Mark 6:30-44

The Compassionate Shepherd

Devotional 31 of 50 · Mark chapter 6

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After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards trembled in fear of him and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ See, I have told you.” So they hurried away from the tomb in fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped Him. “Do not be afraid,” said Jesus. “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see Me.” While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. And after the chief priests had met with the elders and formed a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money and instructed them: “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ If this report reaches the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the guards took the money and did as they were instructed. And this account has been circulated among the Jews to this very day. Meanwhile, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing

Mark 6:30-44 · BSB

³⁰Meanwhile, the apostles gathered around Jesus and brought Him news of all they had done and taught. ³¹And He said to them, “Come with Me privately to a solitary place, and let us rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. ³²So they went away in a boat by themselves to a solitary place. ³³But many people saw them leaving and recognized them. They ran together on foot from all the towns and arrived before them. ³⁴When Jesus stepped ashore and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began to teach them many things. ³⁵By now the hour was already late. So the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is already late. ³⁶Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” ³⁷But Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.” They asked Him, “Should we go out and spend two hundred denarii to give all of them bread to eat?” ³⁸“Go and see how many loaves you have,” He told them. And after checking, they said, “Five—and two fish.” ³⁹Then Jesus directed them to have the people sit in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And He divided the two fish among them all. ⁴²They all ate and were satisfied, ⁴³and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴And there were five thousand men who had eaten the loaves.

Jesus

Jesus felt all the wear and tear of being human –– He got hungry, tired, and even needed space from the crowds. Here, we see Jesus seeking to get away from the crowds and find some much needed rest. Jesus and His disciples made their escape on the boat and set sail for a desolate place. Yet, the same crowds He was seeking to get a break from followed Him and sought Him out. Most people would be furious and scold these persistent people.

Unlike most people, Jesus sets aside His need for rest and solitude and, instead, serves. His first thought was not frustration but compassion. He saw them as sheep without a shepherd. We see here into the vast tenderness of Christ. His heart was moved by their desire to be with Him, that He sacrificed His own physical need for rest to teach the people.

The disciples then bring up the physical needs of the people. I wonder if the disciples were hoping the crowd would leave? They were likely just as tired as Jesus. They had just finished their micro-mission of being sent out by Jesus. I speculate that they did not feel compassion when they saw the crowd but frustration. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, they may have genuinely cared about the people's hunger, but I am curious if the crowd was complaining about being hungry. This crowd was so desperate for Jesus that they ran to get to Him; I assume they would have been fine to miss a meal or two to be with Him. No matter the reason, the disciples suggest the people leave so they could be fed.

We then see Jesus call the disciples to give them something to eat. This likely stunned them. How could they feed 5,000 men, let alone the women and children that were there? Jesus takes what they scrounge up, blesses it, and performs an undeniable miracle. This was no sleight of hand. Jesus was not hiding thousands of loaves and fish in the sleeves of His tunic. Jesus miraculously multiplied bread—already baked—and fish, fully prepared to eat. And the disciples each got an entire basket full of extras to carry after all had eaten.

His Desires

Looking at this miracle, we see Jesus’ desire to take care of the people that are pursuing Him. He desires that people would run after Him and seek Him, and He takes care of them. He is moved with compassion to be their shepherd and teach and provide for their needs.

Not only does He meet their needs, but He supplies abundance so we know He’s at work. He wants the disciples to know what He did and what He is capable of. He also instructs them to give the crowds something to eat and uses whatever they can find. This reveals that Jesus wants us to offer to Him all that we have, no matter how small, and let Him work His wonders.

Follow Through

Have compassion on those seeking Jesus.
Trust Jesus to meet your needs.
Offer Him what you have, no matter how small.

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