Mark Study 28
The Shepherd Feeds His Flock (Part I)
Mark Study #28 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 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)
The feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle of Jesus recounted in all four gospels. (Mark 6:30-44; Matthew 14:1-12; Luke 9:7-9; John 6:1-14) This demonstrates more than its historicity- it is obviously highly true to the purpose of each writer to reveal Jesus as Christ and Messiah. Two of the gospels preserve a feeding of four thousand (Mark 8:1-10; Matthew 15:22-39). With all this testimony to the feeding miracles, two things shouldn't surprise us. First, these are among the most familiar and frequently used passages in the Bible and, second, the critics still find it possible to say these events never occurred as described! Our attention will be to see why these events are so important in the Gospels, and particularly to see how and why Mark uses them.
Mark reconnects with the sending out of the twelve in 6:7-13. The phenomenon of a "Markan sandwich" or chiasm is an interesting study. In several places Mark begins a topic, then departs for another subject or event before returning to the original topic or event. (See the link on "Chiasm in the Gospel of Mark" on the links page for a scholarly discussion.) One of the most noticeable occurs in chapter 5 as the story of the healing of the woman is sandwiched between the beginning and end of the story of Jairus' daughter. This is a characteristic of Mark that has been much noted by scholars, but the significance of the method is unknown, or perhaps simply not very significant. Mark does have the "director's eye" and seems to see his narrative in more "scenes" and movement than the other Gospel writers. He is constantly writing in transitions and almost everything has some connection to the next thing. The return of the apostles completes the cycle, but also serves as the introduction for the feeding miracle.
This is the only time Mark refers to the twelve as apostles. Scholars are certainly correct to point out the word is not a title as much as a description of their mission as "sent ones." In their report the twelve separate what they have "done" and what they have "taught," following the description of their mission in the earlier part of the chapter. Their return becomes the occasion for a withdrawal from ministry for Jesus and the twelve. But Mark is tapping into a larger theme, the Old Testament idea of "rest-in-the-wilderness." Sample this theme in Deuteronomy 3:20, 12:10, 25:19; Joshua 1:13, 15; 21:44: Psalm 95:6-11, Jeremiah 31:2; Hebrews 3:7-4:13. The wilderness is a place of encountering testing and trials, but it is also, thematically, a place where God loves, teaches and ministers to his people. Christians may see such a theme as a type of heaven. The apostles, as the beginnings of the new people of God in the new covenant of Jesus, prefigure the rest of all God's people in Jesus.
Of course, we also see here the love and attention Jesus has for his followers, his desire to spend time with them and his sensitivity to their needs. Mark observes that so many people were surrounding Jesus and the apostles that there wasn't even time to eat! Anyone who has ever been in vocational ministry can certainly relate to those words! Mark has frequently described the crowds that followed Jesus and there are hints here that the crowds had increased as a result of the mission of the apostles. It is not sinful or selfish to seek the kind of healthy balance in life that makes real ministry possible. We can never minister to the people God sends to us if we are not willing to withdraw and allow God to minister to us. This passage goes beyond simply the example of Jesus in this to show, beyond a doubt, that Jesus initiates such times for his followers. I do not believe Jesus would have appreciated the workaholic Christian martyr who sacrifices health, family time, relationships, sleep, reading and prayer in order to help everyone on their schedule. One thing I have learned in 23 years of ministry is that those you minister to will gladly suck the life right out of you if you do not take care of yourself! And I don't think God is going to be all that pleased with some of our ministerial heart attacks as signs of how caring we are. As we add new staff every year in out ministry at Oneida, I watch well-meaning people spend all day and half the night talking to the troubled- to the point that their own personal exhaustion and spiritual emptiness make them cynical towards ministry in general. People often ask me how I do as much as I do and I tell them it is by not doing as much as possible! I value my time alone, my reading and prayer time and believe it is a divine command to put my family before those I minister to on campus. Thank you Jesus for this example and affirmation that we all need to withdraw for rest in the wilderness before taking on the battle for the promised land.
Jesus and the twelve start across the Sea of Galilee in a boat, but Mark introduces what is both comic and pathetic: the crowds will not let Jesus or the apostles alone. A mob begins to run around the lake to intercept the boat upon landing! As word spread, people came from various villages and joined the hunt. (With all the attention paid to the stalking of celebrities by mobs of photographers, this scene seems strangely modern. "Jesus Christ Superstar," indeed.) Hendriksen, perhaps the most conservative of commentators, is brave enough to note that the common translation may be inaccurate. Rather than saying they "arrived before him," the language may indicate more precisely they "were going before him." Hendriksen makes this observation because simple logistics make it impossible for people making a journey of several miles around the lake to arrive before the boat full of disciples (unless the boat encountered highly unusual conditions.) So he suggests that the crowd was in such a hurry that at some point they were actually ahead of the boat. Whatever is happening, the scene is bizarre and would certainly be a great piece of film!
Verse 34 rapidly changes the mood, however, to one of the most distinctive and wonderful snapshots of Jesus in all the Bible. Upon arriving at their "wilderness" destination, the crowds are before Jesus- a people in the wilderness again. Jesus is "moved with compassion" because the people are like "sheep without a shepherd," so he abandons his plan to withdraw with his disciples and begins teaching the people. Mark's attention to the emotions of Jesus is one of his most appealing characteristics as a writer. On three occasions he mentions the compassion of Jesus- 1:41, 6:34 and 8:2. The word itself is used in the New Testament only about Jesus. The term makes for an interesting word study. It is the verb form of the noun splanchnon, which refers to the internal organs and was associated with the emotions in the ancient mind. (See Philippians 1:8 in the original KJV!) It is the word used in Luke 15:20 to describe the reaction of the waiting father to the sight of his returning prodigal. The word denotes more than feeling, however. It expresses the determination to act. This is love that is more than sentimental; it is active and outreaching. it is the kind of love described in I John 3:18, a love that is not merely in word, but in deed and in truth. It is a special and powerful word for Christians, as it reveals the merciful heart of God the Father, expressed towards us in His Son Jesus.
The phrase "sheep without a shepherd" has deep Old Testament roots. I am surprised at how few teachers ever touch on the origins of this phrase. Notice Numbers 27:16-18 "May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd." So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him..." This first occurrence is a prayer of Moses for leadership for the nation of Israel, a prayer answered by the designation of Joshua as leader. Of course, the name Jesus is the name Joshua in Hebrew, both meaning "God saves." The next mention, I Kings 22:17, refers to the nation without spiritual leadership.
The greatest exposition of this theme comes from Ezekiel 34, a chapter devoted to evaluating the "shepherds" of the people of God. I suggest any person in spiritual leadership make this chapter a regular experience. It is searching and powerful. Because of the selfish and compassionless actions of spiritual leaders, God through Ezekiel says "So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them." The same chapter predicts the coming of the great shepherd, the fulfillment of all those inadequate and human leaders. Ezekiel 34:23-24, 30-31 says "I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the LORD have spoken....Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Sovereign LORD. You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign LORD." Reading these verses deepens the meaning of Jesus' compassion and reveals the true destiny of Jesus as the shepherd who will care for this battered and weary flock. And Mark's description of Jesus leads us to John's powerful words in John 10:14-15, "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep." Our great shepherd ministered to us through his own death and resurrection according to Hebrews 13:20 "May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep..." We were each like sheep without a shepherd, but now we have been brought home, according to I Peter 2:25, "For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." We wait for the return of this one who loves us according to I Peter 5:4 " And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." And as John the Revelator sees, the sacrifice lamb is finally the shepherd on the throne of the universe. Revelation 7:17 says "For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Who can read this simple story the same way, after contemplating all that Jesus Christ is for His people: "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. (Matthew 18: 12-14)
More in part II next week.
Questions
The feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle found in all four gospels. What does this tell you about this event?
Can you think of other examples of a "Markan sandwich" or chiasm? Why would a writer use this method?
Read Luke 10:17-24. What do you think the disciples were feeling as they returned? What was Jesus feeling and thinking? What does the fall of Satan seem to mean in this context?
What does Jesus' desire to withdraw with his disciples tell us about Jesus? about his disciples? about us?
In the Old Testament, the "rest" was a time when a disobedient generation was replaced with a nation ready to obey. What purpose does rest and withdrawal serve in our lives as believers?
According to the New Testament in Hebrews, what is the obstacle to entering into the "rest" of God?
Where can you go in your life and spend time alone with God?
Michael says that the willingness to be away from people is the only way to be able to truly and finally minister to them. How does managing our human limitations figure into being an effective servant of God?
Michael is well known for his criticism of those who burn themselves out in the name of ministry. Is it a sin to burn out? Why?
What works against having frequent times of retreat and withdrawal?
What did the "sheep without a shepherd" image mean in the Old Testament?
Where can you imagine Jesus standing today and feeling the same emotions he felt in Mark 6:34?
How is the compassion of Jesus different from the compassion of any human being?
What is the sinful opposite of compassion?
What does it mean to know that you are a sheep? That Jesus is a shepherd?
In the end, says Revelation, the ultimate lamb is the Great Shepherd. What does this beautiful picture tell us about our God?
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE: Dictionary of Paul and His Letters and Dictionary of the Later New Testament by IVP. These books complete the trilogy started with the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. It is hard to describe how good these books are, not only in their scholarly excellence but in their accessability. Find and acquire these three if you are a New Testament student. You won't regret the investment. They surpass dozens of other volumes.