LOVE IN ACTION
During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, ‘I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.’ His disciples answered, ‘But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?’ (Mark 8: 1-4).
Why did Mark include this story in his gospel record? It certainly gives us an insight into the heart of Jesus. Some other popular rabbi might have dismissed the crowd with not a thought for their physical well-being. Not Jesus! He cared as much for their bodies as for their souls. He was not holding a preaching and healing campaign out in the hills to gain more renown for Himself; He was there to minister to people, and that included the whole person.
He was first and foremost their rabbi. He wanted them to understand their role as His followers. If they were to be true disciples, they were to be like Him in every way, including His compassion for people as real people, with physical as well as spiritual needs. He could not send people away to walk long distances without sustenance. Since they had come after Him, it was His responsibility to see that they arrived home safely.
‘How many loaves do you have,’ Jesus asked. ‘Seven,’ they replied. He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When He had taken the loaves and given thanks, He broke them and gave them to His disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. They had a few small fish as well; He gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketsful of broken pieces that were left over. About four thousand were present. After He sent them away, He got into a boat with His disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. (Mark 8: 5-10).
This is a puzzling event. Was Mark simply retelling the story of the feeding of the five thousand with a few changes in the details? If it was a different situation, why were the disciples so forgetful that they were stuck with the same problem they faced on the previous occasion without even one of them remembering Jesus’ solution? Why did they not simply say to Jesus, ‘You fed them last time; do it again’?
This incident not only gives us an insight into the depth of Jesus’ love for people but also the extent of the disciples’ unbelief. How true was Jesus’ understanding of the way people responded to His word. At this point, the disciples were like the hard ground of the footpath in the parable of the sower and the seed. For them to have forgotten the miracle of feeding five thousand people with five barley loaves no bigger than a hamburger bun and two fish the size of a sardine, was indeed surprising.
How did Jesus feel about them? He must have been quite disheartened by their response. Obviously He still had a long way to go with them before they would be ready to pick up where He left off. To these men He would have to entrust the mission for which He had come to give His life. It was crucial that they not only understand His teaching, but that they also relate to the Father as He did with perfect confidence in Him and obedience to His word.
We know this is not just a repeat record of the previous incident because Jesus referred to both events in conversation with His disciples on another occasion. Although Mark was the only one who recorded both miracles, he had a purpose for doing so. This story highlights Jesus’ relationship with His disciples and gives us an insight into the depth and intensity of His training for their mission in the future. Early in His ministry, when Jesus first called His disciples, Mark recorded that His modus operandi was twofold – that they might be with Him and that He might sent them out to preach.
As apostles and representatives of Jesus, they would encounter many different situations for which they would have no answer unless they were equipped with the kind of faith in the Father that Jesus had. It was His role to show them how to act and how to trust on their journey of faith with God. Jesus did not do magic. He did not turn stones into bread. He used the little He had and multiplied it into much so that there was much left over.
This is a lesson for us as well. He has called us to give what little we have and we shall receive back what we gave away and much more. God’s principle is always the same – the measure we use will be measured to us again.
Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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