Mark Study 28
The Shepherd Feeds His Flock (Part II)
Mark Study #29 by Michael Spencer
Step into the study, pour yourself a cup of coffee, get comfortable and let's enjoy the Gospel of Mark.
Our scripture again this week is Mark 6: 30-44
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.
31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.
33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.
34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late.
36 Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."
37 But he answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages ! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?"
38 "How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see." When they found out, they said, "Five--and two fish."
39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.
40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.
41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.
42 They all ate and were satisfied,
43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.
44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.
(NIV)
This week we return to the feeding of the five thousand. Because the introduction to this passage takes up the first part of study 28, we will plunge right in.
Mark portrays the disciples in an increasingly familiar manner. They are worried and anxious, thinking of themselves and seeing problems. More than one commentator has felt that Mark is more than a little biased in his picture of the relationship between Jesus and the apostles. No doubt the picture of the disciples is somewhat exaggerated, but it is probably no exaggeration that their "eyes of faith" were not opened at this point or at any point throughout Jesus' early ministry. Their concern for the feeding of a crowd was legitimate, especially if we keep in mind that the size of the crowd was 5,000 men and could have been many more if women and children are not meant. The intimidating and raucous crowds that surrounded Jesus must have seemed unmanageable and even dangerous to these fisherman who had no experience in "crowd control." The remote area, intended for a time of withdrawal and rest, had now become a problem, because there seems no possibility of food. There is almost the hint of criticizing Jesus in the suggestion that Jesus has waited too long to send them away.
Jesus often answered questions with either questions or enigmatic, even confusing statements. "You give them something to eat," certainly qualifies. This sort of answer shows the contrast between eyes of fear and eyes of faith. Jesus often teaches his disciples by confusing them, showing them through the eventual miracles that Kingdom realities are always present and real to the person who believes. Jesus' training of his disciples majors on their perception of what God can and will do in the world; seeing each situation as a possibility of a Kingdom breakthrough. The disciples response is typical as well. They state the absurdity of Jesus' instructions, contrasting it with the worldly equivalent. The disciples aren't suggesting that they are too greedy- though we shouldn't miss the attitude of wanting to completely excuse themselves from any responsibility to provide food for the hungry. In fact, before analyzing the miracle we should learn something from the disciples.
I have no doubt that the spiritual meaning of this story is to be foremost in our mind and we will examine this shortly. Mark never loses his concern for "Who is Jesus?" and neither will we. But this is a story about feeding the hungry; about taking seriously the physical and material needs of people. It is about the compassion of Christ for the hungry and this most obvious of points so often is lost in the rush to see other truths. The ministry of Jesus that is demonstrated in Mark touches the real and physical needs of people. He heals the sick and feeds the hungry. These acts, as well as the cross and the resurrection, reveal who Jesus is and what his followers are to be about in the world. It is strange that many Christians and churches refuse to be involved in any ministry that simply feeds the hungry and clothes the naked, even when Jesus spoke so plainly in Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 4:17-21 and elsewhere. The call of the prophets for a compassionate response to the poor was clear. hear the evangelical prophet in Isaiah 58:6-7 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" Or Ezekiel 18: 5,7 "Suppose there is a righteous man who does what is just and right. He does not oppress anyone, but returns what he took in pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked." These are only a few of the Old Testament verses that are part of the Kingdom of God as lived out and expressed in Jesus and, hopefully, in his church. Without entering into a discussion on the best method for helping people with physical needs, I would suggest three principles that should be kept in mind: 1) We should help as Jesus helped [with a proclamation of the Kingdom and a call to faith in Jesus.] 2) We should help those whom Jesus helped [those whose physical needs demonstrate the effects of sin and the oppression of evil.] 3) We should help people as the Spirit leads today [which may be in ways much different than we may see in Jesus' own ministry.]
The symbolism of bread and fish in this passage seems fairly obvious. Bread is a favorite biblical symbol for God's overall provision for his people, an obvious outgrowth of the providing of bread in the wilderness to the children of Israel. In his own temptation, Jesus suggested that the staple of bread was only pointing to the greater reality of the Word of God. In John 6:33 Jesus himself is the Bread of God that comes down from heaven to save his people. In John 6:48, Jesus declares that He is the bread of life. The connections between bread and the eucharist are even deeper. I have no doubt that Mark thoroughly intends for us to see the great shepherd feeding his sheep, the compassionate God providing bread in the wilderness for his new people and the bread of life himself multiplied and satisfying for every person. Much the same- though not on the same level- can be said about the fish, another symbol the early Christians greatly appreciated for its connection to the apostles and discipleship. There is strong evidence in Mark 8:14-21 that Jesus expected the disciples to understand the deeper significance of the bread miracles, particularly in seeing who he was. We will misread this miracle if we do not see it at this deeper level as well; the true bread providing the true need of every person.
The logistics and language of the miracle itself are interesting. The fish were probably dried and salted, the bread much smaller and flatter than modern loaves. Mark mentions the "green" grass, an unusual phrase but probably indicating that this was spring. The image of Jesus directing this massive crowd is humorous to contemplate. (What did the people think was going on? How were the disciples acting?) The "small groups" of fifties and hundreds are similar to Exodus 18:25 when Moses organizes the nation of Israel. The language of verse 41 certainly is similar to the words of institution of Mark 14:22 when Jesus breaks the bread at the last Supper. Mark shows Jesus as the source of the miracles and the apostles as the distributors. Unlike some retellings of the story, it is clear that the miracle occurs at the hands of Jesus.
This is a good place to mention the sort of rationalistic foolishness that sometimes is said about miracles. Graham Twelthtree quotes a nineteenth-century scholar, Heinrich Paulus, who reinterprets the feeding of the five thousand. "For example, the feeding of the five thousand is explained by suggesting that, on seeing the hungry multitude, Jesus said to his disciples, "We will set the rich people among them a good example, that they may share their supplies with others." According to Paulus, Jesus then began to distribute his own provisions and those of his disciples. Soon, as the example was followed, everyone had plenty." In attempting to remove miracles as a barrier to faith, this sort of interpretation does a greater harm- teaches that the text cannot be taken seriously. Yet, ironically, such critics think the text can be taken seriously that something happened. What cannot be trusted is how it happened. For that we need the modern interpreter. The duplicity and gullibility of the gospel writers is assumed along with the superiority of the modern point of view. I would suggest to any reader that if you cannot swallow the miracles, simply study the Gospels in a literary study and abandon this sort of gymnastics. In the end, it tells us more about the scholar and his audience than about Jesus, Mark or Christianity.
For me, the most significant word here is not any unexplored detail of the passage, but a simple observation in Mark 6:42 "They all ate and were satisfied (or filled)." Here is a great- and neglected- theme of scripture. God himself is the great and eternal satisfaction of his people. Psalm 63:4-5 "I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise." Or Hosea 13:5-6 5 "I cared for you in the desert, in the land of burning heat. When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me." Or John 4:13-14 "Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." And John 6: 35 "Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."
I do a large amount of substance abuse counseling, particularly related to teenagers smoking marijuana. It is a particularly difficult counseling issue because of the deep seated belief that the drug gives the benefit of reducing stress and anxiety to the user. For students whose lives and families are often chaotic, the use of this drug to make it through the day seems reasonable. Over the years, my primary counseling strategy has become simple: God is enough. Not God plus drugs or God plus church or God plus romance. Just God. He is enough. When we cast ourselves deep into his ocean, we find he is more than enough to fill the emptiness, carry the worries, provide security, identity and love. So many of my students have a Christianity that is a religious icing on a worldly cake; a religious decoration to a secular worldview. As a representative of Jesus I can take this passage and proclaim that the great Shepherd sees and has compassion; and out of his infinite resources He is ALWAYS enough and more than enough.
There were, by the way, twelve baskets left over. As Ephesians 3: 20-21 says: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
Questions
Read verses 35-37. What does Mark want you to feel about the disciples? What do you suppose the disciples were feeling?
How do you relate to the Disciples in this situation?
What is the meaning of Jesus' answer in vs 37? Can we learn anything from the way Jesus teaches his disciples?
What does Michael mean by the eyes of fear and the eyes of faith? Why is it difficult to learn to look for ways the Kingdom can "break in?"
Some Christians object to any kind of social ministry. Is it real Christianity if we refuse to help people with physical needs?
Is there such a thing as a "social gospel"? What would most American Christians do if confronted with the question in Mark 10:21? Why?
Michael did not discover the strong Old Testament emphasis on helping the poor until his college years, yet he grew up in church. Why is this such a neglected theme in preaching and teaching?
How does feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the prisoners, etc. relate to the Kingdom of God?
Discuss Michael's three principles for helping people.
Why is bread such a frequent and powerful symbol in the Bible? Can you explain what this miracle means on a purely symbolic/spiritual level?
What mistake does Paulus make in his reinterpretation of this miracle?
Why do we assume ancient writers were so gullible as to accept miracles and we are so intelligent as to reject them?
How does God satisfy you? How in your life is He enough?
Michael raises the issue of how to counsel substance abusing teens. What does it mean that the only way to replace an affection is with a greater and more powerful affection?
What is the problem with "God and...." Christianity?
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE: An Introduction to the New Testament by Raymond Brown. If you buy one book for a serious New Testament student, this is the one. Brown has the double gift of being absolutely brilliant (maybe the top NT scholar of our generation) and a wonderful, easy to understand prose writer with a purpose to communicate with the non-scholar. This will be the standard text in NT intro for years.