MARKAN MEDITATIONS

Meditations in the Gospel of St.Mark

St. Mark 6:35-44

-----

T HE MIRACLE of the feeding of the 5000 is so very familiar to anyone who reads the Bible. The importance that the Spirit of God attachs to it is realised by the fact that all four Gospel writers record this event. If the Spirit of God gives it such importance then we should give it our special attention. There are several truths that we can learn from it.

The first truth is the gracious and wonderful attitude Jesus has to us sinful creatures. The disciples wanted to send the crowd away. The problem of a hungry crowd of such massive proportions was too much for them to contemplate. Jesus says, "you give them something to eat." Here is a demonstration of the deep compassion of Jesus for people in their need. He is not always rebuking and chiding like so many Christians. He always cares and has time for people. He does not throw our sins and folly at us. Instead he exerts the power of love, which in the end is the only force which wins souls. From so much treatment we receive within the church, we may suppose that Jesus is a hard task master. Let us remember the way Jesus treated this crowd with compassion, and remind ourselves this is the real truth, and never be afraid to come to Jesus in our need, in spite of our sin and failure.

The next truth is that there is no human situation that is beyond the power of Jesus to solve or resolve. The disciples could not see how this enormous crowd could be fed. The trouble to do it and the cost, they felt was too great. To Jesus it was a simple thing. We need to remember this as we face the problems of life. We can go to Jesus with perfect confidence. The results of his compassion and help may not be so immediately apparent as they were here, but we will see them in God's good time. The important things is to be ready to put ourselves in the hands of Jesus. If the crowd had not stayed and sat down, or if the disciples had not followed the instructions of the Lord, then there would have been problems. Faithful obedience is the true way forward.

Next we learn that although our human resources are small, and on their own are totally without power to achieve anything in the spiritual realm, yet in the hands of Jesus may produce mighty results. The only human resources that were available on this occasion were five small buns and two small fish. The disciples were quite right to say as is recorded in John's account - what are they among so many. Yet when they were given to Jesus he uses them to multiply a great feast, more than adequately feeding that huge crowd of people. The important thing, of course, is our utter dependence upon the Lord. We must have no confidence in the flesh. We must bring our small resources, and in faith put them in the hands of Jesus. This is the total surrender of ourselves to the Lord for him to use as he wills. It is only in this way, where Jesus had total control, that mighty results follow. Because of this wonderful fact, no believer and no church should be discouraged by the weakness in them, or the small resource that are available. In the hands of Jesus these small resources will be made to do mighty things for God. It is so easy to feel that our small resources limit the blessing that can be received. Let us meditate on the loaves and fishes to counteract this tendency.

Following from this we can behold the graciousness of the Lord. Jesus could have easily solved the problem and fed the 5000 by an act of creation from nothing. The Lord does not need our puny efforts to help him. He who created the world from nothing is totally equal to providing food for 5000 people. But what do we see. We see Jesus graciously involving the disciples and the person who had the small amount of food. Jesus allows us to take part in his work, and to be fellow labourers with him. It is true that in the end every blessing is from the Lord, and we should never proudly imagine that we have achieved that blessing. Even so the Lord does use us and call us to take part, and thus we have a share in the joy of the blessing received. How elating it is when in our weakness we labour, and then we see the blessing produced by the Lord. It is a source of great praise.

In verse 37 Jesus tells the disciples to give the multitude food to satisfy their hunger. We so often, when ministry for Jesus is placed before us, feel just as these disciples must have done. We feel that the task is impossible. What we need to remember is that this command to service is only a stage in the fulfilment of the plan Jesus has already planned. In John's account this is made very clear. We are told there that Jesus knew what he was going to do. There is never a time in the service of the Lord that Jesus commands without already having the end certain. We so often attempt work without knowing the outcome, or whether we will be able to complete it. This is never the case with Jesus. We need to rest in the confidence of the already decided and fulfilled plan of God.

We must next observe and never diminish the revelation of the deity of Jesus given in this miracle. It is plain that this is the chief reason for Jesus doing this gracious act. Thus in the next passage we read that the disciples had not learnt from this miracle as they ought. Although Jesus commenced with the loaves and fishes, the breaking of them was undeniably an act of creation. He was creating that which was not there before. This is an act of God. Only God can create out of nothing. It is the height of unbelief and dishonour to Christ and to God to seek to water this fact down, or to deny it. To refuse to believe it is not only dishonouring to God, but a rejection of the revelation that God seeks to bless us with through his Son.

It is wonderful to note that at the end of the meal, the disciples took up twelve fragments of the bread and fish which remained over. We have no idea how large the baskets were which were used for this purpose, but there is no doubt that Jesus provided more abundantly than they could have imagined. No doubt those who had extra large journeys received some food to tide them over on their journey home. Jesus is never niggardly. He always blesses abundantly. We have the same revelation when Jesus turned water into wine in John 2. Jesus was not content just to give them wine, it must be the best also. Such are all the blessings of God. God could have just provided forgiveness and a second chance in Christ, as so much of so called Christian teaching seems to suggest. Instead he provided a complete salvation as a gift that is nothing less than the best. It is place in God's family as the heir, and to be inheritors of heaven.

Lastly there is a lesson to be learnt from verse 41 where we see Jesus giving thanks for the food to his heavenly Father. This acknowledges that all blessings are form God, and it is right and good for God to be thanked for them. We should never cease to count our blessings, and to give thanks to God continually for them.