Adam, Zac, Hayley, Jessica, Cassidy, Micah, Megan & Kati,

Witness to Jews

Part 2 (6:31-56)

Feeding the Five Thousand (6:31-44)

There is something big going on with the feeding of the 5,000 that we almost always miss, especially in simplified children’s stories. Rural Galilee – and particularly this part of Galilee near Gamala – was the center of guerilla resistance movements against Rome and Herod in 37 BC, 4 BC and 66 AD.

The fact that there were many “coming and going” (v31) is suspicious, as is the fact that 5,000 men anticipate where Jesus is heading and get there ahead of him. This is underscored by the fact that it’s in a remote place (repeated in verses 31, 32 and 35), that the head-count is of the men alone and that they are separated into groups of 50 and 100. John says it explicitly in his gospel: they intended to make Jesus king (John 6:15) and begin a clandestine guerrilla uprising.

On the one hand, Jesus has compassion on them and sees them as “sheep without a shepherd”. This phrase probably has more military connotations than we would think. Edwards says:

As a metaphor, the shepherd of sheep was a common figure of speech in Israel for a leader of Israel like Moses (Isa 63:11), or more often of a Joshua-like military hero who would muster Israel’s forces for war (Num 27:17, 1 Kings 22:17, 2 Chronicles 18:16, Jer 10:21, Ezek 34:5 & 37:24, Nahum 3:18, Zechariah 13:7 and Jdt 11:19).

So Jesus had compassion on these restless men who were without a leader – and He wants to be their leader – but not in the way they want. Notice at the end how Jesus has to almost force the disciples to go ahead of Him (“immediately He made the disciples get into the boat”). This is likely both for their sakes (helping them from getting caught up in the expectations of the other men) and to help pull the plug from the people’s immediate expectations.

The “I AM” in the Midst of a Storm (6:45-52)

Two things helped me understand this part

· the “Do not be afraid, it is I” that Jesus says is, in Greek, identical to the Greek translation of “I AM” (ego eimi in the Septuagint)

· the part about Jesus “meaning to pass by them” is reminiscent of the Old Testament special self-revelations of God on Mt Sinai before Moses (Exod 33:22, 33:19, 34:6) and on Mt Horeb before Elijah (1 Kgs 19:11)

It also reflects Job 9:8 and 11:

God alone stretches out the heavens

And treads on the waves of the sea.

When He passes me, I cannot see Him

When He goes by, I cannot perceive Him.

The Man for Others (6:53-56)

This is Mark’s third summary paragraph (he also does a summary in 135-39 and in 3:7-12). Apart from the mention of the region of Gennesaret in verse 53, there are no specific people or places (the “villages, towns or countryside” isn’t specified) and Mark doesn’t record any specific words or teachings of Jesus. Instead, he shows Jesus touching and healing crowds of hurting people. The reference to “mats” is a reference to mattresses or pallets owned by poor people, showing that Jesus wasn’t just among the sick, but also among the poor. This was much more in line with our Savior’s desire than to be mixed up in a secret guerrilla uprising.

Jesus, please help us to “get” what the disciples didn’t understand with the loaves – that You are the great I AM who walks on water and is Master of all things. When You ask us to do something, teach us to believe – not that we can do it from our own resources, but that You will do it when we obediently and trustingly bring our meager resources to the table. Teach us what it looks like to help sick and poor people today in Whatcom County and how to change our habits and even our Christian culture in order to live like You, bringing the good news and acts of genuine compassion to the poor and hurting.

-- peter