The Compassionate Christ
Mark 8:1-9
What we have read here is how Christ is moved with compassion toward a crowd of hungry people and feeds them.
First we are introduced to a……
1. Crowd of hungry people
V1 “the multitude being very great” How large is this crowd?
v9 “And they that had eaten were about four thousand.”
a. The number
We know it is at least 4,000 people and since they usually just counted the men this number wouldn’t have included the number of women and children.
Matthews account of this says, “And they that did eat were four thousand men, not counting the women and children." 15:38
No doubt, there are women and children there also. The number of women and children could easily also be at least 4,000 or more.
So, a conservative estimate would be somewhere between 8,000-10,000 people. John MacArthur estimated that there would have been 15000 people. This is a Large crowd.
b. The need
V1 says, this large crowd “has nothing to eat” In biblical days when you went on a journey you took food with you. There were no restaurants or gas stations along the way to stop and eat. You prepared enough for the entire trip.
They find themselves 3 days journey from home in a deserted/ wilderness where there’s no food. And If Jesus sends them home hungry they could faint along the way. They need food. If they don’t get food, they will faint on their way back home.
It is here that we see ….
2. The compassionate heart of Jesus v2
He is moved with compassion toward this crowd of hungry people. Jesus is the compassionate Christ. He is moved by their need. And his compassion moves him to action to feed them.
The word compassion means to suffer with. It is to feel the suffering of others which moves you to help relieve the suffering. Compassion is a drive/fuel to relieve the hurts of others.
Compassion is the very heart of God. It speaks of someone who feels your sufferings and come to your aid to comfort and assist in times of hurt and need.
2Co 1 says God is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation. John 14 Jesus called The Holy Spirit a comforter. Here Jesus is moved with compassion toward this hungry crowd.
We find other places in the NT where Jesus is moved with com-passion toward hurting people. Mark 6 He is moved with compassion and feeds 5000 people.
Mat 9: He is moved with compassion in “when he saw the multitudes, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd." 36
Mat 20: Jesus had compassion on two blind men and touched their eyes and immediately they received sight
Mat 14” Jesus saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick." 14
Mat 18 He is “the lord of that servant and was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him." 27
One of the characteristics of God is he is compassionate. Jesus is the compassionate Christ. He is compassionate towards the sick, the sinner, the hungry, and the hurting. Thank God for that.
This is what brought jesus from heaven to earth. He looked down saw us in our sin on the road to destruction. He was moved with compassion toward us and came to rescue us.
End of V1, He calls his disciples over to him. Why did Jesus call his disciples? Why didn’t he just perform a miracle w/o their input?
They are his disciples …disciples are students and servants. They are learners and doers. And Jesus was a teacher. He used opportunities like this to teach his disciples compassion.
He wanted to teach them to see the crowd as he saw them. He wanted his disciples to see the crowds need for food and meet that need.
The disciples were content w/ sending the people home w/o feeding them. It was not enough for the great teacher to be compassionate and to show compassion, he wanted to teach his disciples to be compassionate and help.
He is teaching us the same lesson today as we read this.
3. The challenging situation for the disciples. Mark 8:3
Jesus presents His disciples with a challenging situation. The challenging situation is how do you feed a crowd of starving people. His challenge to the disciples is do we feed them or send them away hungry?
The disciples had been challenged with a similar situation before in Mark 6 (34ff) with the feeding of the 5,000.
They will know what to do, right? They’ve seen this situation before; they will remember the previous feeding, won’t they? They know Jesus will pull off a miracle, right?
Mar 8:4 “Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"
Oooh so close, no, not really. They failed miserably.
Jesus saw opportunity.
The disciples saw obstacles.
Jesus had compassion, the disciples had complaints.
People who see opportunity and are moved with compassion & get things accomplished.
People who see obstacles and are complainers usually do nothing. They do nothing but complain.
Complainers sit around and tell you how it can’t be done. Those who are moved with compassion get up and get it done.
Complainers see obstacles and do nothing.
Comforters see opportunities and get it done.
I can imagine Jesus hoping one of the disciples might say, “Jesus, you did this before. if you’ve done it before You can do it again.”
But don’t be too quick to judge the disciples. We’ve all been here ourselves. We’ve all seen God’s provision in our lives, only to be faced with a similar situation later and we forget how God provided in the past. We’ve all been here.
Occasionally we all suffer from spiritual amnesia, spiritual forgetfulness.
The compassionate Christ makes up the difference. The disciples fail but Christ fulfills.
Last, we see the preparation of a marvelous miraculous meal.
a. The ingredients for preparing the meal.
Mar 8:5 "He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven." V7 "They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them."
v5 Underscore the world “you.”
Jesus asked them how many loaves of bread do YOU have? When he fed the 5000 he used the 5 loaves and 2 fish that a little boy had, but this time Jesus asked the disciples to give. Jesus asked them to give up their own food this time.
He is teaching them compassion. Compassion gives. He’s teaching them to give of their bread to give of their bodies in helping feed the crowds. as little as it may be, in the hands of Jesus little turns into much.
It’s hard to give when you don’t have much yourself. All they had were 7 loaves and a few small fish. That’s not a lot for the 12 much less a crowd of 8000-10,000.
b. The instructions for serving the meal.
Mar 8:6 Jesus told the crowd to be seated. Why did Jesus have the crowd to sit down? Couple reasons. One is for ease of serving the food. When he fed the 5000 he had the crowd to sit in groups of hundreds and fifties.
Second, and more importantly, Jesus was treating them to a meal. You sit down to eat a meal. This was not finger food. This was a feast. This is not a snack. This is supper.
The crowd was seated and served. Jesus was the chef, the disciples were the servers. Jesus is the compassionate chef.
He loved to feed hungry people.
1. Mark 6 he fed 5000. Here he feeds 4000.
2. On another occasion fixed a meal for his disciples who fished all night and caught nothing,
3. The greatest meal he prepared was when he gave his body and blood that we may eat and drink unto eternal life.
This compassionate Christ we see here will again be moved with compassion and become the crucified Christ. It will be his com-passion toward us that will lead him to Calvary. The bread of life will give his body so that we may have eternal life.
John 6 says he is the bread of God from heaven who gives life to the world." ... Jesus says, "I am the bread of life. whoever comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."
John 6:53 Then Jesus said to them, "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. ... "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him."
His body provides enough bread for the whole world to eat and to live forever. v8 "So they all ate and were filled Jesus never does anything small.
This crowd that Jesus fed this day became hungry again the next day. But all who come to him and eat of his bread will never hunger again.
Have you eaten of the bread of life? Come to him and eat, eat freely …… be full and satisfied.
But you must come. And you must give. "Whoever holds on to his life will lose it, but whoever gives up his life for My sake will find it.”
Give him all you have, and you will receive all that he is. You will be filled and fulfilled. You will be saved and satisfied.
