"Seed of Miracle" – Doing ACTS – Monday 11/27/06

Scripture Reading

Mark 8

 

Feeding the Four Thousand

 1 In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”
4 Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?”
5 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”
And they said, “Seven.”
6 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude. 7 They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them. 8 So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments. 9 Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away, 10 immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

 

The Pharisees Seek a Sign

   
11 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. 12 But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.”

 

Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod

13 And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.

 

 

1. VV2 – Do you notice the willingness of the crowd in this passage? They were willing to spend time with Jesus to the point that they went on 3 days without food. How willing are you to spend time with Jesus? (vv2 “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.) From this passage, Jesus has compassion for the crowd as they were following Him through the places for 3 days, and they had nothing to eat. Thus, it was clear that the people were desperate for Him. And with such hunger and thirst for God, they went on without food, because they just wanted more of Him.
   
2. Remember Jesus fed the 5000 in chapter 6:30-44. From v1-5, Jesus was giving the disciples opportunity to respond to a need and wanting them to meet the need based on their previous experience on feeding a huge crowd. (30 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. 31 And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. 32 So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.
   33 But the multitudes^[a] saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. 34 And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.)
   
1. What was Jesus feeling towards the crowd? (vv2) – Jesus has compassion on the crowd.
   
2. What might happen if they don’t eat? (vv3) – They might fall ill, faint, due to lack of energy from lack of food.
   
3. What was the disciples’ response? (vv4) – (4 Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?”)
   
4. What different obstacle did they point out in the feeding of the 4000 (Mark 8:4)? What obstacle did they feel in the feeding of the 5000 (Mark 6:37)? – Mark6:37 But He answered and said to 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 them something to eat?” Referring to item c, it seems like bread alone would not satisfy the need of the people, and that they would need something more. The feeding of the 5000 was more the resources (bread and fish), while the feeding of the 4000 seemed to be more than just bread and fish.
   
5. What do you gather from their response? That the disciples still were not convinced from the experience of miracle they seen from Mark 6.
   
6. What was Jesus’ solution to the need? (vv5) Jesus was looking for a seed for a miracle. What was the seed? (Read vv5b) - 5 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” The medium in use here is what are the substance available. Jesus asked for what was available – so that He can use it to display God’s miracle. Something must be visible.
   
7. Why is it the disciples did not see the “seed” for a miracle? What is the “seed” around you that you might not notice for a miracle? Look harder! (God to Moses: Exodus 4:2 – What ‘seed’ did Moses have?) - 2 So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”  He said, “A rod.” They cannot see because of hardness of heart – they were still learning from Jesus, the Miracle-Maker.
   
3. Describe the greatness of this miracle by seeing the outcome of it from vv6-9. 6 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude. 7 They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them. 8 So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments. 9 Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away. There were many leftovers they gathered from the miracle seen. God showed them that there is multiplication when we offer up from a willing heart.
   
4. From v11-12: What is it the Pharisees missed? Why is it they wanted a sign and what would have been their seed to miracle? Read John 20:29 - 29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” The Pharisees just couldn’t see, because they were hard at heart. They sought to see miracles that was evident to the eyes, but there wasn’t change of heart, even in viewing the miracle. They missed it.