Tag: Mark 6
Food for a multitude!
Scripture reading for February 17: Mark 6
“But He answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and by two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” And He said to them, “How man loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” Then He commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish He looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And He divided the two fish among them all. And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of fish.” Mark 6:37-43
Mark tells us how Jesus had a large crowd of five thousand men plus women and children come out into the wilderness to hear Him preach and teach. When it was late evening, the disciples suggested to Jesus that He send them away to find food in the villages. Jesus turned the tables and told the disciples to provide food for them. Their brains thought about buying bread and how much money it might take to feed that large a crowd. Jesus asked them for an inventory of what they had. He had the disciples bring the five loaves and two fish that they found and to organize the crowd into family units. He blessed the food, broke it and gave it to the disciples, who, in turn, broke it and gave it to the people. When all had been fed, they gathered twelve baskets of left-overs! (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)
Jesus was teaching His disciples to see things from a different perspective. They were to live by faith in what they had, not fear of what they did not have. They were to seek God’s blessing on what they had and act with that as seed to sow. As they gave in faith to those in need, God multiplied the bread and fish and met the need with an abundance left over! Amazing grace received through faith!
Do you live with feeling of lack and fear over provisions? Has God ever ‘multiplied’ the bread as you by faith gave! Have you tried to suggest a course of action and had the Lord tell you to do it yourself?
Prayer: Father God, thank You that you are always at work to expand our world-view. Forgive me for living in the natural world and fearing lack. Help me to stay calm, take inventory, and ask You to bless what I do have. Thank You for overflowing abundance every time I have believed You! Amen!
Learn to depend on the Lord totally!
Scripture reading for February 17th: Mark 6
Key Scriptures for over-comers: Mark 6: 7-11 “Calling the Twelve to Him, He sent them out two by two and gave the authority over evil spirits. These were His instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff–no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.”
Jesus sent His original twelve disciples out in pairs on a mission to preach the message of repentance and to confront the domain of Satan. They were not to take anything with them to sustain themselves–except one set of clothes, sandals and a walking stick. They were not to take bread to eat or money to buy anything or a bedroll to sleep on. They must seek out a home in each town they visited where someone would welcome them and then accept their hospitality for food and shelter. If no one would welcome them, then they were to shake the dust from their sandals as a witness against that town and move on to the next place of ministry.
Jesus kept it very simple! These instructions required great humility, cooperation, and no fear of man’s rejection. They had to walk by faith and follow instructions in each village. They must work together. The results were totally up to God and the people’s heart condition to accept or reject them and their message.
Observations for over-comers: Disciples must learn to depend totally on the Lord to guide them and supply their needs. Working in pairs, they learned to help each other stay focused. “Two are better than one, because they have a good return on their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
Consequences of a lack of honor!
Scripture reading for February 17th: Mark 6
God deserves honor because of who He is! Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God, and because of who He is, deserves to be honored. When Jesus visited His hometown of Nazareth with the disciples, people began to judge Jesus by what they knew of Him. They knew Him as a “carpenter” and as “Mary’s son”. (Mark 6:2-3) This reference to “Mary’s son” probably referred to the fact that they knew that Joseph married his wife when she was already pregnant. This brought a sense of shame and illegitimacy. They also knew His brothers and sisters by name.
We can define someone by their job or title and really not know them. We can also define someone by their family lineage and miss who they really are. This was the case with Jesus Christ! “Jesus said to them, “Only in His hometown, among His relatives and in His own house is a prophet without honor.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay His hands on a few sick people and heal them. And He was amazed at their lack of faith.” (Mark 6:4-5)
The humility to know Jesus Christ as God’s Son comes from revelation by God. To receive this revelation, we must not be critical of judgmental, but humble and teachable. As we look at the miracles that Jesus was able to do elsewhere, humility of those needing the miracle is evident. Jairus, the synagogue ruler, fell at Jesus’ feet and pleaded earnestly with Him to come and heal his daughter. (Mark 5:22-23) The woman with the issue of blood honored Jesus by just touching the hem of His garment. (Mark 5:29) Each receive their miracle by honoring Jesus! If you need a miracle, honor Jesus by humble worship and prayer in faith!