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Ring of Truth provides 366 daily ‘proofs’ that the Bible is consistent throughout from Genesis to Revelation, and relevant for our lives today!
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Mark 6:35-38
“By this time it was late in the day, so His disciples came to Him, ‘This is a remote place,’ they said, ‘and it’s already very late. Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.’ But He answered, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to Him, ‘That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?’ ‘How many loaves do you have?’ He asked. ‘Go and see.’ When they found out, they said, ‘Five – and two fish.’”
No. Don’t send them away – feed them.
Herod had beheaded John the Baptist by now. It was at his second wife’s request (through her daughter) because John had criticised their adulterous relationship. Most people today would probably tell John to keep quiet about it and just ‘show love’ to them both. I guess John feared God more. His message of repentance seems to have been God inspired and God anointed. But like Jesus, it still got him killed. Sobering thought, isn’t it? Maybe that’s why so few go that way today.
Jesus suggested that He and the disciples should find somewhere private and rest. So they got in a boat to try and ‘escape’. No such luck. (Sounds like being a pastor.) Maybe the winds or currents were against them, but Mark says the people got there first.
What do you do? Tell them to go away? Not Jesus, the compassionate teacher. He showed that He was a shepherd with a pastoral heart. He saw them as sheep without a shepherd and so taught them many things. By then, it was the end of a long hard day for Jesus and the disciples, so the disciples suggested sending the people away.
How often time robs us of seeing the miraculous. We don’t have time to ‘wait on God.’ Our services become so regimented and predictable that we run them without God. He doesn’t need to ‘show up’, so He doesn’t. And yet, haven’t we all experienced those fantastic times when God showed up miraculously at the end? I’m in no way suggesting that we should stop our preparation or waiting on God for our planning but surely if we are well prepared, we should then be even more able to allow the Holy Spirit some ‘elbow room’.
Jesus was a Man of faith. He got His disciples to research the resources. I believe that is what Jesus meant when He said, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?” (Luke 14:28) Faith is spelt R.I.S.K. So often we “sit down and estimate the cost”, see we haven’t got the resources, and then give up. Jesus ‘discovered’ He had just 5 loaves and 2 fish but went ahead and fed 5000+ with them.
I believe what God wants us to do is to do what Jesus did. Research the resources available, pray and let Father do the rest – the impossible – the miracle. We need to get back to the exciting days of taking calculated risks for God. As the British S.A.S. motto says, “He who dares wins.” Our trouble is that usually we are far too cautious. The S.A.S. has only the British Government behind them. We have the Almighty, Creator, Omnipotent God. Jesus thanked God for what (they) He had. And guess what? The miracle followed.
The disciples were in for another shock. The people went home fully satisfied and they went off in their boat again.
Then Jesus came to them walking on the water. Who is this Man? The ‘expanding’ bread and fish was hard enough to understand. Now, here He is walking on water.
Who is this Man, Jesus? What sort of Person is He?
Who is Jesus to you – really?
Do you know Him?
Really?
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