Mark 8:1-21 | II Kings 4:38-44
From the beginning of scripture to the end, God intends to feed humanity. In the garden, God gave food. In the desert, God gave food. In the plains, God gave food through Jesus.
We’ve already read one feeding of a multitude (5000 people) in Mark 6. Here in chapter 8, it’s 4000 people. Some have pointed out what could be important differences between these two feedings, with the first being a Jewish crowd and the second being a Gentile crowd. Either way, Christ provided enough for all.
Mark 8:1-21
In those days there was another large crowd with nothing to eat. Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for the crowd because they have been with me for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they won’t have enough strength to travel, for some have come a long distance.”
His disciples responded, “How can anyone get enough food in this wilderness to satisfy these people?”
Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?”
They said, “Seven loaves.”
He told the crowd to sit on the ground. He took the seven loaves, gave thanks, broke them apart, and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they gave the bread to the crowd. They also had a few fish. He said a blessing over them, then gave them to the disciples to hand out also. They ate until they were full. They collected seven baskets full of leftovers. This was a crowd of about four thousand people! Jesus sent them away, then got into a boat with his disciples and went over to the region of Dalmanutha.
The Pharisees showed up and began to argue with Jesus. To test him, they asked for a sign from heaven. With an impatient sigh, Jesus said, “Why does this generation look for a sign? I assure you that no sign will be given to it.” Leaving them, he got back in the boat and crossed to the other side of the lake.
Jesus’ disciples had forgotten to bring any bread, so they had only one loaf with them in the boat. He gave them strict orders: “Watch out and be on your guard for the yeast of the Pharisees as well as the yeast of Herod.”
The disciples discussed this among themselves, “He said this because we have no bread.”
Jesus knew what they were discussing and said, “Why are you talking about the fact that you don’t have any bread? Don’t you grasp what has happened? Don’t you understand? Are your hearts so resistant to what God is doing? Don’t you have eyes? Why can’t you see? Don’t you have ears? Why can’t you hear? Don’t you remember? When I broke five loaves of bread for those five thousand people, how many baskets full of leftovers did you gather?”
They answered, “Twelve.”
“And when I broke seven loaves of bread for those four thousand people, how many baskets full of leftovers did you gather?”
They answered, “Seven.”
Jesus said to them, “And you still don’t understand?”
II Kings 4:38-44
When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. A group of prophets was sitting before him. He said to his servant, “Put on the big pot and cook some stew for the prophets.” So one of them went out to the field to gather plants; he found a wild vine and gathered wild gourds from it, filling his garment. He came and cut them up into the pot of stew, but no one knew what they were.
The stew was served to the men, but as they started to eat it, they cried out and said, “There is death in that pot, man of God!” They couldn’t eat it.
Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Serve the people so they can eat.” At that point, there was nothing bad left in the pot.
A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God some bread from the early produce—twenty loaves of barley bread and fresh grain from his bag. Elisha said, “Give it to the people so they can eat.”
His servant said, “How can I feed one hundred men with this?”
Elisha said, “Give it to the people so they can eat! This is what the Lord says: ‘Eat and there will be leftovers.’” So the servant gave the food to them. They ate and had leftovers, in agreement with the Lord’s word.
Prayer
God,
You provide for all people. Abundantly more than they need.
So why are so many in need?
I’m not to imagine that you would save the whole hungry world through me, but help me to understand what my role should be in the feeding of hungry people.
Give me the faith to envision it,
the resources to fulfill it,
and the get-go to do it.
By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.