Its Late, You Feed Them...

I was just reading from Mark 6, and the story of the feeding of the 5000 caught my eye.

(NIV)Mark 6:6-7, 12-13, 30-44
....Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. [7] Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

[12] They went out and preached that people should repent. [13] They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

[30] The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. [31] Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” [32] So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. [33] But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. [34] When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. [35] By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. [36] Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” [37] But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages ! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” [38] “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five---and two fish.” [39] Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. [40] So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. [41] Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. [42] They all ate and were satisfied, [43] and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. [44] The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

A few things stood out to me:

1. This miracle follows closely on the heals of the twelve being sent out to preach the good news, and this ministry was definitely successful for many people were coming after them.

2. Jesus ' heart was stirred when he saw the people because they were like sheep without a shepherd. This phrase always grabs my attention, as it is supposed to convey something about the state of the people. Shepherds guide sheep to good food and water, keep them moving so they don't eat everything in one location, and provide protection from animals and circumstances that are dangerous, and also keep the herd together. These people were clearly lacking that type of input in their lives.

3. Before Jesus gives them physical food, He serves up a meal of spiritual food, by teaching them many things. Our spirits can be just as hungry as our bodies.

4. The disciples knew that it was late and asked Jesus to send the people away, but His response was, "You give them something to eat!" Something about this phrase - its late has grabbed my heart. I guess its that we are presently in the same situation, its getting late and there are crowds of people who are hungry.

5. The Lord, wasn't dismayed by te crowd, He knew that the Father wanted to feed the people, so He took what little the disciples had and fed them all. I think this is critical for the church to understand, in this late time. Even though they didn't have enough to feed themselves, they gave what they had into Jesus' hands and it was multiplied enough to feed a vast crowd. This was completely illogical, yet in the Kingdom it is right. We need to not be limited by our logic, but rather look to the Father and Son and see what they desire to do. Our part is to give that little that we have, and trust that the Lord really is the Good Shepherd and will provide for His flock.