Mark Vol. 2 - Week 1 (6:30-44)
Mark 6:30-44
〰️
The King Who Provides
〰️
Mark 6:30-44 〰️ The King Who Provides 〰️
When we analyze all of Jesus' earthly ministry, what things come to mind? We might think of Jesus' compassion, provision, and sympathy for the people He interacted with. As we read this week's passage in Mark 6, we can see there's a small amount of text in red letters. While there aren't any quotes from Jesus that we might memorize or post on social media, this passage is an excellent summary of Jesus' ministry on earth, displaying compassion and love towards people and meeting their needs. This story is so magnificent that it's the only miracle- apart from the resurrection- that appears in all four Gospels (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-1; John 6:1-13).
The opening verses of this week's passage give us a brief reminder of where Jesus and His disciples were in the ministry journey. Earlier in 6:7-13, Jesus sent out His disciples and preached the good news of Jesus, "that people should repent" (v12). 6:30 tells us that, upon the disciples' return, "they reported to him all that they had done and taught." Quickly returning to v13, we read that the disciples "drove out many demons, anointed many sick people with oil and healed them." The disciples did what Jesus sent them out to do, so why on earth, here in v35-36, did they want to send away the crowds who came to Jesus in need? They came to Jesus to be fed spiritually, but in the process, they also began to need physical nourishment. This was right when Jesus called the disciples away to rest. After returning from their journeys proclaiming the Gospel, Jesus was going away with them to rest, only to be interrupted by this busy and needy crowd. To the disciples, the crowd was a nuisance or hindrance, but to Our Lord, they were sheep without a shepherd.¹ Now, hold on to that thought for a moment.
One of the most beautiful connections in this passage is to a verse we studied earlier in the summer, Psalm 23. In this passage, the psalmist praises the Lord, telling readers how He "lets me lie down in green pastures" (v2). And what does Jesus do with the crowd in Mark 6? "He instructed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass" (v39). So, as we read this story, we can interpret it through a shepherd/sheep lens, remembering that Jesus, in His compassion, saw to it that the people were cared for.
After teaching the crowd "many things" (v34), Jesus saw that the people needed to eat and tasked His disciples with the solution. Their response can be read with a little sarcasm towards Jesus, as they said, "Should we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?" (v37). Their response was slightly rude, as two hundred denarii were worth around eight month's wages.² The disciples, as we often do, were dependent on (and limited by) their own abilities. After all they had seen, they didn't even consider that Jesus could (or would) provide for the people in need. Interestingly, we don't see Jesus lose His patience or grow in frustration with the disciples (even though that's a recurring theme we'll come across in the coming weeks). Mark tells us nothing about Jesus' response to their lack of faith other than His asking them how much bread they had (v37-38).
When the disciples returned to Him with five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus told them to have the people sit, and He blessed the food. Verse 46 tells us that five thousand men were fed, but the number is likely to be far greater. Matthew's account of the story includes the remark "besides women and children," so the number was considerably greater than five thousand (Matthew 14:21).³ While Mark didn't tell us what Jesus prayed, the traditional Jewish blessing over bread would have been likely: "Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the world, who bringeth forth bread from the earth."⁴ After distributing the food, Mark tells us that "everyone ate and was satisfied" (v42). The word satisfied is chortazō (χορτάζω), a word commonly used to describe the fattening of animals. So not only is Jesus meeting the needs of the people, they are being satisfied and filled.⁵ This again gives us some Psalm 23 imagery of being filled and satisfied in the Lord.
"You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil,
my cup overflows." (v5)
When we think of the Lord, how do we view Him? Is He an authoritarian dictator who finds joy in denying us what we want? Or is He a loving caregiver who meets our needs in abundance? Theologian and author A.W. Tozer said, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."⁶ The way we view our Lord impacts the way we live and relate to Him, which then trickles down to how we live out our faith in response.
Discussion Questions
What stood out to you from the passage?
Does anything in this passage remind you of another part of Scripture?
Do you have any questions?
What does this passage tell us about Jesus?
In v35-37, how does Jesus respond when the disciples tell him that the people are hungry?
What does this tell us about the faith of the disciples?
What does this tell us about Jesus?
How do you naturally react when something unexpected interrupts your day or your time of rest? Why do you respond this way?
What does it mean for you to know that Jesus cares enough to have you rest and lie down in His presence?
1. Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: New Testament Vol. 1 (Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Publishing), 132.
2. Akin, 139.
3. Ross H. McLaren, Mark: CSB Study Bible: Notes (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers), 1570.
4. Ibid., 1570.
5. Strong's G5526 - chortazō (χορτάζω) https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5526/kjv/tr/0-1/
6. A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (New York, NY: HarperOne), 1.