You feed them!

For Thursday, January 18, 2024:

Mark 6:31a NLT: “Jesus said, ‘Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.’”

A short time ago, Jesus had sent his apostles, two by two, on mission trips to nearby towns. To say these missions were successful would be an understatement! People flocked to hear the good news and to learn that God would accept a repentant individual. You could have sold tickets to watch the apostles cast out demons! What a show, and for all the right reasons. The people couldn’t get enough!

According to Jesus, it was time for a well-deserved break. “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat! They hopped in a boat, hoping to get away for a moment’s peace.

To understand why that didn’t work, we need to understand 2,000-year-ago maritime navigation. For the most part, it worked like this: sail far enough out to float the boat, but close enough to follow the shoreline. We have far better GPS in our cars nowadays! Consequently, the crowd could follow the boat by simply hiking up the beach! Wherever the boat stopped, the crowd could easily shout, “Here we are!”

Jesus, who always showed compassion, began teaching them, giving the crowd more heavenly information. Unfortunately, they had followed Jesus and his entourage to a very remote area. Since this was an impulsive gathering, not a planned event, there were no services available – no food, no water, no satellites! By now it was late in the afternoon and nightfall was imminent. The disciples wanted Jesus to end the meeting so everyone could obtain food. Jesus’ response must have surprised the entire staff: “You feed them!”

This is one of my favorite Bible stories. We’ll examine more miracles in tomorrow’s conclusion. Don’t miss it!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship