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anxiety, Discipleship, Faith, Mark, Prayer, Uncategorized

Mark 6:30-56 sheep without a shepherd

August 16, 2021 Simon Twist

Discussion question:

Have you ever felt like the last person to understand what is going on?

Read Mark 6:30-56

Context

Before hearing about John the Baptist in Herod’s house, Jesus had sent the 12 disciples two by two to preach that people should repent. There have been a few lake crossings in this gospel and back in Chapter 4, Jesus had stood up in the boat and told the storm to be quiet and it was! Word about Jesus has spread and people have been wondering ‘who is this man?’

Observation

Structure

30-44 Feeding the five thousand
- 30-34 Sheep without a shepherd
- 35-38 How many loaves do you have?
- 39-44 From Jesus to the disciples to the people
45-56 Jesus brings…
- 45-50 Jesus left the disciples on their own
- 51-56 The sheep follow the Shepherd

30-44 Feeding the five thousand

30-34 Sheep without a shepherd

“The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported…” This is the first time the disciples are referred to as the apostles. Mark writes this account after all is finished and the community who read this know them as the apostles. But also the word apostles means ‘sent ones’ and that is exactly what Jesus had done in Mark 6:7. This picks up after that mission was at an end. The account of John the Baptist created a sense of time passing in the story. The disciples must have been excited about what they did and witnessed. And they did it unaccompanied by Jesus. NB: They were so excited about all that they had done and taught and yet it seems that this whole section resolves with the fact that Jesus does everything – the disciples don’t seem to catch on to this yet.

“…get some rest.” What a wonderful encouragement from our Lord. Just because there is more work to do doesn’t mean that we must sacrifice our rest.

“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them…” Jesus does not see dollar signs or an opportunity for an ego boost, he sees people who need something. He felt for them.

“…they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them…” A crowd of lost sheep. They are shepherded through teaching.

35-38 How many loaves do you have?

“Send the people away so that they can go … and buy themselves something to eat.” Remember that Jesus had already said to the disciples that it is ok to go and get some rest. Now the disciples are showing compassion on the crowd and suggesting that they be let go to get some food for themselves.

“But [Jesus] answered, “You give them something to eat.” We’re getting closer and closer to the point of this story. Jesus is going to feed five thousand plus people miraculously, but he is going to involve the disciples in the work. Something that would be impossible for any person to do will be made possible through Christ.

“…more than half a year’s wages!” The disciples have not yet learned to trust Jesus. They have also outlined the magnitude of the problem for us.

“How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” Jesus is involving the disciples in this act of compassion. They have identified the problem and Jesus is helping them to solve it in ways that they could not have imagined. It must have felt like a fruitless exercise to them.

39-44 From Jesus to the disciples to the people

“…Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups…” A lovely extra bit of details about the green grass 🙂 Everyone is ready for a picnic without the sandwiches! But Jesus again helps the disciples to break down this problem and prepare the crowd to be served. It’s a bit like Israel being divided into clans and Moses leading the people by groups.

“…he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute…” Jesus is sent by the Father whom Jesus gives thanks to. The disciples receive from Jesus who is directing them. And they distribute it to the people. WARNING: bringing a Roman Catholic reading to this passage will see the Eucharist (communion) at work with the bread being provided by Jesus and distributed via the apostles. But there is no need to see this as the Lord’s supper. There is no deeper link here than providing food for the people. A better connection would be to look back to the wandering people in the wilderness who were fed manna from heaven under Moses. Also, there are fish provided too and a great deal of leftovers.

“They all ate and were satisfied…” Five thousand men plus extras were satisfied by this miracle.

“…and the disciples picked up twelve basketful of broken pieces of bread and fish.” Notice again how involved the disciples are here. Jesus is trying to teach them something. They have seen the concern (V35) and they have seen the resources (V38), they have seen the size of the problem (V40), they distributed what was given and gathered what was left over. They saw better than anybody that day what was possible.

Summary: Jesus saw that the disciples needed rest. Jesus saw that the people needed a shepherd. Jesus directed the disciples to provide for the people with the resources that Jesus brings.

45-56 Jesus brings…

45-50 Jesus left the disciples on their own

“Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him…” The rest that they needed is still on Jesus’ mind. They won’t get the rest while Jesus is with them. Notice that Jesus ‘made them’ get into the boat. Remember back in Mark 4:36 that the disciples were taking Jesus places. On that episode they commanded the boat with boldness but were frightened by a storm which Jesus commanded. This time, Jesus sends them off and we’ll see again how little Jesus needs the disciples!

“… he went up on a mountainside to pray.” Jesus also needed time alone with his Father.

“Later that night…he was alone on the land.” The theme of being with or without Jesus continues in this passage. They were ‘out there’ on the lake and he was alone on the land.

“He saw the disciples straining…shortly before dawn he went…” A super hero would see people in trouble and fly to them but not our Lord. He sees our straining and struggle and waits for the right moment. In God’s wisdom it is good for us to have struggle.

“…he went out to them, walking on the lake.” You know, as you do! A simple bible reading would stop and conclude that this is the important part of the story. But a deeper reader will see that this is just one element of the story. The point is more than ‘look at what Jesus can do!’ The point lies in how he treats us and why he has even come to us.

“…they all saw him and were terrified.” The last thing they expected to see was their teacher walking by them on water. While they strained, he strolled. NB: do ghosts exist? While the answer is no, there is a spiritual realm with angels and demons and there is a story of King Saul bringing Samuel back from the dead and there is that time when Moses and Elijah stood with Jesus on a hill! There is also superstition and over imagined realities that we have no concrete answers to. Best to just say no.

50-56 The sheep follow the Shepherd

“Immediately he spoke to them…” The quickness of Jesus here is contrasted with his delay in Verse 48.

‘“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he climbed into the boat with them.’ Surely Jesus didn’t get into the boat for his own benefit but for theirs! The disciples need Jesus. Jesus understands their need. They are not alone and the man who can feed five thousand with a few loaves and the one who can walk on water has come from heaven to walk with them. To direct them.

“They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.” It’s at this point when I read this story that I thought I had understood the loaves but then Mark reintroduces the point here! The disciples had not yet caught on to what the crowds seem to be craving. The crowds are amazed at Jesus and will go out of their way to find him and spend ridiculous hours with him. The disciples are still thinking 2 dimensionally about mission. Jesus wants to send them but they must realise that they go with Jesus. They saw the crowd who needed to be fed but Jesus directed them on how that would get done. It is time for the disciples to start believing that Jesus can feed multitudes, cast out demons, raise the dead and walk on water. Have they even answered the question that they asked back in Chapter 4: Who is this man? We are told that their hearts were hardened and so they are yet unwilling to see who Jesus is.

“…people recognised Jesus. They ran throughout the whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.” This simple and excited faith is what Jesus wants from his disciples. If only they could see what the crowds were seeing!

Meaning

The disciples had a special and close connection with Jesus and yet they had not yet become excited about who he is. We are all sheep without a shepherd. Without Jesus we struggle against the wind. With Jesus we are directed to teach one another to have faith in him. Jesus saw the crowd who was lost and he began to teach them. Jesus saw the disciples’ who were afraid and said “take courage because I am here.” Jesus has now left us to do this without his physical presence. But the same practice is followed. Rely on God and not our own strength. See the difficult task before us and take courage. The needs of the many are solved by knowledge of the One.

Application

Challenge#1 Jesus is the solution to all of our problems.

In this passage we see Jesus solving problems in ways that the disciples did not foresee. The disciples even thought that their mission was done by them alone! Jesus, who can walk on water, provide food out of virtually nothing, and can heal simply by being present has much more to say and contribute to our problems than we can even imagine. The disciples still treated Jesus like a side-kick to all of their needs. Both the calming of the storm and the walking on water incident left them blown away (pun). But Jesus challenged them on both occasions about their fear. Why are you so afraid? Where is your faith? (Mark 4). And “Take courage. Don’t be afraid?” (Mark 6:50). Jesus is asking us to put him at the centre of the solution to all of our problems. Without him we are just straining at the oars against the wind. But with him, we can be directed and take courage.

Challenge#2 Finding rest in the middle of chaos.

Jesus shows teaches us the importance and value of praying in the quiet when he does it so often himself. He didn’t wait for a quiet moment, he created one.

Challenge#3 Think lost sheep, not problems to solve.

We are all like sheep that have gone astray. We all need the Great Shepherd. It’s not some more than others. The disciples needed to see this of themselves rather than being the muscles for Jesus. When we see this then we can spend more time directing people to Jesus than solving people’s problems. The more we try and fix people’s problems the more weary we will become. But keep directing people to Jesus and we will find this solution much easier. Even Jesus saw the sheep without a shepherd and his solution was to direct them to the word of God as he taught them.

Colossians, Faith, How Faith Works, Mission, Prayer, Sovereignty of God, Uncategorized

Study 8- Faith speaks to the world – Colossians 4:1-7

November 23, 2020 Simon Twist

Discussion question: At the end of our series, why would you say you have faith in Christ?

Context

Faith in Christ is about a certainty of God’s universal plans. These plans include all who call on the name of the Lord to be saved. The plans, according to the bible, are not simply for those who believe. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. In that simple statement, we are reminded that what’s true is true, even if you don’t believe it.

But for all who have believed and received Christ, to them (you) have been given the right to be called children of God. Faith saves. Faith goes all in. Faith is always at work. Faith opens our mouths to speak with God. Finally, but not least importantly, faith is for everyone.

Read Colossians 4:2-6

Observation

Q1. Discuss the attitude toward prayer that Paul has in Verse 2.

He instructs the church to be devoted to prayer: this implies dependence on God and a mindset that prioritises prayer – that prayer really is important.

He instructs them to pray being watchful – alert to the needs around them. If you are not watchful, then you are asleep at the wheel. What follows is Paul’s direction for the mission, and he starts with the need for prayer.

He instructs them to pray with thankfulness: this comes part and parcel with faith. We believe in a Sovereign God who has set us free already. The work of God is not dependent on us and often what we need is an attitude of thankfulness for all that God is doing in the world.

You may want to consider the Great Commission at some point in this study in order to see that Paul is doing exactly what Jesus commands us all to do. Matthew 28:18-20

Q2. Discuss what Paul requests in Verses 3 and 4. How can we apply this request as a church?

As a missionary of Christ, Paul asks for prayer for himself. For the Sovereignty of God to create opportunities (open doors) so that the gospel (the mystery of Christ) can be heard – despite the chains that Paul is wearing. He asks not only to proclaim the message but to do it clearly. He is asking for missionary support through prayer.

We have partners in the gospel through our CMS and BCA missionaries as well as two local missions with MIC and CAHSM. As well as these, we have many ministries that are set up to proclaim the gospel in our area. And it would be great to remember our weekly ministry of the word in our church services. Prayer for clarity from our preachers would be wonderful.

Q3. What advice does Paul have for the church in Verses 5 and 6?

Wisdom toward outsiders: there’s no formula or recipe for interacting with those outside the church but the direction of wisdom.

Make the most of every opportunity: being watchful in prayer and watchful in conversations.

Full of grace: work at filtering out anger, bitterness, envy and quarrelling. Give people grace and space. If Christ will work in somebody, he will do it.

Seasoned with salt: I suggest this means making your conversation attractive, interesting or tasty. A blunt bashing of the bible is rarely helpful.

So that you may know how to answer everybody: like our prayers, our conversations need to be eventful and meaningful – driven toward proclaiming the gospel or leading people to the community who have faith in Christ.

Meaning

The bible directs us to be alert and proactive in mission. There are those who need our prayer and covet our support. A church who is on board for Jesus must be on board for the mission and be thoughtful about it. And we go beyond praying for others. We pay careful attention to our own conversations and interactions with the world. You never know when God will open a door for you to speak to someone with wisdom, grace, salt and light.

Application

Application A) Devote yourself to prayer. We looked at prayer together last week but again we are commissioned to be prayers. Where and when are all a matter of wisdom. But a Christian who does not pray is like a human who does not breath. The content of our prayer must be for the mission. Jesus told his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. We don’t do this alone. We do that as a local and global church and by the will and power of the Holy Spirit.

Application B) Practice the gospel. Being ready to speak about your faith starts with practice. Telling another Christian what it means to have faith is useful training and encouraging. Do you know how to guide someone into faith? What would you do if asked to explain what a Christian is?

Application C) God in 60 seconds. Showing my age, there is a movie with Nicholas Cage called Gone in 60 Seconds – it is about car stealing. We can adapt this title for personal mission and work out ways we can “steal” conversations and direct them toward God. How can you turn current affair statements toward God? Likewise with pop-culture or anything. Can you take a normal conversation and naturally steer it toward faith in Christ?

Example,
“Politicians are only in it for themselves.”
“Well, I know one leader who is totally trustworthy”
“Oh yeah? Who?”
“Jesus… have you ever thought seriously about him?”

This example may be a little artificial but the point is to look for open doors and do it proactively.

Church, Mission, Topical, Uncategorized