MARK 6 (PART 2)
Read Mark 6:30-56
Chapter 6 of Mark’s Gospel ends with two of Jesus’ best known miracles: the feeding of the five thousand, and Jesus walking on the water.
The disciples had returned from the mission that Jesus had sent them on in v6, and Jesus suggested that they go off to a quiet place to recover. Mark doesn’t give us a report on how the mission of the disciples went; what they did and whether or not they were successful. But it probably was a successful mission as we are told they the disciples did not get a chance to eat because they were so busy with their ministry. There is a warning to us all here that however much we are involved in our ministry, whatever that may be; we need to take time out to recover, to rest, to eat and to pray. Again and again we see Jesus retreating to a quiet place to rest and to reconnect with his Father. Burnout is a real issue amongst the ordained clergy but also other servants of the Lord, often because we have the best of motives and are intent on serving him, but a burnt out servant is ineffective and no use to the Lord. Jesus took care of himself and so should we.
Again we see that Jesus has power over the normal laws of nature and from a very small amount of food there was enough to feed all the people so that they were fully satisfied (v42) and there was plenty left over. There is perhaps an echo here of the desert wanderings in Old Testament times when God’s people had no source of food and God provided in abundance and none went hungry; another indication as to who exactly Jesus is. This practical demonstration of the Lord’s love illustrates a spiritual truth. He gives his grace abundantly so that there is sufficient for all; and in fact it overflows. God’s grace is more than sufficient for all.
This remarkable miracle of feeding the five thousand is followed but another even more outstanding one. Jesus again overcame the normal laws of nature to walk on the water. We might find this hard to believe in today’s world, but even having been with Jesus for some time and seeing him do many miraculous things the disciples failed to understand. They didn’t even recognise him and thought he was some kind of apparition (v50). The disciples were too busy being afraid to see another indication as to who Jesus is. The Old Testament shows God as not only the one who feeds his people, but also as the one who walks on or through the waves (Job 9:8, Psalm 77:19, Isaiah 43:16). These two episodes show Jesus in the New Testament doing what God did in the Old.
Perhaps we shouldn’t be too hard on the disciples in not seeing what we think should be obvious to them. We sometimes have doubts about the divinity of Christ and we do have the advantage of looking with the benefit of hindsight. But the point of these passages is to strengthen faith; to know that Jesus is the bread of life, that he has power over the forces of nature, that he is our saviour and that he is God.