Feeding of the Five Thousand (Mark 6:30–44) — A Sermon by R.C. Sproul
Summary
TLDRThe script discusses a sermon on the Gospel of Mark, specifically the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. It contrasts this miracle with Herod's feast, highlighting Jesus' compassion and the miraculous provision of food. The sermon criticizes historical liberal interpretations that dismiss miracles, emphasizing the importance of faith in divine intervention. It also draws parallels with Old Testament miracles and underscores the role of pastors in feeding their congregation spiritually. The sermon concludes with a focus on Jesus' compassion and the foreshadowing of the Last Supper, emphasizing that Jesus satisfies the deepest spiritual hunger.
Takeaways
- 📖 The lesson focuses on Mark's version of the feeding of the five thousand, found in Mark 6:30-44.
- 🙌 The apostles gathered with Jesus, sharing what they had done and taught.
- ⛵ Jesus and the apostles tried to find a deserted place for rest, but the multitude followed them.
- 🧑🤝🧑 Jesus was moved with compassion for the people, comparing them to sheep without a shepherd.
- 🍞 Jesus instructed his disciples to feed the multitude, leading to the miracle of multiplying five loaves and two fish.
- 🙏 The feeding miracle not only met the physical needs of the people but also emphasized the importance of spiritual nourishment.
- 💭 The sermon contrasts the feasts of Herod and Jesus, highlighting the differences in their nature and purpose.
- 📚 The historical-critical approach to scripture often denies supernatural events, seeking natural explanations.
- 🗣️ Jesus' teaching and compassion are central to his ministry, providing guidance and care for his followers.
- 🤲 The feeding of the five thousand prefigures the Last Supper, symbolizing Jesus as the bread of life who satisfies the deepest spiritual hunger.
Q & A
What biblical event is being discussed in this transcript?
-The transcript discusses the feeding of the five thousand, as described in Mark 6:30-44.
What did Jesus ask his disciples to do after they returned from their missionary journey?
-Jesus asked his disciples to come aside by themselves to a deserted place and rest for a while.
How did Jesus feel when he saw the multitude following him and his disciples?
-Jesus was moved with compassion for the multitude because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
What did the disciples suggest Jesus do with the multitude as the day grew late?
-The disciples suggested that Jesus send the multitude away so they could go into the surrounding country and villages to buy themselves bread.
How did Jesus respond to the disciples' suggestion to send the people away?
-Jesus told the disciples, 'You give them something to eat.'
What were the disciples' initial reaction to Jesus' instruction to feed the multitude?
-The disciples were flabbergasted and questioned how they could feed the multitude, noting that it would take 200 denarii worth of bread.
What did Jesus ask the disciples to find out before performing the miracle?
-Jesus asked the disciples to find out how many loaves and fish they had.
What did Jesus do with the loaves and fish before distributing them?
-Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to distribute.
What was the result of Jesus blessing the loaves and fish?
-All the people ate and were filled, and the disciples collected twelve baskets full of fragments and fish.
How does the transcript contrast the feast hosted by Herod with the one hosted by Jesus?
-The transcript contrasts Herod's feast, which was exclusive to nobles and involved gourmet food and entertainment, with Jesus' feast, which was for the common people, featured simple food provided by Jesus, and included teaching and compassion.
What theological school does the speaker criticize in the transcript?
-The speaker criticizes the religious historical school, also known as historical liberalism, for its anti-supernatural stance and naturalistic interpretations of biblical miracles.
What is the primary duty of a pastor according to the speaker?
-According to the speaker, the primary duty of a pastor is to preach and teach, feeding the congregation with the Word of God.
What Old Testament event does the feeding of the five thousand parallel according to the speaker?
-The speaker parallels the feeding of the five thousand with the provision of manna to the Israelites in the wilderness during their exodus from Egypt.
What is the significance of the feeding of the five thousand in the context of Jesus' ministry?
-The feeding of the five thousand demonstrates Jesus' compassion and divine provision, foreshadowing the Last Supper and symbolizing the spiritual nourishment he provides to his followers.
Outlines
📖 The Miracle of Feeding the Five Thousand
This paragraph recounts the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand, as described in Mark 6:30-44. It begins with the apostles returning to Jesus and sharing their experiences. Jesus then takes them to a deserted place to rest, but a large crowd follows. Jesus, moved by compassion, teaches the crowd. As the day ends, the disciples suggest sending the crowd away to buy food, but Jesus instructs them to feed the crowd. With five loaves and two fish, Jesus blesses the food, distributes it through the disciples, and miraculously feeds everyone, leaving twelve baskets of leftovers.
🧠 Theological Interpretations and Skepticism
This paragraph discusses the skeptical interpretations of Jesus's miracle by the religious historical school. The narrator recounts two explanations from his high school minister: one suggesting Jesus staged the event with hidden food and another proposing that the real miracle was people sharing their provisions. Both interpretations are criticized for manifesting unbelief and failing to recognize the text's divine supernatural narrative. The paragraph contrasts these skeptical views with the biblical account of Jesus's compassion and miraculous provision.
⛪ Contrasting Feasts: Herod's and Jesus's
The paragraph contrasts two feasts: one hosted by Herod Agrippa, marked by opulence and the execution of John the Baptist, and another by Jesus, marked by simplicity and compassion. Herod's feast was exclusive and decadent, while Jesus's feast was inclusive and miraculous. This juxtaposition highlights the humility and divine provision in Jesus's actions. The narrative then returns to the disciples' missionary journey and their gathering with Jesus in a solitary place, emphasizing the traditional biblical motif of meeting God in the wilderness.
🏞️ Seeking Solitude and Compassion for the Multitude
This paragraph describes Jesus and his disciples seeking a solitary place for rest after their missionary journey. Despite their efforts, a large crowd follows them. Jesus, moved by compassion, teaches the crowd instead of seeking privacy. The text emphasizes Jesus's deep empathy, unique to him, and his recognition of the people as 'sheep without a shepherd.' This compassion drives him to address their spiritual needs by teaching them, underscoring the pastoral role of feeding the flock with God's word.
🥖 The Challenge of Feeding the Crowd
In this paragraph, the disciples express their concern about feeding the large crowd, highlighting the impracticality of buying enough bread with limited resources. Jesus instructs them to use what they have, illustrating a lesson in faith and divine provision. This mirrors the Old Testament account of God's miraculous provision of manna. The disciples' initial disbelief contrasts with Jesus's assurance that God can multiply their meager resources. This narrative emphasizes the importance of trusting in God's power to provide and act beyond human limitations.
🙏 Jesus's Prayer and Provision
This final paragraph recounts Jesus's prayer of thanksgiving and the miraculous multiplication of food. Jesus prays a traditional Jewish blessing, acknowledging God's providence. This miracle, recorded in all four gospels, foreshadows the Last Supper and the spiritual nourishment Jesus provides. The narrative underscores that Jesus's provision satisfies both physical and spiritual hunger, leaving an abundance of leftovers. This act symbolizes Jesus's compassionate and sufficient provision for all who come to him, fulfilling their deepest needs.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Feeding of the Five Thousand
💡Compassion
💡Sheep without a Shepherd
💡Miracle
💡Historical Liberalism
💡Providence
💡Disciple
💡Messiah
💡Supernatural
💡Compassion
Highlights
Introduction of the gospel according to Saint Mark, focusing on the feeding of the five thousand.
Jesus invites his apostles to a deserted place to rest, but a multitude follows them.
Jesus is moved with compassion for the crowd, describing them as sheep without a shepherd.
Jesus begins teaching the multitude many things despite the late hour.
The disciples suggest sending the crowd away to buy food, but Jesus tells them to feed the crowd.
Jesus uses five loaves and two fish to miraculously feed the five thousand men.
Twelve baskets of leftovers are collected after everyone is satisfied.
Contrast between Herod's feast and Jesus' feast: Herod's feast involved nobles and ended with John the Baptist's execution, while Jesus' feast involved commoners and was marked by compassion.
Historical liberalism and modern interpretations of miracles are discussed, with some suggesting natural explanations for the feeding miracle.
Jesus' profound compassion for the aimless crowd is emphasized.
The importance of teaching and feeding the spiritual needs of people is highlighted.
Jesus' role as the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep is discussed.
Jesus performs the miracle of feeding by blessing the loaves and fish, showcasing divine provision.
Parallel drawn between the Old Testament manna and Jesus' miracle, highlighting God's continuous provision.
The feeding miracle foreshadows the Last Supper, where Jesus will feed his disciples with the bread of heaven.
Transcripts
this morning we continue our study of
the
gospel according to saint mark and
in this morning's lesson we read mark's
version
of the feeding of the five thousand
found in mark 6 verses 30 through
44 and i would ask the congregation to
stand for the reading of the word of god
then the apostles gathered to jesus and
told him all things
both what they had done and what they
had taught
and he said to them come aside by
yourselves to a deserted place
and rest a while for there were many
coming and going and they didn't have
time to eat
and so they departed to a deserted place
in the boat by themselves
but the multitude saw them departing
and many knew him and ran there on foot
from all the cities
and they arrived before them and came
together to him
and jesus when he came out saw a great
multitude
and was moved with compassion for them
because they were like sheep not having
a shepherd
so he began to teach them many things
and when the day was now far spent his
disciples came to him and said
this is a deserted place and already the
hour
is late send them away that they may go
into the surrounding country and
villages
and buy themselves bread for they have
nothing to eat
but he answered and said to them you
give them
something to eat and they said to him
shall we go and buy
200 denarii worth of bread and give them
something to eat but he said to them
how many loaves do you have go and see
and when they found out they said five
and two fish then he commanded them to
make them all sit down in groups on the
green grass
and so they sat down in ranks in
hundreds and fifties
and when he had taken the five loaves
and the two fish he looked up to heaven
blessed and broke the loaves and gave
them to his disciples to set before them
and the two fish he divided among them
all
so they all ate and were filled
and they took up 12 baskets full of
fragments
and of the fish and those who had eaten
the loaves
were about 5 000
men beloved
this is the unvarnished truth
of god if you have ears to hear it
then listen you may be seated
let us pray
again our father we come
this morning to be fed
to be fed from your word to be fed from
the table
of our lord
when you feed us oh god
we are always satisfied
amen
in the 19th century we saw the
development of a school of theology
known as the religious historical school
and sometimes just described as
historical liberalism
there's a definite movement that was
anti-supernatural
from beginning to end its impact spilled
over to the 20th century
with neoliberalism and now into the 21st
century with the
advent of the so-called jesus
seminar under attack by
this school was every
narrative found in scripture
particularly the new testament
that involved miracle or the
supernatural
because the tacit assumption of the
critics
was that there is no
such thing as divine supernatural
intervention in history
and so they were left with this
narrative among others
and they took it upon themselves to
explain how
a more natural interpretation could be
given
to these texts that would not ask us to
stretch our imagination to believe
in miracle and some of these
explanations
range from the bizarre to the
ridiculous when i was growing up
in pittsburgh our minister taught us in
high school
that what happened here at the feeding
of the 5000 was one of two things
both explanations he received from the
religious historical school
scholars the worst
interpretation was this the jesus
had carefully prepared for this event
by devious means of filling a cave
near the sea of galilee with
a large number of food stuff stored
there in that cave and jesus had a
flowing robe with
loose sleeves much as you might see
on the atar of a magician and he had his
disciples hidden
in the cave behind him and they formed a
bucket brigade
passing loaves and fishes up through the
back of his robe which he then
distributed
to this mass of humanity that was
gathered there and so what happened
was no miraculous intervention by god
but rather a hoax perpetrated
by a fraudulent preacher
that was one explanation the favorite
one of my pastor was this
that when jesus finished his teaching
that day the people were tired
they were hungry and very few of them
had thought forward enough to bring
foodstuffs for their nourishment
and so jesus asked his disciples to go
around and find out
who had brought food and some of the
people were prepared some had brought
fish
some had brought loaves and so jesus
then addressed the multitude and said
share what you have one with another
and so everyone was able to eat because
those who brought food
shared with those who did not and the
true miracle that took place here
was an ethical miracle it was the
miracle
of human beings sharing their provisions
one with another
what one commentator in the 20th century
said about
these theories is that what they
manifest simply as this
is unbelief this is not what
the text sets before us and we're going
to look and see
indeed what the text declares
let me remind you that this takes place
after the execution of john the baptist
which was sandwiched between
the commissioning of the twelve to the
villages around the sea of galilee
in their first trial missionary journey
where jesus authorized them and
empowered them
to be involved in the ministry and then
that narrative was interrupted by
the story of the execution of john the
baptist now
we come back to the text the disciples
have returned
from their missionary outreach to the
villages there
in the region and before we
look at what happened let me just
introduce this this morning
by saying that we have consecutive
accounts of
dramatic feasts
the first was hosted
by herod agrippa
the second feast was hosted
by jesus
in the first feast only the nobles
and the elite of the territory were
invited
by invitation in the second feast
it was the amarettes the people of the
land
the commoners who gathered there on the
plane
to be fed through the provisions
set forth by jesus
in the first feast the food was prepared
by gourmet
chefs in the second feast
it was prepared by the hand
of the messiah in the first
feast the entertainment
was through body and exotic dancing
in this feast the first
item of order was the exposition
of the truth of god by the son
of god and finally we note this
difference
that in the feast hosted by herod
its highlight was the bloody execution
of a man of god and in this feast
that we read now there were no
executions only compassion
made manifest in the feeding miracle
of jesus but with that contrast and view
let's look briefly at the text
the disciples who are now apostles
temporarily at least came back and
gathered to jesus told them all about
the journey they had done
and he said to them come aside by
yourselves to a deserted place
and rest a while i'm glad to hear what
transpired
on your mission but let's go away from
the multitudes
away from the crowds let's go back to a
quiet place
a solitary place where we can be alone
together and talk about these things
this calls to mind the traditional
situation that we find throughout the
whole bible
where the traditional meeting place
between god and his prophets
god and his people is in the wilderness
and so now jesus says let's get away
from the cities away from the villages
let's go out and be alone
just among ourselves with god
and so as they try to find a solitary
place mark tells us there were many
coming and going
and the crowd was so great that the
disciples didn't even have time to eat
and so they departed to a wilderness
place
in the boat by themselves now if you
look at this they're on
probably the western shore of the sea of
galilee
and they didn't get in the boat and go
all the way across the sea
15 to 20 miles because if that were the
case the crowds would never have been
able
to make that distance in this short
period of time
and be waiting for jesus and his
disciples on the opposite shore
rather it's much more likely that the
boat was going
along the shore either to the north or
to the south
a short distance where they were just
trying to find a quiet place
but this huge crowd that had been
stirred up
not only by the reputation of jesus
but now as the disciples had gone to
each village in each city
round about huge crowds came out of
those places
to follow after the disciples as well as
jesus
so they see jesus and the disciples get
in the boat they see which direction
they're heading
they could watch them from shore and so
they're running as fast as they can
on the ground to keep up with jesus and
the disciples so that when jesus turns
and the disciples turned the boat in
towards shore
and where the people knew they would
come ashore
they beat them to it and so
they arrived before them and came
together
and jesus when he came out out of the
boat
saw this great multitude and was moved
with compassion for them let's stop
park there for just a second he wasn't
frustrated
he wasn't annoyed because what he wanted
to do
had just been interrupted by what the
mobs
wanted him to do they weren't concerned
to allow him
privacy to go away and be alone with his
disciples
they wanted him for themselves and jesus
could have said no no no
you're gonna have to make an appointment
i'm sorry i have to spend this time
with my disciples and you folks are not
invited
but instead jesus is moved
by compassion
the word that is used here in the greek
text for compassion
is only used to describe jesus
in all of the new testament
this was a compassion that
reached a level that was far
deeper than human concern
and human empathy for people
in pain but what is it
that sparked this profound compassion
in jesus he looked at this great
multitude
and he said they're like
sheep
without a shepherd
that's what he saw he saw people running
he saw people rushing he saw people
determined to get to a certain point but
they had no
idea why they were doing what they were
doing
they were working aimlessly
they were moving without any real
understood purpose
they were like sheep without a shop you
ever see a flock of sheep without a
shepherd
i'll never forget the time i was playing
golf someplace and just heard a sheep
came from the fields next door and
started running all over the fairway
interrupting the golf game
nobody could we didn't know where they
were going to go they'd go this way then
they'd go that way and one would turn in
the other direction the next group would
follow them
they were all over the place
blind it seemed aimless
sheep without a shepherd
and when jesus saw people
acting like that he wasn't angry
he felt sorry for them these
people need a shepherd
oh i love that image it goes through all
the old testament and all of the
prophecies of the coming messiah
who will be a shepherd king
who will be the good shepherd
who will be the one who lays down his
life for his sheep
and so in his compassion the good
shepherd looks at these human beings
who are acting like sheep without a
shepherd and he
will address their need immediately
so he began to teach them
you know the primary office of the
pastor
in the new testament church
is to feed the sheep did you know that
we live in a time where churches
have become so weak because people
demand that the
pastor do everything but preach
and teach but 95
of the labor of the pastor in the church
is supposed to be
preaching and teaching not called to be
a counselor
but called to be an administrator
not called to be a town leader
but his mission is to feed the sheep
and when jesus made this commission
later to peter
beside the same sea when he said do you
love me
you know i love you three times three
times jesus said if you love me
you feed your sheep
if you love me jesus said
you feed
my sheep this is not my congregation
sitting out here this is his
congregation
you're not my sheep you're his sheep
and my job is to feed you
and to feed you with food that will not
make you sick
food that will not poison you food
that will nurture you the very word
of god and so what jesus did when he has
compassion on this people
is he teaches them which we might miss
in the rest of the drama of this story
and thinking well this feeding doesn't
begin until later when he multiplies the
fish in the love now the whole time
jesus is feeding these sheep
with truth and with his word
so he began to teach them many things
and now the day was far spent
and so the disciples come to jesus and
they said well this is a deserted place
you know we're outside the city now
we're away from the villages
it's a nice grassy plain but it is
deserted here
and it's late
send them away
so they may go into the surrounding
country and villages and buy themselves
bread for they have nothing to eat
jesus it's time to call a halt to this
seminar is over you need to send them
away
so they can go into the villages before
it's too late before
all the stores are closed so then get
something to eat
jesus said you feed them
i've been feeding them here all day now
it's your turn
you feed them and once again they're
flabbergasted i mean their gas is
definitely flabbered when this when they
hear this they say
how do you expect us to feed them it
would take 200 to nora it would take a
year's salary
to buy enough bread to feed
this mob where are we going to get that
kind of money
we don't have that kind of money here
how many times have you heard that we
can't do this
we don't have what's necessary to
accomplish this task
you know i learned when i was a kid i
can't never
did anything except sit there
and say woe and alas about all the
obstacles that stand before
our mission and that's the way the
disciples
we can't do that be a whole year's
salary
but what do you have
see what you have so they checked around
and i said we got
a couple loaves of bread and a couple of
fish
okay that's all you have
you take what you have and let me bless
it
and we'll see what god does when you
give him what you have
we'll see what god does when you do what
you can do
you do what you can do you give what you
can give and then get out of the way
and watch god work i mean obviously
this text has great parallels with a
similar miracle in the old testament in
the wilderness
when the people of israel were so hungry
they wanted to go back to egypt they
were so fed up
with the manna that god had provided
supernaturally
remember god had given them bread
every day in the form of manna
and they get sick of it what is this
moses
it's manna for breakfast manna for lunch
manna for dinner if we want to have a
midnight snack
it's manna we've had smoked man a baked
man a broiled man
man of souffle we've tried everything we
can
and it's now become loathsome to us
and so now the people say what
take us back to egypt oh remember the
good days in egypt
we had leeks cucumbers
garlic onions
they forgot about the yoke that was
around their neck
they forgot about the oppression of
pharaoh
and now they're ready to sell their
citizenship in the kingdom of god
for leeks and onions and garlic
and so moses goes to god and he said god
i quit get yourself another mediator
i'm turning in my profits card right now
did i give birth to this multitude all
they do is complain
and murmur and grumble they can't wait
to tell me the next thing they don't
like about the program here
and now they're demanding
meat to eat or they're going back
god says okay they want meat to eat i'll
give them meat to eat
not for one day not for five days not
for ten days i'm going to give them so
much meat
that it will come out their noses and
they'll be
loathsome too remember that
now moses hears god say i'm going to
feed them all
and what's moses say
how in the world are you going to do
that
how can you feed all these people are
you going to kill
all of our cows are going to dry up the
sea from the fish
so that this multitude can be fed until
they're satisfied
and god being jewish answered a question
with a question
when moses said how are you going to do
this what did god say
has the arm of the lord
waxed short
do you forget who you're talking to
moses
step back and watch and you will see
if i will do what i said
that i would do
and so the disciples obeyed jesus
and they gave him the fish and the bread
and he lifted his eyes to heaven and he
prayed a simple prayer
mark doesn't tell us the words that he
prayed but in all probability
he prayed the prayer that i'm going to
read to you which was the
the common jewish prayer for meals
at that time listen to how it goes
praise be to you o lord
our god king
of the world who makes bread to come
forth from the earth
and who provides for all
that you have created
it was a prayer
praising the providence of god
we thank you lord that you have provided
for us
our daily bread what we
need beloved
every commentator in the new testament
looks at this story
which as i said is the only miracle
recorded in all four gospels
it tells not only what jesus did there
but it foreshadows
the last supper
so far i've been feeding you in a moment
he will come
and he will feed you
from his own table he will feed you the
bread
that comes down from heaven
he will feed you by himself
of himself out of his compassion
for you and when jesus feeds his people
when he's finished
there are baskets filled with
extra provisions because as he did that
day on the plane
every person's hunger
was satisfied
that's why we come
he comes to satisfy us
with the deepest hunger that we have in
our
souls
you
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