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Not Much of a Rest

Text: Mark 6:33-44, Matthew 14:13-21, Luke 9:11-17, John 6:1-14
9 March 2014

NOT MUCH OF A REST

1. The idea of taking a break is good and important to take note of

2. However this break was short-lived

THE MULTITUDES

1. They saw Jesus and His disciples leaving

2. They figured out where He was going

3. They swiftly made their way to see Jesus

PERSPECTIVES OF THE GOSPEL WRITERS

ALL FOUR GOSPEL WRITERS NOTED THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS EVENT

1. The Compassion of Jesus

a) Noted by Matthew and Mark
b) Compassion (Deep affection)            Philippians 1:8

“The affection of Jesus Christ”

c) Reasons
i) Sheep
ii) Shepherd’s heart
iii) Sheep without a shepherd

2. Response of the Lord Jesus

a) He taught them            Mark 6:34
b) Many things            Mark 6:34
i) The Kingdom of God
ii) Basic truths (God, Faith, Himself etc)

3. The Multitudes

a) Attitude and approach of the disciples

“Send them away”            Matthew 14:15; Mark 6:35-36; Luke 9:12

b) Attitude and approach of Jesus

“They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat”            Matthew 14:16; Mark 6:37; Luke 9:13

c) John’s perspective
i) Different
ii) Jesus speaks to Philip specifically            John 6:5
iii) To test Philip            John 6:6
iv) Philip’s answer            John 6:7

Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.            John 6:7

v) Sentiment felt by all the disciples            Mark 6:37

THE UNBELIEF OF THE DISCIPLES

1. Five barley loaves and two small fish            John 6:9a

2. Unbelief expressed by the disciples            John 6:9b

3. That would be insufficient to feed the multitudes

THE MIRACLE OF FEEDING THE FIVE THOUSAND

1. The multitudes asked to sit down in groups in hundreds and fifties            Mark 6:40

2. Performing the miracle

a) Looking up to heaven
b) Taking up the loaves and fish
c) Blessed the loaves and fish
d) Fed the 5000            Mark 6:44

3. Leftover

a) Twelve baskets of fragments (loaves)
b) And fish            Mark 6:43

POEMS – Charles Tan

#3 PREACHING THE KINGDOM OF GOD

John the Baptiser had prepared the way for the Messiah to come,
Daily he preached repentance and practised baptism for all whose hearts he had won.
Jesus came one day and asked to be baptized before commencement of ministry for the Lord.
John was astonished and humbled for he recognized Jesus as only begotten Son of God.

The Spirit of God came upon Jesus and drove Him into the wilderness for forty days,
There He would be tested by Satan and there He must overcome by His knowledge of God’s ways.
The first Adam fell when he could not muster wisdom, strength and power from the Lord,
Jesus, the second Adam must defeat Satan thus establish He is the mighty and True Son of God.

Filled with power from the Spirit, Jesus began His public ministry in Galilee,
He had come to preach a Gospel that would make people find true liberty.
He had come to invite people to enter into the eternal Kingdom of God,
What a privilege it is to be invited by none other than Jesus Christ the Lord.

“The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God was at hand,” so Jesus proclaimed alone,
There was a sense of urgency in His voice, and an unmistakable love in His tone.
An invitation to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven was clearly given,
Repentance and belief in the gospel of Jesus was the way to heaven.

Inspiration: Mark 1:14

#35 MOVED WITH COMPASSION

The challenge to minister meaningfully is always draining,
And the need for physical rest for all concerned was most deserving.
But there was hardly any time to have that much-needed break,
The multitudes were eagerly waiting for Jesus to attend their heartaches.

The sight of the multitudes was a moving one for the Master,
He saw their tired and frightened faces for some faced disaster.
They were like sheep without a shepherd and open to danger,
Jesus would be the Good Shepherd, to their needs He was no Stranger.

He was moved with compassion at the sight of the heaving motley crowd,
His heart was touched by their sense of desperation though no one cried aloud.
The needed rest would have to be considered at another time,
He must reach out to them with a deep Divine love sublime.

The disciples may have caught what their Master felt in His heart,
They did not complain that they did not get the chance to come apart.
Was this not also a part of the training that Jesus had planned for them?
They must learn to make some sacrifices; they will not allow work to overwhelm.

Inspiration: Mark 6:34