The Master Meets Human Needs

Mark 6:34-44

IN THIS lesson we have that wonderful report of Jesus feeding the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fishes. By this miracle the Master illustrated those blessings of his coming kingdom which are described by the Prophet Isaiah as a “feast of fat things” which shall be to all people. (Isa. 25:6-9) This does not mean that all the “fat things” foretold in this prophecy will consist of food for the natural body, for the world will need more than that. The thought is, rather, that all human needs will be supplied, and this is fully illustrated in the incident of today’s lesson in that first of all Jesus, seeing that the people were as sheep without a shepherd, taught them many things, and then supplied also their physical needs.

The circumstances leading up to this incident help to give it a deep significance as a portrayal of the unselfish character of the Master. It occurred shortly after John the Baptist was beheaded. The people had been stirred by this, and their demands upon the time of Jesus and his disciples had apparently been increased. The disciples, however, felt that they should take time to give Jesus their own version of John’s beheading, and of the service which they had been able to render.—Mark 6:29,30

Having finished with this report, Jesus said to his disciples, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.” The reason given for this invitation is, “For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.” (verse 31) This invitation by the Master to come apart and “rest a while” is sometimes misinterpreted to mean that he desired to spend a period of retirement with them for the purpose of private fellowship, meditation, and prayer. All of these are essential elements of the Christian life, but none of them happen to be what the Master had in mind when he invited his disciples to come apart with him and rest a while.

The account itself explains what Jesus meant. They had been so busy, and the demands of the crowd were so great, that they had not been able even to eat. The only solution was to get away from the crowd where they could at least have an opportunity to eat and secure much needed physical rest. But the rest they sought to attain was to be denied them, for the account continues: “And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.”—verses 32,33

Jesus and the disciples had crossed the lake in a boat, thinking thus to escape the crowd and be able to rest. But as the account shows, the people sensed what was being. attempted, so they ran around the edge of the lake and were there when the boat landed. Here was an interesting situation. Certainly Jesus and his disciples needed rest. What should be done? Many, under the circumstances, would have instructed the disciples to take the boat out into the lake, where the people could not reach it. But Jesus did not do this.

Jesus, already tired and without food, when he saw these people, and realized that they had come to him for help, “was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.” Jesus had come to lay down his life for these people, and for the whole world, and here he displayed his heart sympathy toward the needs of those for whom he had come to die.

Jesus knew that in all probability very few of those he taught that day would actually become his disciples, that not to many of them would it be given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God. He knew—because he understood the divine plan—that the time of their real visitation and enlightenment would be during the thousand years of his kingdom, that time when the knowledge of the glory of God would fill the earth as the waters cover the sea; the time when all the blind eyes will be opened and all the deaf ears unstopped. (Isa. 11:9; 35:5) But his knowledge of this did not in the least deter him from doing what he could then to teach them “many things,” and to do this at a time when it was very much out of season for himself.

In this we have a wonderful example to follow. There are people all around us who are bewildered and confused concerning the meaning of their existence, their ultimate destiny, and the destiny of the world as a whole. We know, even as Jesus did, that the time when the vast majority of mankind will actually be enlightened is when the Lord turns to them a “pure language,” and that then they will call upon him “to serve him with one consent.” (Zeph. 3:8,9) Nevertheless, this does not excuse us from using every possible opportunity that presents itself of witnessing to the people now, nor from using every legitimate means at our disposal for so doing.

Nor should we think of our work as teachers, or ministers of reconciliation, as though it were a matter of convenience on our part as to when and how we would bear witness to the truth. Certainly it was an inconvenient time for Jesus when he stepped out of that boat with the expectation of finding a place to rest, and was met by a gathering of five thousand people wanting to hear the gracious words which they knew he was able to utter. But it was in season for these people, and Jesus used his ebbing strength to teach them “many things.”

Yes we, like Jesus, are commissioned to “preach the Word,” and in doing so, to “be instant in season, out of season.” (II Tim. 4:2) It may be that if we should follow the inclinations of our fallen flesh it would very seldom be “in season” for us to use time, strength, and means to proclaim the kingdom message, although some circumstances are more favorable for us than others. But even though it may be most unseasonable, or inconvenient for us, if the opportunity arise and it is in season for others to hear, we should be like Jesus and set aside every personal consideration and preference, and with our hearts filled with compassion toward the groaning creation, proclaim to them the glad tidings of the kingdom.

Our lesson does not indicate how long the Master’s sermon was on that memorable day. Teaching those “many things” could easily have required several hours. This is implied by the fact that when he had finished his teaching, the “day was … far spent.” (vs. 35) Perhaps the people to whom Jesus preached that day viewed matters as many do today.

In a recent national poll which was taken in an effort to discover what type of sermon the majority of church members preferred, and how long they thought sermons should be, the overwhelming answer was that the people wanted to hear sermons on the Bible, its promises and prophecies. As to the length of sermons, the general opinion was well summed up by one man, who, when asked this question, said that if sermons contained real meat from the Word of God, something on which the soul could feed, an hour, or even more, would not be too long, but if they did not, five minutes would be too long.

Regardless of how long Jesus’ sermon was on this occasion, at its close the disciples reminded him that the multitudes to whom he had been preaching were faced with another need. They had been all day without food. Apparently this was also true of Jesus and his disciples. But what was to be done about it? The disciples saw no other way than quickly to disperse the crowd, difficult though this might be, in order that they could get back to the towns and villages before the darkness of night had settled down completely.

But Jesus did not favor this procedure. He said to his disciples, “Give ye them to eat.” (vs. 37) They were puzzled. To provide even a token meal for five thousand people would require a tremendous amount of food—“two hundred pennyworth” of bread, the way they figured it. The Roman penny here referred to would be the equivalent of fifteen cents in our money. Before inflation affected our economy, fifteen cents would buy three large loaves of bread, and probably in Jesus’ day a Roman penny would buy a great deal more. But even so, the disciples were very conservative in their estimate, figuring not more than two or three slices of bread per person.

But Jesus had a better way. He asked how much food they already had on hand. To them the amount was incredibly small—five loaves of bread, and two fishes. But Jesus’ faith was not daunted. He knew that the power of God which produced bread and fish in a so-called natural way, could just as easily assemble the necessary elements by a quicker method and thus provide food for these hungry people. So he instructed his disciples to see that the people were properly arranged to make serving easy and efficient; then he asked the divine blessing upon the food, and began to serve.

We know what followed. It was a miracle. Those five loaves and two fishes increased as the Master served, and there was plenty for all; and much more was gathered up afterward than they had to start with. Can we not, then, have confidence that when the due time comes, the same divine power will be able abundantly to supply all human needs, yea, to make a feast of fat things for all people?

But let us again note the Master’s position in connection with this miracle. Earlier this same day he had sought rest for himself and for his disciples. He had not found it, but instead had spent much time teaching many things to this crowd. And now, still with no rest, he stood there and passed food to his disciples to serve to these five thousand people. This in itself must have taken a great deal of strength. But Jesus’ heart was filled with compassion for these people, and what did it matter how much the effort cost him since they were being blessed? Let us not fail to think of this example whenever we are considering what it means to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and to develop Christlikeness.

This privilege of service finished, Jesus instructed his disciples to re-enter the ship and to go back to the other side of the lake. Then, after dispersing the crowd, the Master went up into a mountain to pray. By now it was nighttime. Evidently it was a moonlight night, for from his position of elevation he could see that the disciples were in difficulty on the lake. A strong unfavorable wind had arisen, and apparently the boat was getting out of control.

Still without rest, and seeing the special need of his disciples, Jesus came down from the mountain, walked out on the water and rescued them. Yes, Jesus’ heart was filled with compassion for the whole groaning creation, but his own disciples, those whom the Father had given him, were his special care. And it should be the same with us, for we too should be especially interested in our own brethren, the household of faith.

QUESTIONS

What was illustrated by the feeding of the five thousand?

What were the circumstances leading up to the feeding of the five thousand?

Does the fact that the whole world will learn the truth by and by excuse us from the obligation of proclaiming it now?

How is the principle of faithfulness “in season [and] out of season” illustrated in this lesson?

How is Jesus’ unselfishness illustrated in this lesson?

In what way did Jesus manifest his special love for his disciples after he had fed the five thousand?

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