The Twelve return from their journey and Jesus intends to give them some time to relax, but such a crowd gathers with so many needs that the Lord can't bring Himself to go on to a solitary place where He and the disciples can rest.
"The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught. 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.'" (Mark 6:30-31) The Twelve are on a spiritual high. They don't realize yet how physically exhausted they really are, but Jesus can see it on their faces and hear it in their voices. There is a danger in working so feverishly that we neglect our basic needs, because sooner or later our energy is going to crash, and that gives Satan an opportunity to kick us while we're down. The Lord says something to the Twelve that He whispers to our souls every day of our lives, "Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." We live in a busy world and even though we have nearly every convenience imaginable, we seem to have less and less quiet time. Sooner or later all this activity is going to cause an energy crash if we don't set aside some quiet time to be alone with the Lord.
"So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 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." (Mark 6:32-34) Those who should have been the spiritual leaders of the nation have been doing a poor job. They've left the people like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus steps out of the boat to be met by a crowd so hungry and thirsty for the word of God that they came to see Him without packing lunches for the journey. Their spiritual needs are far greater than their physical needs. Jesus puts these people ahead of Himself and spends the day teaching them. Jesus has always put mankind ahead of Himself.
"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. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.'" (Mark 6:35-36) I suspect the disciples mention dinner because they are hungry themselves. In fact, they might be getting a little "hangry" since they feel bold enough to tell the Lord what He ought to do. I don't know about you, but nothing makes me more irritable and sharp-tongued than having my dinner delayed long enough to make my blood sugar drop to the point of feeling shaky and nauseated. I would probably start giving the Lord instructions too, so due to my own human weakness I can't blame the disciples for their impatience.
Since these men have just returned from a journey in which they healed the sick and cast out demons, Jesus gives some instructions of His own. "But He answered, 'You give them something to eat.'" (Mark 6:37a) Could the disciples have performed the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand?Jesus appears to be suggesting that they can. Perhaps if they'd had the faith in this moment that they had on their journey through the towns and villages they could have done it. After all, they've cast out demons; multiplying loaves and fishes seems minor in comparison to such intense spiritual warfare. But they're tired and they're aggravated by the needy crowds and they just want to be done with the people for now, so they miss what Jesus is saying. "They said to Him, 'That would take more than half a year's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?" (Mark 6:37b) They ask in astonishment, "Do You want us to spend all our money to buy bread for this crowd? But what about tomorrow when another hungry group shows up? What are we going to do then? The crowds that are thronging You now will be nothing compared to the crowds that gather when they learn we're handing out free food."
Jesus is patient with these men and He's patient with us too. He doesn't chastise them for thinking inside the box; He merely gets on with the task at hand. Since they can't stretch their imaginations right now, Jesus gives them a smaller job to perform. "'How many loaves do you have?' he asked. 'Go and see.'" (Mark 6:38a) They can't envision the miracle that is about to be performed, so He gives them something they can do. They count the food on hand and report back to Him. "When they found out, they said, 'Five---and two fish.'" (Mark 6:38b)
"Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 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 distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand." (Mark 6:39-44) If Jesus had simply started multiplying the food and handing it out, I think there would have been a stampede. The people would have rushed in upon Him with the attitude, "Every man for himself!" But as if He is presiding as host over a great banquet, He has them all sit down in an orderly fashion to wait to be served. No one displays selfishness or bad manners. Instead the five thousand, along with Jesus and the disciples, are able to enjoy a nice meal together.
Jesus fed the people's souls and now He feeds their bellies because, as we talked about earlier in the week, He treats the whole person. He doesn't just see us as a body or a soul, but as a complex being. He is able to provide our basic human needs and also our mental and emotional and spiritual needs. So many times we go through our days running on empty. We are running on empty because we aren't taking time to see to our basic needs and we are running on empty because we aren't spending time alone with the Lord. As human beings, both these things are vital to our health. Let's take some time to break bread with the Lord, to feast on His goodness both literally and spiritually, and to allow Him to refresh us. He is able to make our cup run over.
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