417: The Bread and the Lamb | Landon Dermott

Introduction

Morrow checked into the board to come back to center ice. Thirty-eight, thirty-seven seconds left in the game. Petrop with it. The Americans on top, four to three. Long shot. Craig able to get a piece of it and sweep it away. Gets checked by Ramsey. McClanahan is there. The puck is still loose. Eleven seconds. You've got ten seconds. The countdown going on right now. Morrow, up to Salt, five seconds left in the game. You believe in miracles? Yes. Unbelievable.

If, if you haven't seen that clip before, it's a shot from the 1980 Winter Olympic Games when, The United States was competing in sort of the semifinal game against the Soviet Union, and, they were—you could still see them celebrating there. We can go ahead and take that down if you don't mind. They won. They celebrated. It was good. Yeah. But in that game, no one expected them to win. They pulled off one of arguably the greatest moments in American sports history. And Al Michaels says a line in there. I don't know if you caught it as the clock winds down and they're gonna win four to three and go on to eventually win the gold medal in that Olympic games. He says, do you believe in miracles? And this morning, I'd love to ask you the same question.

The Question of Miracles and Jesus

As we take a closer look at Jesus and his gospel and who he might be for me and for you, I'd love to ask the same question of ourselves. Do you believe in miracles? Perhaps for you, a miracle would be someone that you know who almost passed away from a sickness or something that that should have caused death. And you'd say the reason that that person is still alive is because of a miracle. Perhaps for some of you, you look at reconciliation in a relationship or a friendship or some sort of relationship in your life where you'd say, it's a miracle that I know that person. Or maybe it's a near miss with death or something along those lines. The dictionary defines a miracle as divine intervention on human affairs, an occurrence in our world as we know it that could only be explained by divine intervention, by a higher power, because it couldn't be done by humans alone.

But I wonder if you would say that miracles are just a bunch of legend and folklore, some self-reporting bias, some things that we've exaggerated over time, or things that we've made up to explain the things that we otherwise wouldn't be able to understand. But Al Michaels asks the world, do you believe in miracles? And I wonder what you believe about the miracles that are written down in this book, the ones that are said to have occurred at the hands of a guy who walked the Earth two thousand years ago, Jesus of Nazareth.

You see, Jesus did some incredible things in his life. But do you believe that it's legend and folklore, or do you believe that it's all real and it's all true and that it all took place? This morning, I'd love to take a look at one specific miracle in Jesus' life and examine it with you. Perhaps one of the most famous miracles that Jesus ever performed. You might have been in a situation where there wasn't enough food or somebody comes through and delivers when you didn't expect there to be enough of something, and someone might call it a loaves and fishes situation.

We're gonna take a look at a miracle where Jesus takes one person's meal, five loaves and two fish, and he feeds 5,000 as it says in the gospel of Mark. But as we look at this miracle, this morning, if I may, I'd love to ask the question, why is this miracle so famous? Why is this, time when Jesus feeds so many people with just one person's meal? Why is it one of his most famous? Because if you ask me, you might be able to look at this miracle and on its face, say that this is perhaps Jesus' most inconsequential miracle. Now I might it's a shocking thing to say, but my thought would be, you know, in Jesus' lifetime, he did a lot of incredible things. He told the wind and the waves to stop, and they did. He walked on water. He reached his hand out, and he touched someone who had leprosy and was surely going to die. He touched the eyes of the blind, and they were open. And he even told dead people to get up and leave their graves, and they did.

But here in this miracle, Jesus sees a crowd of people who are a little bit hungry, and he makes food for them. And then they went on their way, and surely they ate again the next day. You know, in some ways, nobody was dying. Nobody's life was radically changed because Jesus fed them food that day. At least when he turned water into wine, he was protecting some folks from shame. But in some ways, this could seemingly be the most inconsequential miracle that Jesus does. And in another way, you could almost even look at it and say, this almost seems like the easiest miracle to dismiss.

That that it's hard to imagine seeing someone walk on water and doubt that. It's hard to to hear someone say, whether he's Jesus or not, I don't know. But I was once blind, but now I see. Or to watch a dead body get up out of a grave and walk back into life. It'll be hard to contend that those things, weren't real. But this miracle, you could almost argue, well, maybe Jesus had some some plants in the audience that went ahead and and hid some food away. Or or maybe, some people experienced generosity, and they went and they bought food and they brought it back, or maybe it was just a a good chunk of people, but then over time, it got exaggerated to be 5,000.

You see, in some ways, as we look at this miracle, could arguably be one of the more inconsequential and easiest to dismiss. But yet, it's one of his most famous. Why? It's interesting. There's only one miracle aside from Jesus' resurrection from the dead that that gets, written about in each of the four gospel accounts.

You see, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all took pen to paper about this particular miracle when Jesus took five loaves and two fish, and he fed 5,000 people. So why? This morning, I'd love to zoom in on the miracle of Jesus feeding 5,000. That's written about in all four gospels, and I'd love to specifically look at it with you in Mark chapter six as Mark writes about the gospel.

So if you flip with me to Mark chapter six, I'd love to take a look at this miracle. And as we look at it this morning, I'd love to pose the same question to us that Al Michaels poses to the world in 1980 in that clip that we watched. Do you believe in miracles?

The Context of the Passage

A little bit of context for you. Like I said, this story is written about in all four gospels, and it's interesting. We get a whole bunch of different information from each of the gospel writers. But, what had happened just before this is Jesus had sent out his 12 disciples, to go and do his work all over, the area, and and they had just done some stuff and they'd come back. They must have been so excited to share the good work that they had done, the things that they had gotten to kinda lean into and do, but they also must have been exhausted. Must have been tired, ready for some rest.

And Jesus sees his people and he knows his people and he says, hey. To the disciples, he says, let's go alone to a quiet place and get some rest. And so the disciples hop into a boat, and they sail across the Sea Of Galilee to what ought to be a quiet and desolate place. But we learn in some other gospel accounts that this time, people saw Jesus going ahead of them. And they ran on foot to that other side of the the sea, and as they arrived, they see a large crowd. It tells us that there were 5,000 men who were there. Scholars would could would say that it's likely that there were probably five to 20,000 people in this crowd.

What's interesting is the town that they went to was a town that probably was only home of two to 3,000 people. But at the time, it was about to be the festival of the Passover, which is a detail we get from John's gospel account. But it was about to be the Passover. And if you didn't know, the Passover feast is when people would travel to this place and they would they would celebrate that when God's people, the people of Israel, were in captive in Egypt, God's wrath was going to come through. And the way that they would spare themselves and say, they had they had slaughtered a lamb, and they would wipe the blood of the lamb on the door frames of their houses, and the God's people would be spared from the judgment of God.

And so it's the time of the Passover. There's a big crowd, and the disciples are exhausted, and they they roll up, and they see this big crowd. And Jesus sees them. And that's where we're gonna pick up the miracle because the first thing that I want us to see in this passage is if we're gonna understand what Jesus does, we have to understand why. And so the first thing I wanna take a look at is why does Jesus feed 5,000 people?

We read it already this morning, but I want to look at verse 34 because I think it's where we see the first reason why Jesus does this miracle. It says this, 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. — Mark 6:34

Application

See, the reason Jesus does this miracle is because he sees this crowd of people, and it's a peculiar phrase. He says they're like sheep without a shepherd. And it says, he has compassion on them. You know, I'm no word scholar by any means, but the word compassion is actually a word called splegnizomai. And it it shows up a handful of times in Jesus' life. And that word splegnizomai is this idea of a deep sense of compassion that one would have felt in their gut. It was believed back then that emotions came from the gut or the bowels, which is is kind of a weird thought.

But I would say if you've ever felt something really deeply, you've probably felt it. Like, you could say, just had a gut feeling, or I felt it deep in my bones. It was this idea that Jesus has this sense of as he rolls up on the shore, and he sees the people like sheep without a shepherd. He sees them, and he loves them, and he cares for them, and he has a deep sense of compassion.

But what's most interesting about that word splegnizomai mentioned, it's it's in the gospel several times, but here's what's significant. Every time that Jesus has compassion, that spleognizomai as it's written, it leads him to action. Every time Jesus has compassion on people, he does something about it.

You see the reason that Jesus feeds 5,000 people is because he shows up, he sees the crowds, he looks at them like sheep without a shepherd and he has compassion on them. And that compassion leads him to do something about it. If you hear nothing else that I say this morning, I hope you know that the Jesus that was there on this mountainside that day that rolls up on the shore and sees the crowds and has compassion on them, and he does something about it, that same Jesus is here today. And he sees me, and he sees you, and he has compassion on us. And that's, like, a deep sense of compassion that leads him to action.

You see, the first reason that Jesus does this miracle is because of the crowds that he loves and has compassion on. But I think there's a second reason he does this miracle. And as we look at the story, it's interesting. Jesus is beginning or continuing to teach, and it starts to get later and later in the day. And the disciples who were excited for some rest, excited to be alone with their friend Jesus, they go and they go up to Jesus and and finally, say, hey, Jesus. It's getting late. And there's five to 20,000 people here. There's a big crowd. It's only the logistical and economical thing to do. Tell the people to go away and get food on their own. There's no way that we can feed them.

And it's interesting. Jesus, I wonder if he says it with a right smile as he looks at his disciples and he says, you give them something to eat. And the disciples say what I imagine I would have said in that situation, and they say, it would take three months wages to feed all of these people. It's so much money. We don't have the time. We don't have the resources. We can't do this. And thus begins this conversation where the disciple seemingly frustrated and sarcastic talk, with Jesus, and it leads into this miracle.

What I would say is the second reason that Jesus feeds 5,000 people. The first is because of the crowds at large. The second is because of his disciples, because he wants to teach something to his disciples. See, I work as area director of Young Life here in the Roanoke Valley and something I tell our team all the time, something that's so mysterious and so interesting to me is that Jesus is interested in the crowds. Yes. But the secret of it all is Jesus is way more interested in what he wants to do in us than what he wants to do through us.

And as he's about to feed 5,000 people, in the process, he's gonna teach some really significant things to his 12 disciples. And so the next thing I'd love to look at this morning as we zoom in on this miracle is what does Jesus teach his disciples and perhaps me and you. And so I'd love to move quickly through this list as we look at what Jesus teaches his disciples. But in this moment, as he feeds 5,000 people, I want us to see three things.

Number one, I believe that the disciples saw Jesus' power. You see, I will talk about this in just a second, but Jesus doesn't do this in a loud and theatrical way. He does it in a humble way. And and we don't know for sure that all of the people that were there, the the thousands of people saw how Jesus did this miracle. But we do know for sure that the disciples saw it. And as they watched five loaves and two fish become food for five or more thousand people, they would have known that Jesus is powerful. They would have seen his power, that Jesus is more than a man.

You see, they would have experienced that Jesus can take five loaves and two fish and feed the crowds. So the first thing they see is his power. But the second thing they see is his provision. You see, Jesus doesn't just have power that he can't control when he snaps his fingers and a whole bunch of food shows up and it's there for, you know, 50,000 people and there's a whole bunch left over. He doesn't snap his fingers and make more food, but it's still not enough and they need other people.

Jesus makes exactly enough. You know, says that scholars don't really know exactly how many people were there, whether it was five to 20,000 somewhere in between. Jesus knew. Jesus knew exactly how many people were there. And I would venture to say that he knew their names, and he knew everything about them, and he provided exactly enough. And at the end of the miracle, after the disciples have distributed all the food, they start to pick up the extras. And imagine how significant it must have been for the disciples as as John picks up a basket, and he has one basket full. He looks over, and he sees Peter. And Peter has a basket full, and Simon has a basket full, and each of the 12 disciples had a basket full. You see, it says that there were 12 basketfuls left over that day. There are probably some smarter people than me that can tell you some significant reasons for the number 12. But what I I would say is the disciples saw that Jesus knew exactly how many people were in the crowd that day. And he made exactly enough food for them, and then he had 12 baskets left over for each of his disciples. You see his disciples, and perhaps we can learn that Jesus has power. He has provision. And the last thing that I believe Jesus teaches his disciples and perhaps us is about his plan.

You see, like I said, Jesus could have done this in any way he wanted to. He could have snapped his fingers and the food would have appeared. He could have made fish jump out of the Sea Of Galilee that they were sitting close by to. He could have made bread rain down from heaven, but he doesn't. What does he do? He gathers what they have, five loaves and two fish, and quietly and humbly, he breaks the food, and he gives it to his disciples to take to the multitudes. You see, Jesus wanted to involve his disciples. He didn't wanna do it in a big and loud and theatrical way. He wanted to give it to his disciples to take to the multitudes.

And his plan there that day when he fed 5,000 is the same plan that he used there in a short while after Jesus was arrested, crucified, resurrected, and then ascended into heaven as he was gonna send his gospel out to the multitudes. He didn't do it in a loud and theatrical way. Instead, quietly and humbly, he entrusted his message and his gospel to those same disciples, and he sent them out into the multitudes. And the same plan that was true that day on the mountainside and there when he sent his disciples out to spread the gospel to the nations is true of him today.

You see, Jesus wants to take his gospel, his good news to your family, to your neighborhood, to your office, to your school, to the world around you. Jesus wants to take the gospel to Roanoke and beyond, but he doesn't wanna do it in a loud and theatrical way with a snap of his fingers or a big grand reveal. Instead, quietly and humbly, he's entrusted the gospel to me and to you. He's invited us to take it to the multitudes.

And so we see that Jesus why Jesus does this miracle? Because he has compassion on the people and because he wants to teach his disciples, and we see that he's teaching his disciples about his power, his provision, and his plan. But the last thing that I want us to take a look at this morning as we look at the feeding of the 5,000 is what's it really matter? Like I said, people probably went home after this miracle and had to eat again the next day. It was seemingly an inconsequential and easy to dismiss miracle.

So what's it really matter for me and for you today, here, and now? We know what's interesting about Jesus' miracles is as he does these things, it's not just about what he does there. It's also about him claiming who he really is. And I think this miracle is no different. And the last thing that I want us to look at is what Jesus is perhaps telling us and telling the world about who he is here as he feeds 5,000.

You see, if you look at verse 34, it seems almost to be a random line in this miracle about loaves and fish and teaching people as it says that Jesus landed and saw a large crowd. It it's kind of a a peculiar thing to see that Jesus would look at the people and say they were like sheep without a shepherd. What I believe is that Jesus is telling us that he is the good shepherd.

You see, the the Bible is covered with this sort of theme of sheep and shepherds that that we are his flock and that people have been scattered and that sheep are in need of a a good shepherd. There's none more prominent than if you've ever read Ezekiel 34. You can mark that down and look it up later. But but there, God has a conversation with his people, and he says that that people are like sheep without a shepherd. That his people have been scattered. And that they've had bad shepherds. But one day, he will send a good shepherd who will come.

And perhaps as Jesus rolls up on the shore and he looks at his people, he sees them as sheep without a shepherd, and he is the shepherd who was promised to come. But what's interesting as as Mark continues to write about this gospel account, if you've studied Mark's gospel at all, it's it's interesting. Mark does not spend a bunch of time on details. He doesn't tell you much about the weather. He doesn't tell you much about the scenery. He just gets to the point. His gospel is the most quick, the most abrupt.

But if you look in verse 39, Mark seems to give us a detail that's a little bit peculiar. It says, then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. See, why does Jesus or excuse me. Why does Mark tell us that Jesus sat people down on the green grass? Some scholars would say it's because, oh, it was Passover time and the rainy season had come and maybe some grass had sprung up, but bark doesn't often give us details like this.

You see, I wonder if Mark is asking us to dig just a bit under the surface. That Jesus sees sheep without a shepherd, and he says, I am the one who was promised, the good shepherd that was promised in Ezekiel 34. And as he sees the crowds and he has compassion on them, that he sees them and he makes them sit down or lie down in green grass beside the still waters of the Sea Of Galilee. And he restores their soul, both physically and spiritually with food and with teaching.

See, I wonder if what Mark is asking us to see is that Jesus is the good shepherd. The one promised in Ezekiel 34 and the one that David writes about so affectionately in Psalm 23 as he says, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green grass. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. You see, Jesus is the good shepherd who was promised in Ezekiel 34. He's the one David writes about in Psalm 23. And he's here in this moment.

And what Mark writes about implicitly here in Mark chapter six, Jesus says explicitly in John chapter 10 as he says, I am the good shepherd. And in John 10 verse 11, Jesus says that the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. You see, Jesus is the good shepherd that was promised, the one David writes about. He's the one that lays his life down for his sheep. The shepherd who becomes a sheep himself to be the true and better Passover lamb slain for me and for you.

Conclusion

See, I think that is what Jesus is telling us about himself as he feeds 5,000 this day. And so that's the story of the feeding of the 5,000. The question that Al Michaels asked the world in 1980 still remains. Do you believe in miracles? Do you believe that this is all real and it's all true? That Jesus showed up and he saw the crowds and that he sees you and he has compassion on you and it leads him to act, that he has power and provision and a plan, and that he is the good shepherd that was promised, that lays his life down, the one that became a sheep for us.

You see, is it all real and it's all true, or is it just some legend made up and passed down through generations? Is it all real and it's all true or is it just some good stuff we ought to tell kids so they could be inspired to good moral behavior? Is it all real and all true, or is it just some made up stories people tell themselves to explain the unexplainable?

In a moment, we're gonna sing a song, and you're gonna have the opportunity to pray. You could pray alone here at the curved rails. You can pray with someone in the back. There's a prayer minister back there that would love to pray with you. You can pray alone in your seat, or you can pray in your heart as we stand and sing. But as we do, I ask you, I implore you, I dare you to ask yourself the same question Al Michaels asked the world. Do you believe in miracles? Is this all real and all true or just a bunch of made-up stuff?

Because I believe that the degree to which we believe that this is true is a degree to which it changes our lives. And so I'd ask you, do you believe that this is all real and it's all true? And if you'd say, yes, I believe, I'd ask you one follow-up question. Has it really changed you?

Closing Prayer

I'm gonna pray, and then we'll have time to stand and sing, and pray and respond. Lord, thank you, that you see us and you have compassion on us. Thank you that you have power and provision and a plan. Thank you that you are the good shepherd that was promised, that came to be the true and better Passover lamb, the shepherd who became a sheep. I pray that we would consider whether or not we believe this and the degree to which it's changed us. In your name we pray. Amen.