Introduction

33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." 37 But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?" 38 And he said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish." 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

Put Yourself There

Imagine being there. Put yourself in the scene. Imagine wishing so badly to see Jesus that, when you heard that was his boat out on the water, and when you saw the winds slow his journey, you stopped everything and ran to his destination ahead of him.

• Jesus has just created food in his bare hands! Like God, who dropped the miracle of daily manna upon ancient Israel, so Jesus has miraculously provided food for the masses!

But before you have a chance to act on the impulse to make Jesus king, he is gone, off to the mountain for solitude and prayer. And you are left, full and satisfied, rocked by Jesus.

The Message

I wanted you to get inside this story because it is too easy to trivialize this event, making it into a cute miracle in Jesus' repertoire. Instead, it seems we should see this event as monumental. This is the only miracle during Jesus' ministry before the cross that all four gospel writers record. To them, it was significant.

But why? Is it because of the sheer magnitude of what Jesus did? There must be something more.

The clue is found in the introductory verses:

33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.

When we see Jesus' compassion, his concern that they were like sheep without a shepherd, we tend to think of his pastoral care and concern (34). We think of things like his love, his tenderness, and his gentle nurturing of our lives.

But they saw shepherds differently. To them, the shepherd role was a leadership role. And when used as a metaphor for Israel, the shepherd role often pointed to a military leader, like Moses or Joshua, who would rally Israel for war.

So, from this passage, how does Jesus shepherd his people? How does he shepherd you?

1. By strengthening you (Mark 6:35-38)

35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." 37 But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?" 38 And he said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish."

The Disciples' Assessment

We remember, of course, how Jesus has recently turned his attention to the development of his disciples. He has sent them out two by two. They have returned to him.

In their minds, since it was so late in the day, and since they were in a desolate place on the outskirts of town, Jesus needed to send the crowds away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat (35-36).

Jesus Was Strengthening These Men

Jesus then challenged his men to take care of the peoples' needs on their own. "You give them something to eat," he said (37).

What was Jesus doing? Shepherding, of course.

And Jesus works hard to strengthen us. In this passage, we see three ways Jesus strengthened his men, and also strengthens us.

A. He Showed Them People's True Need

The disciples had just returned from a very successful time of preaching, healing, and confronting demonic powers. They were amazed at their newfound ability. But, just like that, they were confronted with their own inability.

B. He Taught Them Compassion

Jesus also teaches us that compassion for the lost masses of humanity is important. Remember, he and the disciples were out on that water for a getaway, a time of leisure, and refreshment in a desolate place. These crowds ruined that intention. But Jesus was not angry or bitter at the crowds, and instead showed them compassion.

C. He Made Them Dependent

I have always loved this story for what it taught the disciples -- and teaches us -- about living in dependence upon Christ. We don't have what it takes to get the impossible tasks in front of us accomplished. We have small resources and little ability to make any real difference on our own. But Christ can strengthen us.

2. By satisfying you (Mark 6:39-44)

39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

Creation Miracle

This is a creation miracle, meaning Jesus expressed his power over the created order. He is not only powerful over creation -- we learned that when he calmed the storm -- but he is powerful to create.

Satisfied

And this story shows us Jesus' kingdom is one of total satisfaction because they all ate and were satisfied (42). It means they were glutted.

Five thousand men were satisfied that day. Every gospel account records the number.

Kingdom Breaking In

First, notice how Jesus fed the people with teaching. Before giving them food, he gave them the word.

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Deuteronomy 8:3).

Second, notice how Jesus fed the people with bread and fish. His kingdom does not stop with the theoretical but gets into the practical.

The Great Banquet

The feeding of the five thousand is a foreshadowing of the great final banquet, the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19). In glory, we will partake of his table without end.

3. By leading you (Mark 6:33-34)

Earlier, I pointed out how they thought of shepherds in a less sentimental way that we do. To them, a shepherd for Israel was a warrior-leader-general for Israel.

And other elements in the story point to Jesus' work as the shepherd who wills to lead his people into his cause. When he had the people sit down on the green grass, it is reminiscent of Psalm 23's statement about the Shepherd-Lord: "he makes me lie down in green pastures" (39, Psalm 23:2). When he commanded people in groups of fifty and a hundred, it sounds like organizing the troops (39). When the disciples counted the masses, they only counted the men, which was their culture's way of doing things but is also reminiscent of an ancient army of male warriors (44). And there's also the location of this event -- in the desolate hills on the northwestern shore of Galilee. Rural Galilee had become legendary for various freedom movements against the Roman Empire -- groups like the Zealots -- who tried guerilla tactics in their resistance of Rome. And each movement had a leader.

David

Do you remember David's early years? Before anyone knew of him, he shepherded his father's sheep. Once the spirit came upon him, he defended those sheep against a lion and a bear. This prepared him for the day he would meet Goliath. None of the men in Israel's army were up for warring with Goliath, but David, the Shepherd-Warrior, would lead them into victory. After his stone killed Goliath, the men of Israel ran after the Philistines in the pursuit of victory. Jesus has done the same.

Purpose

And it isn't because Jesus is selfish that he seeks to become the leading force of your life. No, it's his love that compels him.

You see, there are many others who will attempt to play the leading role in your life. But none of them can satisfy.

The book of Ecclesiastes demonstrates as much. Solomon, with wealth, power, and wisdom beyond compare, tried to find satisfaction outside of God. He made self-indulgence and the pursuit of pleasure his shepherd. He made intellectualism his pursuit. He made accomplishments and career his focus. He accumulated wealth, explored the arts, immersed himself in trade, and amassed all the happy experiences he could imagine. Nothing was off-limits. In the end, Solomon learned it was only in God he could find satisfaction (Ecclesiastes 12:13). It was only in God he could find his purpose.

But Jesus and his kingdom beckon us. He sees humanity, shepherdless, in need of the one, true King. He is moved with compassion when he sees us flounder in search of meaning. And he cries out:

"I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." (John 6:35, ESV).

Go to him. Let him be your Shepherd. Let him displace and replace all the lesser shepherds who have hijacked your life, for only in Jesus will you be satisfied.