King
Herod's fit of conscience was caused by the excitement and reports of the
Apostles’ ministry. Mark returns to the life of Christ after the description of
John and Herod. Jesus calls for a retreat and a season of rest. Healthy bodies
and minds require healthy boundaries.
Sometimes the most spiritually Biblical thing that one can do is to take
a nap and have a good meal. But the press of people interrupts even the Lord’s
plans.
The
people are clamoring for something meaningful. They walked around the Sea of
Galilee to find where Jesus would land. How much of our media/entertainment/ sports/celebrity
culture is a symptom of people looking for something of substance. Often the
church is offering only a spiritual version of the media/entertainment/ sports/celebrity
culture. In His compassion Jesus responds by teaching. He sees the people
running amok, chaos rules their lives. Like sheep with no Shepherd, people with
no direction, He is moved to the core of His emotions. He responds by teaching.
Don't miss this point! Into the chaos of the lives of directionless
people, the starting point for Jesus was not healing, music, feeding the masses,
or entertainment; but rather, He taught them. This is a lesson the church needs
to never forget. No one will deny the value of the social aspects of the
ministry of the church and they can reinforce and remind sheep of the main
point. But the only cure for the people in chaos is the Lord and He comes via
teaching. The act of feeding the 5,000 is a study unto itself and is a metaphor
for the feeding of the Body of Christ.
In
short, there was an impossible situation and into that impossible situation Jesus
introduces possibilities: Divine-human cooperation. In such a situation our
contribution is not that grand. It is reflective of where my head and commitment
is. What are five loaves among so many? Even in the giving the disciples are
doubtful. The Lord does not need a lot or even much or in reality anything from
us except willingness. Without our being willing to surrender what little we
have God isn't working with us, He is working in spite of us. We have to be
willing.
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