Sermon Notes; a Daily Devotional

Mark 6:38&39 "38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. 39 And He commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass." We are studying the feeding of the five thousand because it records an amazing miracle and shows Jesus’ compassion. The disciples witnessed God in flesh feeling human emotion. The crowd’s size, their need, or the weight of the day may have moved Him to make this a defining moment. In these verses the disciples report only five loaves and two fish. Jesus’ question exposes how little they have and how impossible it is to feed the crowd themselves. It forces them to rely on divine provision rather than their own sufficiency. Jesus then has the people sit in groups on the green grass (organized by hundreds and fifties). The orderly arrangement prepares them practically for the meal and spiritually for a shared experience of God’s provision.

Mark 6:36&37 "36 Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. 37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto Him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?" The crowd had pursued Jesus and the disciples. Seeing them as sheep without a shepherd, He was moved with compassion ; God Himself feeling human emotions in flesh and blood. The size of the crowd, their need, or the weight of the day may have stirred Him. Aware of their scarce resources and remote location, the disciples suggest sending the people to nearby villages for food. Jesus answers, “You give them something to eat,” calling them to trust His provision instead of human logistics. They recoil at the cost: two hundred denarii, roughly a year’s wages. Their shock exposes our own habit of counting what we lack and declaring the task impossible. Are we any diffe...

Mark 6:34&35 "34 And Jesus, when He came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and He began to teach them many things. 35 And when the day was now far spent, His disciples came unto Him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:" Before leaving Mark, we turn to what my pastor calls the book’s most important event (besides the crucifixion and resurrection): the feeding of the five thousand. The apostles had just returned from their first mission and reported all they had done and taught. Jesus invited them to a desolate place to rest. The crowd recognized them, ran on foot from the towns along the Sea of Galilee, outpaced the boat, and was waiting when they arrived. There was no escape from the people. Moved with compassion because they were like sheep without a shepherd, Jesus put their spiritual need first. He began teaching them many things about the kingdom of God, the ...

Mark 6:32&33 "32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. 33 And the people saw them departing, and many knew Him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto Him." This summer we read through the Gospel of Mark two times! I praise you for studying God’s word, this world needs more Holy Bible studying Christians. Before we move on from the Gospel of Mark, we are going to review what my Pastor considers the most important point in the book, (other than the events in and arond crucifixion and resurrection) the feeding of the five thousand. All four Gospels describe Jesus multiplying five loaves and two fish to feed a crowd of about 5,000 men (plus women and children in Matthew), with twelve baskets of leftovers gathered afterward. Yesterday’s verses were leading up to this momentous occasion.  The apostles returned from their first missionary journey, they reported to Jesus all they had done and taught. Jesus invited the...

Mark 6:30&31 "30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told Him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 31 And He said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat." We have invested our devotional time in reading the Gospel of Mark this summer. I commend you for studying God’s word, this world needs more Holy Bible studying Christians. The teachings and events recorded in pages of the Holy Bible has made the world a better place. This week, before we move on from the Gospel of Mark, we are going to review what my Pastor considers the most important point in the book. Other than the events in and arond crucifixion and resurrection, the one event appearing in all four Gospels is the feeding of the five thousand. All four accounts describe Jesus multiplying five loaves and two fish to feed a crowd of about 5,000 men (pl...

Mark 16:19&20 "19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen." After today's reading; we have read the Gospel of Mark twice this summer. It has been a whirlwind, it is written in a style that takes us from one event to another quickly! We can only imagine how the disciples felt in the few years they lived with and learned from out Lord and Savior.  Mark 15 details the Crucifixion of Jesus, beginning with His trial before Pontius Pilate. Despite finding no fault in Jesus, Pilate yields to the Sanhedrin and an incited crowd, releasing the rebel Barabbas and ordering Jesus to be flogged and crucified. Roman soldiers mock Jesus as the "King of the Jews" in the Praetorium, and Simon of Cyrene is forced to carry the cross to Golgotha (the place of the skull).  At the cru...