FEEDING THE 5,000

DINNER WITH THE LORD
Mark 6:30-44
Jesus Christ performed many miracles. He did so to prove to the world that He was the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Thus far in the book of Mark Jesus healed a possessed man in Capernaum (1:23-28). He healed Peter's mother-in-law (1:29-31). He healed a paralytic in 2:1-12 and cure a man with a withered hand 3:1-6, He calmed the storm at sea in 4:35-41, cure the woman with a hemorrhage (5:23-34) and raised Jairus' daughter from death (5:35-43).
All four Gospel writers record many miracles Jesus performed. But, the only one that is recorded in all four Gospels is the feeding of the 5,000.
This is one of the greatest miracles of our Lord, but there is much, much more to this story than the feeding of the 5,000. Everybody knows what goes on in the kitchen before the meal is what makes the meal so good.
In the story we see the might, mercy and multiplication.
Most people make a big-to-do out Jesus feeding the 5,000, that took him maybe 2 or 3 hours. But, few people think of the fact that Jesus at taught them truths all day long. It shows that people are often more amazed with the signs then the Savior.
In this message today, the first important thought we see is:
I - JESUS CONCERN FOR HIS MEN, THE DISCIPLES (v 30-32).
Mark 6: 30And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.
31And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
32And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.
Two things are clear in these verses:
1 - The excitement of the disciples: (v 30)
-They were excited because Jesus gave them power over the devils.
-They were excited for they had power to heal the lame and the sick.
-They were excited over their spirit's boldness to teach God's word.
The reason Jesus gave the disciples these special powers was for a witness to who He was. Soon, Jesus would die and rise again. Thus, His powers and the powers he gives the disciples were signs for the Jews, so they would believe that Jesus was the Christ the Son of God, the Savior.
After Jesus' resurrection His power is given to His Church. John tells us in First John 4:4, "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. "
The believer is given special power today also, but not to tread on serpents and raise the dead. After Jesus rose again, His new command was and has been for 2,000 years to go and witness to the world.
Matthew 28:18-20 reads, 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.
What do we teach people? Well, before you baptize them, they must first be saved. So, evidently we tell them that Jesus Saves. 1) We tell them, Jesus loves them and died for them. He was buried and rose again.
2) We tell them all have sinned and come short of God's glory.
3) When they see themselves as lost and God's Spirit convicts them, if they will humbly come to Jesus and believe on Him, they may be saved.
Yes, we need to love people, help people and care for people, but our first priority should be to pray for people and proclaim Jesus.
So, the disciples were excited about Jesus.
2. The exhortation of the Lord is the second thing we see (31-32). Jesus saw beyond the disciples emotions, He saw their need. Do you know what they needed? They needed to rest physically and mentally.
So, they boarded their boat and left Capernaum and headed up the northeastern side of the Sea of Galilee to Bethsaida.
If you give yourself to the service of the Lord, you must have time alone with Jesus to regain your strength. But that is true in any work.
Your body both physically and spiritually needs refreshing.
A great theologian, once sat down with Martin Luther, the reformer and said, “I have come by today so you and I might discuss how God governs the universe.” Luther looked at him and said, “Today you and I will go fishing and leave the governing of the universe to God.” There are sometimes God's people need to go fishing, go on a picnic and just rest. There are times, you need to turn your cell phone off, lock your doors or get in a car and go off for a few days and just rest.
In the third century BC there lived an ancient Greek philosopher named Aesop. He was known for his wise stories. Aesop told stories about nature, plants, or animals that illustrates a moral or even a divine truth.
One day as he was talking with a stressed out fellow Athenian, he picked up a bow, loosened its string, and placed it on the ground., Aesop said, “Answer the riddle, if you can. Tell me what the unstrung bows implies.”
The man looked at it for several moments but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make. Aesop explained, “If you keep a bow always bent, it will eventually break; but if you let it go slack, it will be more fit for use when you want it.”
Jesus knew that people needed rest. He knew His children needed rest. That’s why we all need to take time to rest.
In today’s Scripture, Jesus prescribed time off for His wearied disciples after they had returned from a prolonged period of ministry.
The second important thought we see is:
II - JESUS COMPASSION FOR THE MULTITUDES, THE LOST (v 33-34).
33And 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.
34And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
In our Lord's stay on earth, His heart was stretched between His concern for His disciples and His compassion for the multitudes. But that should be the heart of every preacher and every Christian.
When the multitudes saw the direction which the Lord left Capernaum by ship, they began to run around the northern corner of the Sea of Galilee until they came to where He was in Bethsaida.
Jesus saw them running around the lake to meet Him. After watching them run for a while, Jesus said in verse 34, "They were like sheep not having a shepherd." The Lord was not irritated because the multitude came to Him. He embraced them with love. Why? He saw deep down in their hearts that they were lost. How do we know that?
1 - They had no shepherd. They had no spiritual leaders to tell them the truth.
-The rabbis' in this day rejected John's preaching to repent from Judaism and accept the Christ. They rejected Jesus' teaching though they claimed to keep the word of God.
-The scribes also rejected Jesus' teaching, though they were to be the wise men who interpreted the Scriptures, they misinterpreted them.
-And the Pharisees were so wrapped up their religious traditions, they could not see beyond their noses.
Jesus said to these three groups in Matthew 23:15, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
The reason Jesus was moved with compassion upon these folks was nobody would tell them the truth. Thank God Jesus is Truth.
Not, only did they not have a shepherd but...
2. They had no Scriptures.
To hear the Scriptures, the people had to go to the synagogue. Then they trusted the reading and interpretation of those Scriptures to the Pharisees and Scribes.
Listen: when the disciples ask the Lord to give them signs of when He would return, the first thing Jesus said was, "Take heed that not man deceive you." (Matt 24:4)
I want to make something very clear today folks. Maybe I haven't been clear in the past, but the greatest deception of Satan today is false religious teaching. Any doctrine not backed up by the Scriptures is a lie.
God gave commands to preachers in II Timothy 4:1-3: 1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts (fleshly desires) shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
I have had many people visit this church and when I visited them, they said, I'm looking for a church with a ball team or a singles ministry. I'm looking for a contemporary church with contemporary music, or some other personal reason. That is fleshly. You are here because you were looking for a church that teaches and preaches the Bible.
I talked to a Methodist man this past week. I told him, I believe a ballpark is for baseball and a amusement park is for entertainment, but Church is a place to go and worship God. And he said, "I agree."
Therefore let me say this:
It matters not what a school of theology or Christian college or seminary tells you, if it contradicts God's word, you and I are to preach and proclaim God's word. Amen. There are a few good colleges and a few good seminaries in America, but mind you, only a few.
They give knowledge and they give degrees, but few train preachers to preach the whole council of God. I don't know if this will shock you or not but most professors in most Seminaries across this land don't believe that the Bible is God's inspired word.
Remember, the Bible says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable..." not part of it, but the whole.
Jesus called religious organization that were fake, fake. He called the Pharisees, hypocrites and children of hell.
Now, that poses a major problem in the culture of America, today.
Why? Most of our country's educational institutes and media has brained washed most people and even Christians to believe humanism over God's divine teachings.
Let me give you about 5 examples:
1) The book by Dale Carnegie, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" written in 1937, sold 15 million copies worldwide. It was a good book filled with great ideas on how to treat people and how to listen and show compassion. It was a good book on how husbands and wives should treat each other.
An old preacher in his nineties told me that the religious organization he belonged to and worked in all his life, built their entire religious teaching around one quote from Dale Carnegie and that was, "Don't criticize, condemn or complain."
Now, if you have read the book, you know that was just one point and overall it is a good book. If you are dealing with a person in sales, that is a great code to live by. If you want to make people like you, you must do this.
The book goes on to say that you should show interest in people, smile, be a good listener, show respect, be friendly with people you meet and much more.
That is all good, but God didn't call preachers to win friends and influence people to themselves. He called preachers to reprove, rebuke and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Many preachers are taught today, never to condemn anyone or anything. They are told, "Don't say anything that might offend someone."
Listen to Jesus. He said to the Pharisees in Matthew 23:33,Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Does that sound a little condemning?
I believe we need to be compassionate and loving to the lost world, but, to false teachers whither they are religious or not, that are taking people to hell, we need to call them what they are, serpents, vipers and candidates of hell.
Where is the balance? It is really simple. A dad takes his son out into the woods. He says, son, God gave us animals for food. We raise our beef, we kill deer, we shout turkey's, we catch fish. This is good. We till the soil and plant crops. This is good. We eat strawberries, blackberries and the like. But, son, Be cautious of poison ivy and oak. Watch out for the snakes, the bears, the wolves. They'll kill you. Stay away from them and if they are causing trouble, warn people or kill them.
2) Now, seconnldy, let me say this, the apostle Paul called people's name who were leading people astray. He said, "Demos hath forsaken me." He said, "Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil."
This brings us to another area of thought that is killing true Christianity in America and that is the Possibility thinkers.
Born in 1926 was a man named Robert Schuller. When Schuller began in California, he went door to door and ask the people what kind of church they would like. They said we want a church that makes us feel good about ourselves. So, Schuler changed his message, and vowed never to preach negative again, only positive.
He would never tell a person that they were sinners in need of a Savior. His church grew to over 9,000. His TV program was broadcast in 180 different countries. He had an audience of 20 million people and he left out over 50% of God' Word.
Friend, my Jesus preached hell hot and heaven sweet. He told people to repent or perish.
He exposed to the woman at the well that she was living in adultery.
He told Nicodemus, "He that believeth on me is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed on the name of the Son of God."
I think I will preach like Jesus. It could make the difference in heaven and hell for one lost soul.
I want to tell you about another Robert Shuler. He was nicknamed "Fighting Bob" Shuler.
He was born in 1880 and died in 1965. He was an American Methodist evangelist and political figure. He was born in Tennessee but pastored in Los Angeles, California during the 1920s and 1930s. He attracted large audiences of over 5,000 and was heard on the radio by over 600,000.
In his sermons and broadcast, he weekly, "thundered negatively against civic and moral evils, including gamblers, bootleggers, the dishonesty of the government, corrupt politicians and corrupt police officials.
Shuler would have kept his radio broadcast open many more years, but the Federal Radio Commission revoked Shuler's license. They shut him down in 1937. So, much for "freedom of speech." Folks, we are fighting against the same corruption in our government today.

3) There are the positive thinkers like Norman Vincent Peal who said, "Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities."
My Bible says, don't trust the flesh. Don't trust your heart. Don't trust man. Psalms 118:8, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."
4) Then there is the teaching of the Happy thinking people. They say things like: "Happiness is within you. When you stop the chatter of the mind and expel your worries and fears you find out that happiness surfaces from within you.
Do you know what I feel when I stop all chatter of my mind. I see a world going to hell. I see the soon return of the Lord and the need to tell people about Jesus.
Happiness is not a goal you seek, it is an outflow from the heart of a person abiding in Christ.
5) Then we have today, the political correctness crowd. This world's education system, government and media, is crying that you must speak politically correct.
They are doing everything they can to brainwash the people of this nation to accept a socialized, Marxist government that will eventually accept a One World Government. That contradicts the words of my Savior.
The politically correct crowd says don't say negative things. Don't say anything that my make another feel bad. So, you must call drunkenness a disease. And adultery is called an extramarital affair and homosexuality is called an alternate life style.
Friend, Jesus said the drunkard is a sinners and he won't enter the kingdom of heaven. The adulterer will face God's judgment and the homosexual crowd is an abomination. He said they are worthy of death and bound for hell. Does that sound politically correct?
Have you heard of ADHD, (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)? My kids had that. All three of them. I had it also when I was growing up. So did my brothers and sister. So did my mom and dad.
Don't laugh. All of you had it. Not only that, my kids had ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder. When I talked to them, they didn't listen or obey me, at first.
Well, before I read Dr Spock or a modern day Psychologist or psychiatrist or talked to a governmental social worker I read the Bible.
And God gave me a cure for ADD and ADHD.
I want to show you the cure in the Bible: Look in Proverbs 23: 12 Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge. First, children should be taught the word of God. When? You should read the Bible to them before they are ever born. Then raised them on the Scriptures. Know, this, though you give them the pill of truth, they are still going to lapse into ADHD and ADD.
So God, gives us some great wisdom in verse 13: Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Did you see that? The remedy isn't in a bottle, it is in a rod.
The old remedy to get a child's attention or to stop a child's over activity was called in modern terms, a spanking. If you are from the mountains it is called a good old fashion whooping.
Well, says, mom or dad, "Can I whoop them to much? God says, "NO." 14: Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
I'm not making fun of anyone, I'm telling you, our nation has to find another way to help you raise your kids because they threw the Bible out. So they say, drug them.
So you have a choice today: Put your child on governmental regulated drugs which will affect them mentally and physically as they get older. That is proven. Or, do it God's way.
Folks, the whole world is not crazy and God's word is always true: In 1992 Philip Atkinson in Australia wrote this article, " Uncontrolled Children Become Uncontrollable Citizens. The Australian community's failure to discipline its children has resulted in uncontrollable citizens—monsters.
He says, we have ignored the wisdom of the ages. The public schools phased out corporal punishment and today we are left with uncontrollable violent pupils.
Jesus did not call behavior a disease? He called it sin.
Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.
The third though we see is:
III - JESUS' CONSUMMATION OF A MIRACLE (v 35-44).
I am not going to read verses 35-44, for most of you know the story. Jesus had preached all day and the multitudes of 5,000 men plus women and children were hungry. The sun would soon set and the question arises, "What should we do with this crowd."
1. First, We see the disciple's logic: The disciples looked at the conditions and the clock. And concluded with this logic:
"This is a desert place, and the time is far passed." 36, "Send them away and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. We don't have the time or the treasures or the to feed a crowd like this.
This spoke of the time of day. You see there were two evenings to the Jewish people. The first was from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and the second was a period of thirty to forty minutes after sunset. Here Jesus was speaking of the first evening.
The disciples were concerned that they could not feed the multitudes. Why? Their eyes were on the clock, but Jesus' eyes were on the crowd.
They had looked in their purse and didn't have enough money.
They had looked out among the crowd and there was no food.
They had considered the lateness of the hour and thought they had no time, but no one was looking to Jesus, who had all power.
2. Now we see Jesus' love (38-44)
A. First we see the Blessed Supply:
So Jesus says, "Give them to eat." The disciples say, we don't have enough money in the treasury to buy enough bread for them. Jesus says, in verse 38, How many loaves do we have. They come back and say, "This small boy has two fishes and five loaves of bread, but what is that for this great multitude?"
He tells them to sit down by fifties and by hundreds. He is organized. Learn this truth: Your little is enough, if you give it to Jesus and let Him organize it.
B. Then we see Jesus' Bountiful Supply
Jesus first stopped and blessed the two fish and five loaves.
41And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
How many times have I give this principle: "Learn to truly be thankful for what you have. That gives God the opportunity to give you more."
God knows the gratefulness of our hearts. Praise the Lord for what He has done for you. Quit asking for more and just praise Him!
What is the application for us today?
Be concern for your own family first, then your brothers and sisters in Christ, the. Reach out to them to one another and give a restful, peaceful time.
Be compassionate to a lost world. They are running to and fro because they don't know the peace you have. They don't know Jesus.
So, take the bread of life that God gave you and share Him with your family and friends.