Key Verses: 3, 9, 12, 18, 24, 29, 33, 38
Jesus is again facing what would seem to be
an impossible situation and yet he challenges His disciples to meet the
challenge. He knows they can’t, but the challenge comes anyway as a way to demonstrate
His provision for them and for the world. We in the West would not be satisfied
with bread and fish, but this was a basic meal there. No food pyramid existed.
Food was about survival and celebration, not about gluttony and obesity. Feed
them!
Of course there is no 24 hour WalMart
available. No Sam’s Club to buy bulk. Feed them! Impossible! But, not with
Jesus giving the orders. They take the seven loaves and few fish, give thanks
and they feed the crowd. And there are leftovers! I love leftovers. Leftovers
means there was more than enough food. Leftovers mean they had abundance.
We don’t know if Jesus did anything else
with the 4000 present. No miracles or teaching are mentioned. The food
multiplication was enough. We don’t even know the 4000’s reaction to the event,
or the disciple’s reaction for that matter. Mark is so matter of fact in his
presentation of the event. It happened and here were the results: seven baskets
of food leftover.
In contrast to this crowd of 4000, the
religious leaders want proof. The 4000 experienced proof, while the religious
leaders are never satisfied with proof. This kind of unbelief can be very
disappointing, even heartbreaking. And His disciples still seem to miss the
point so many times. We do too! The evidence is right there at hand. Jesus
gives the meaning and they still miss it. How are we expected to get it 2000
years later! We have the presence of the Holy Spirit guiding us moment by
moment. They did not have this level of intimacy with God. We can.
The disciples were blind to the truth. Jesus
heals a blind man in two steps. I believe Jesus enables his eyes to again
function and then enables his brain to understand what he was seeing. The
disciples see the things Jesus does, but they don’t fully understand what they
mean. When the Holy Spirit comes after Jesus resurrection they begin to
understand. Peter declares it boldly, “You are the Messiah”, but then denies
Jesus. Jesus did not fit his blurry understanding. Peter still saw men as trees
walking.
The part that was blurring the disciples’
vision of the Messiah was the suffering. That is still the sticking point for
so many. Why did Jesus have to die? Can I get to heaven without Jesus’ death?
Do I really deserve to die for my sins? Is sin really that bad? Life and death.
Following Jesus requires our death. Not like
the 38 people who committed suicide in 1997 when the Hale-Bopp comet passed by
the earth. Jesus requires a living death. We must daily die to our own will,
our own desires, and seek His will and the service of others in His Name. The
death Jesus requires is much harder, some would say impossible. But the cost of
not dying is death.