with great joy, knowing and remembering what the lover of our souls did for us!
• Reminder of communion
• Prayers for the loaf
• Prayers for the cup
Introduction:
This weekend we celebrate our nations Independence Day. Thank you to our veterans that have served and to any of you that are serving today, or have friends and family that may be serving our country. I wonder if the founding fathers were alive today what they would think of our nation today. Surely I have to believe they would be disappointed, sad, and even heart-broken. The United States of America I believe is still the greatest country in the world, but something has changed. Our love for God, our commitment to Jesus, and the lack of letting the Holy Spirit lead and guide us. We as God’s men and women, Jesus Christ’s ambassadors have to be bold, be brave, and never back down for what we believe. Our government won’t change this great nation, only God can.
While we are in the midst of summer time, many of you have things you like to do: go on vacation, swim, go to the state fair, camp, maybe go fishing. How many of you have or like to go fishing? To catch fish you have to have the right what (bait)?
How many of you like or have told a good fish story? Ever notice the more one tells of their “great catch” that the fish seems to be this long, and the next time it is this long, and so on. I was talking with Brother Larry one of our missionaries last week and the debate in Arkansas is whether the fish that Jesus used were bass or crappie? Well I’m not sure what kind of fish was used, but I know that when God goes fishing for men, He has the best bait possible, Jesus Christ.
Today as I minister what the Lord has put on my heart I want to teach from this thought, “The Feeding Frenzy of the 5000.”
If you have your Bibles or Bible app we will be studying from Mark 6:32-44.
Mark 6:30-44
30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.
31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.
33 And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.
34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:
36 Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.
37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.
39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.
40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.
41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
42 And they did all eat, and were filled.
43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.
44 And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.
• There are at least 14 Ands in these verses of scripture.
1. The Report: Mark 6:30
Mark 6:30
30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.
2. The Reply: Mark 6:31,32
Mark 6:31-32
31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
John 6:4
4 And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
• One of the three pilgrimage festivals where all Jews were to travel to Jerusalem to worship at the temple.
• Passover commemorated the Israelites’ freedom from slavery in Egypt. The other pilgrimage Feasts were…
o Shavuot (Weeks) or Pentecost, which took place 50 days after Passover, and Succoth or Tabernacles, which took place in the fall.
• Jesus had a purpose to be here
o Just like Jesus has a purpose for each and every one of us when we have a relationship with Him.
32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.
3. The Reaction: Mark 6:33-36
a. Reaction from the crowd
b. Reaction by Jesus
c. Reaction by the disciples
Mark 6:33-36
33 And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.
34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:
36 Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.
4. The Response: Mark 6:37-40
Mark 6:37-40
37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
• Do you sense the sarcasm here?
• two hundred pennyworth of bread
o Greek word dēnarion (day-nar'-ee-on) – about $.17 x 200 = $34.00
o Equal to about 8 months of wages
o Would have bought 200 loaves of our bread today, would be less than one slice per person if the loaves had 20 pieces
o Even if they had enough money they still would not have enough bread
o Jesus was making it clear that in human eyes you do not have enough
o Thank God that our ways are not God’s ways
o Their loaves were not as big as ours today which will see here shortly
38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.
• Hardly enough for all the people
• What man sees as an obstacle, God uses it as an opportunity
• The largest loaf of bread in the East at that time was about 5-6 inches in diameter, about 1 inch thick or the size of 3 or 4 slices of our bread today and more solid
o It was not light bread, one man could easily eat one loaf or several
o That means Jesus would have to multiply the five loaves to equal 5,000 – 20,000 loaves of bread
39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.
• Jesus now knew what He had to work with and who He had to feed
40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.
• Israel camped in groups of hundreds and fifties during its departure from Egypt (Exod 18:21, 25; Deut 1:15). Jesus’ organization of the crowd in this way represents the symbolic implication of this meal: with the coming of God’s rule, a new exodus is taking place.
5. The Reassurance: Mark 6:41-44
Mark 6:41-44
41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
• Notice Jesus gives thanks for what is already been given to Him and what is about to happen
• When God shows up there is enough as a matter of fact more than enough for everyone
o Just like us God’s grace and mercy is more than enough for all of us
42 And they did all eat, and were filled.
43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.
• Baskets - from the Greek Kophinos (kof'-ee-nos)
o A hand wicker basket in which Jews carried provisions for a journey so they would not have to eat Gentile good (Jesus feeding the Jews, later in a separate miracle he would serve the Gentiles)
• After everyone was full Jesus still instructing His disciples tells them to make sure you collect everything that nothing goes to waste
• 12 baskets – one for each disciple, tribes of Israel
• This was a miracle and Jesus did not want to “waste” any of what God was doing through Him
• God creates everything for a purpose including miracles
• When God blesses you He does not barely bless you, He abundantly blesses you (repeat)
44 And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.
• This was just the men, besides the men women and children may have been thousands more
Practical Application
All of us here can relate to this story because all of us have experienced a time, maybe are experiencing a time now, or will experience a time when you God do something miraculous to you, for you, or through you. We all need Jesus! Not just in times of desperation, but each and every day.
Jesus is:
• Problem solver
• Miracle worker
• Healer
• Deliver
• Our friend
• Our savior
• Our Messiah
• Our hope
• Our strength
• Our joy
• Our peace
• Our way out of no way
• Our Shepard
• Our ultimate example
• Our all in all
Whatever you need today God’s got it and He wants to share it with you and His name is Jesus. I encourage you today if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior 100% fully, completely, and faithfully that you make that day today. I know life happens and there is so much stuff out there to take your focus off of Jesus. Maybe that is you today, you need to re-focus and re-commit and live for Jesus. Maybe you have never been baptized and you want to do that. Or maybe there’s just a situation you want and need prayer for, we want to pray with and for you.
