Something from nothing
Mark 6:35-38
35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”
The classic Christian doctrine of creation is creation ex nihilo (out of nothing). The writer who most thoroughly developed this concept was Augustine. He said God spoke the universe into being out of nothing. God did not take eternally preexisting matter or substance and reshape or reconfigure it into the present world. His creative activity is not like that of human artists.
Think of Michelangelo, who sculpted magnificent statues from stone. Michelangelo believed that he did not create a statue but released the figure from its stone prison. It is inconceivable that his statues could have created themselves without the work of a master sculptor. Michelangelo’s genius was his unique ability to reshape a block of stone into a magnificent figure. But he had to start with some substance or material. Similarly, Rembrandt had to begin with his canvas and paints. His inventive brilliance was in working with materials already at his disposal. We call this creativity, but no one in this world has the power or ability to create something out of nothing. Only God can do that. – RC Sproul
So here we are again in the Gospel of Mark and walking through the life and ministry of Jesus. We had a pause last week and learned about Herod and the beheading of John the Baptist. Recall that the week before we had discussed the preceding passage where Jesus had sent the 12 on their first mission.
Mark 6:12-13
[12] So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. [13] And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
As we begin our passage we see their return.
Mark 6:30-44
[30] The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. [31] And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. [32] And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. [33] Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. [34] When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. [35] And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. [36] Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” [37] But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” [38] And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” [39] Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. [40] So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. [41] And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. [42] And they all ate and were satisfied. [43] And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. [44] And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
What do we see? (Many lessons)
- The apostles return and gave a report of what had happened.
- Jesus tells them to come away and rest (away from everyone)
- because there’s so much commotion they can’t even eat or think
- notice that it’s good to get alone with God
- notice that Jesus isn’t evaluating their work, but making sure they get rest because they were obedient
- The people see them…and begin to run toward them.
- The people are like sheep without a shepherd
- Sheep scatter and are in danger without a shepherd
- Jesus compassion – despite the need for rest, Jesus sets aside his own needs for the needs of the people
- Jesus isn’t frustrated with their interruption
- He won’t be frustrated with you interrupting Him
- And the need is not just food….it’s teaching (many things)
- Jesus knows that we have physical and spiritual needs
- He could have just sent them away, but He didn’t
- It gets late in the day
- They are in a remote place (desolate)
- There’s nothing to eat and it would take ¾ of a year’s wages to buy enough for all of these people.
What does Jesus do?
He asks the disciples what do we have to work with? 5 loaves and 2 fishes
Jesus has the people sit and divides the people into groups
Jesus looks to heaven and says a blessing and begins a miracle (blessed, break, giving of the bread – just like communion)
Significance of bread? – if we don’t eat we will die
By the way…look at where we left off last week. Herod was having a feast and all this mayhem comes from it, but now we have this feast supplied by God and there is peace and compassion coming from it.
Where else do we see bread in the Bible?
Exodus
Exodus 16:14-15
[14] And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. [15] When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.
Elijah
1 Kings 17:7-16
[7] And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
[8] Then the word of the LORD came to him, [9] “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” [10] So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” [11] And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” [12] And she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” [13] And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. [14] For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’” [15] And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. [16] The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.
Jesus is the bread of life
John 6:35
[35] Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
Lord’s Supper
Mark 14:22
[22] And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.”
As the true shepherd, he satisfies them. As God provided manna in the desert (cf. Deut. 8:3, 16), so Jesus provides food in a deserted place (Mark 6:35). The focus is thus not on the miracle itself but on the one who worked it. Jesus is not merely a prophet; he acts as God acts. The feeding of the 5,000 reinforces Jesus’ proclamation: after feeding them the Word of God (v. 34), they now miraculously receive bread and fish
———
George Mueller
During the 1800s, George Müller pastored a church in Bris-
tol, England, for more than sixty years. However, Müller was best
known for the orphan ministry he founded. He cared for more than
ten thousand orphans over the course of his life, but he never asked
for money or other resources to provide for them. He simply prayed
and trusted God to provide. In fact, according to one of his journal
entries, Müller’s primary purpose for starting the orphanage was
not to care for orphans but to magnify the greatness of God:
If I, a poor man, simply by prayer and faith, obtained with-
out asking any individual, the means for establishing and
carrying on an Orphan-House, there would be something
which, with the Lord’s blessing, might be instrumental in
strengthening the faith of the children of God, besides be-
ing a testimony to the consciences of the unconverted, of
the reality of the things of God. This, then, was the primary
reason for establishing the Orphan-House…. The first and
primary object of the work was that God might be magnified
by the fact, that the orphans under my care are provided
with all they need, only by prayer and faith without anyone
being asked by me or my fellow-laborers whereby it may be
seen, that God is faithful still, and hears prayer still.
Müller decided to focus on prayer in such a way that it would
be evident to everyone who looked at his life and ministry that God
was the One who was doing it all. Faithful churches should share
Müller’s motivation.
We want to see disciples made, churches multiplied, needs met,
orphans cared for, the hungry fed, and unreached peoples reached.
And when people ask, “How did all of that happen?” we have one
response: “God did it all.” We want to experience that which can
only be attributed to the glory of our God. But if that is going to
happen, then the church must be devoted to prayer. Not a prayer
room or an occasional prayer time, but concentrated prayer when-
we gather—whether in small groups or large groups, on our own or
with our families. Prayer must not be supplemental to our lives but
fundamental to everything we do.
Mark 6:42-43
[42] And they all ate and were satisfied. [43] And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.
What else do we see here?
- Jesus supplies more than the need
- Jesus doesn’t waste it, they can take it for later
- Jesus satisfies
Jesus can take nothing…or almost nothing and make something of it. If you think your life has stood for nothing or if you think you’ve sinned too much or whatever lie the enemy tells you then don’t believe that. Jesus takes small things and broken things over and over and makes all things new!
It’s not about how it’s done, it is significant because of Who does it!
