Bible Chapter 8:1-8 passages in the Gospels #2 Mark

Welcome to the second episode of my Bible study. You may notice that I have added more pages to this blog site. With help from WordPress support, I have created a page where you can find where to purchase my books. There is a second page where I will publish book reviews to share what I’m reading. I hope the upgrade of my site is useful for you. Now, let us study Mark 8:1-8.

Feeding the Four Thousand
8:1 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.”

Compassion… the Bible often points out that Jesus was moved with compassion. He is still the same today. Jesus knew what it was like to have nothing to eat, about being far from home. This compassion was more than empathy. Let’s look at what happened next.

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.”

We often look at a situation and wonder how it can have a natural solution. Jesus often challenges us by asking what resources we already have.

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.

Jesus commanded the multitude to sit on the ground. Apparently, most of them stood while Jesus had been speaking for three days. Isn’t this a picture of how Jesus calls us from the fray and invites/commands us to sit at the table as he prepares the meal for our souls?

Jesus begins with giving thanks for the loaves of bread. He broke them, foreshadowing his broken body. If not broken, the bread can not be shared. If his body, the Bread, had not been broken, there would be no wholeness for us.

Notice the qualifier on the fish- small. We bring our small offerings to his table, and he will multiply them. Can we trust him?

Humanly, we are inadequate for most tasks that come our way. If we are bold enough to trust our Father’s provision, to believe he can multiply what we bring to the table, we will experience abundance to share.

What are you needing the Lord to multiply or increase in your life right now? This story of the miracle feeding assures us. Give thanks for what you have, and put it to good use. Watch and be amazed with what turns out!