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Mark 6:30-44
Feed His Sheep
At the
beginning of this chapter Jesus expanded His
ministry by sending His disciples out on mission. In
sending them He demonstrated the importance of
fellowship in ministry. Jesus sent his disciples out
two by two. There are a number of benefits in going
out in pairs. One reason is for encouragement and
another reason is accountability. Ministers of the
gospel need both encouragement and to be held
accountable. A minister engaged in a lonely ministry
can easily become a discouraged minister and a
minister who answers to no one but himself may
become a minister who is a law unto himself.
Those who go
out in obedience to Jesus and do as He tells them
will see spiritual results. The disciples went out
and preached the gospel (
6:12
); they cast out demons (
6:13
a) and they healed the sick (
6:13
b).
It
appears that the disciples found obedient ministry
very rewarding but also exhausting so when they
return to Capernaum Jesus takes them to a quiet
place where they can rest. They get into a boat to
cross over to the other side of the lake to an area
that was deserted. We need to take note that the
time of rest only lasted until needy people came to
where they were.
The
compassion of Jesus (
6:32
-34):
A large crowd
of people soon arrives upon the scene, and Jesus is
filled with compassion for them because they are
like sheep without a shepherd.
Feed
my sheep
(1)
The disciples' despair
(
6:35
-36): Realizing that there is no food, they advise
Jesus to send the hungry crowd away.
(2)
The Saviour’s directive (
6:37
-38): At his order the disciples search the crowd
for food and locate five loaves of bread and two
fish among the people.
Feed them in an
orderly fashion
a.
The arrangement (
6:39
-40): Jesus has the people sit down in groups of 50
or 100.
b.
The acknowledgment (
6:41
): He thanks his heavenly Father for
the food about to be received.
c.
The abundance (
6:42
): All eat their fill!
d. The men (
6:44
): Five thousand men are fed! Plenty
is left over.
Twelve
basketfuls of bread and fish are picked up by the
disciples.
The
leftovers were
not wasted !
Jesus
stills calls disciples to be obedient. If He says,
“Give them something to eat”, He wants us to
feed whoever He is talking about. He will make
sufficient provision from whatever you offer Him to
feed as many as He sees hungry. Many of His sheep
are wandering shepherd less because His disciples,
even when they recognise the need cannot work out to
provide what is necessary. The old hymn sums it up.
We need to walk with the Lord in the light of His
Word and keep on trusting and obeying.
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