Some animals are solitary, and do very well on their own. Others, though, don’t do well on their own, and need a lot of care. Sheep are one animal that needs someone looking after them, and thus we have the job of a shepherd. Sheep and some other animals aren’t the only ones that need special care, protection, and guidance. People also need proper guidance and care, and often don’t get that. In our Scripture today from the Gospel of St. Mark, we see a group of people who needed just such care.
Shortly before our Scripture began, Jesus had been rejected in His hometown of Nazareth, the disciples had been sent out on brief mission trips to preach Jesus’ message of salvation, and John the Baptist had been executed. Now when the disciples returned to Jesus, and reported to Him all that had happened, the crowds started to gather around Him again, making any rest for them impossible (vs. 30-33). What might a lot of people do in such circumstances? They might be likely to send the crowds away, telling them to go home and let them get some rest.
However, we do not see this with the Savior. As the Lord Jesus looked out at the crowd, He didn’t see them as annoying, selfish, and demanding. Instead, Jesus saw them as being like sheep without a shepherd, and had compassion on them (vs. 34). A sheep left on its own can be in danger. They are prone to wander off on their own, away from the flock, and put themselves in danger from predatory animals. They can injure themselves, and away from the safe fields they can eat dangerous plants that make them sick.
Just like sheep that might be left on their own, the people were helpless and hungry. They needed someone to care for them, both physically and spiritually. These crowds were lacking in spiritual guidance and protection, leaving them exposed to the perils of sin and spiritual destruction. Sheep are easily scattered without a shepherd, and will be in grave danger. When the shepherd arrives, though, they will be safe. Jesus is the Shepherd who could teach them what they needed to know, and keep them from straying from God.
After spending the day in preaching and ministering to the crowds' spiritual needs, it was getting late, and the disciples told Jesus that He needed to send the people away so that they could get some food in the villages and start heading home (vs. 35-36). Again the compassionate Jesus cared for them, and didn’t want the people to have to leave and travel home while hungry, so He told the disciples to give them some food. What?! This was a crowd of around 5,000 men, not counting women and children, so it could easily be three to four times that amount. How many of us could afford to feed that many hungry people? None of the disciples were wealthy men, and they told the Lord that just to get bread for this crowd would cost a fortune (vs. 37). It would take over 200 denarii to just get them enough for a bite. One denarii was equal to the wage of a working man for one day.
Jesus wanted to show the disciples, the crowd, and us today as well, that if we trust Him, He can provide for all of our needs, including our everyday provisions such as food for our daily meals. Jesus asked for them to bring them what they had, and all they could come up with was five small dinner rolls and two fish, maybe enough for two people to have a small meal (vs. 38). However, once Jesus got a hold of that meager meal there was no limit to what He could do with it!
The disciples went through the crowd, dividing them up into smaller groups. Then the Lord Jesus took the food, and gave thanks to God for the meal the people were about to receive (vs. 39-41). How many times do we just sit ourselves down and start eating, neglecting to thank the One who provided the meal for us? Jesus consciously and openly gave thanks to God for the provision of food. As believers, we need to follow our Lord’s example so clearly given here.
The disciples then took the food, and passed it out to the people, and everyone in the crowd was completely satisfied (vs. 42). They didn’t just get one or two small bites, just enough to prevent light-headedness or a hunger headache. Instead, each man, woman, and child there were filled. Jesus does not do things in half-measure. He is not a skimpy God!
Are you faced with some pressing need? Maybe your finances and daily provisions just aren’t enough for your needs. When we put what little we have into Jesus’ hands, and trust in Him, He can multiply that to more than will meet the need at hand. Do you feel like a sheep that is just wandering all alone, with no one to watch out for you? Come to the Lord Jesus, as He, and He alone, is the Good Shepherd, and He has compassion on the sheep of His flock.
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