CONNECT Worship Gathering: Mark 6:45-52 Jesus Calms the Storm

Perhaps it was a test of faith that Jesus sent His disciples across Galilee without Him. They had already experienced Jesus calm a storm, heal multitudes, and feed the 5000 men with five loaves and two fish. But for the disciples, seeing was not believing, because in Mark 6:52 their hearts are hardened and they don't understand the meaning of it all. Jesus sends them out to weather the storm as He goes up the mountain to pray. About three O'clock in the morning the storm had set in and the disciples had only rowed about halfway across the lake. Jesus walks on the water and walks just past the boat. The disciples don't recognize Jesus and believe they have seen a ghost and they cried out in terror. Jesus responds by calling out to them, "Don't be afraid, The I AM is here", using the name God gave to Moses in Exodus 3:14. We do well to remember that there is no storm God hasn't seen coming, and we need to understand that storms are for our benefit to learn wisdom to help others through their storms, and to experience God's deliverance from the storm. It is sad that their hearts are still hardened even after this experience - the Greek word for hardened literally means "petrified", turned to stone. Help us, Lord, to have our eyes and hearts opened to You even during the storms, knowing that the God of Creation is with us through Christ. Truth is, God has the opportunity to really shine during the storms, and in the wilderness, where we are struggling with life. Smooth sailing produces nothing but complacent Christians. Let's brave the storm, call out to Jesus, and watch God do amazing things!

CONNECT Worship Gathering: Mark 6:30-44 Jesus Feeds the Multitude

In this text we again find Jesus seeking solitude in the wilderness. But the crowds follow. Jesus is moved with compassion because the people, " were like sheep without a shepherd" (vs.34). This same text appears in Numbers 27 and is a foreshadow of Messiah and His ministry. "Joshua" is the English version of Jesus' Hebrew name, "Yeshua'" יֵשׁוּעַ (Yēšūă‘): 

 Then Moses said to the Lord, 16 “O Lord, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community. 17 Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” 18 The Lord replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. 19 Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people.

Now Messiah has come. Jesus is indeed the Good Shepherd, and teaches us here to minister to physical needs while we are ministering the deeper spiritual need. In John's report of this miracle Jesus gives His Bread of Life discourse to the crowd that was fed. Jesus says three times that He indeed is the Bread of Life.

 

"Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty...  “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him." John 6:35, 53-56

 
We must feast on Christ if we are to be a blessing to others. Time spent with Jesus is prayer, Bible study, worship, taking communion with the people of God, awareness of walking with Jesus throughout the day... are all ways of feasting on Christ for our life and joy, and that we also may be a source of life and joy to others.
 

With this miracle, Jesus demonstrates the laws of multiplication that he preached about in Mark 4 where a seed planted in faith produces thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was planted.  In the Gospel of John we learn there was a young boy nearby who gave his lunch to the disciples. Perhaps he heard the discussion between Jesus and the disciples when Jesus told them, "you feed the crowd".  Contrast the faith of the disciples to that of the little boy who offered the five barley loaves and two fish. The child offered what he had in faith, while the disciples gave nothing because they couldn't find a human solution to the problem. God wants us to come to Him in child-like faith, offering what we have. There is never a gift too small or too meager, given in faith, for Jesus to take and bless in miraculous ways. With the boy's offering of the five loaves and two fish, all the people were fed with an abundance left over. We can only give what we have, it is God that blesses and multiplies. Our simple acts of love, generosity, and faith-sharing can produce an abundant harvest in some one's heart through the work of the Holy Spirit.

 

Feast on Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life, offer Him what you have, be a blessing to others, and expect great things!

CONNECT Worship Gathering: Mark 6: 6-13 Returning to the Simplicity of the Gospel

Jesus sending out the disciples is a great reminder of the simplicity of the Gospel message. Their orders were simple: dress modestly, be gracious, preach repentance from sin and turn to God, bring healing to people who are sick and harassed by the evil one. Our churches and our lives are filled with stuff. For many of us it is "ministry" stuff. But we don't need most of it - the stuff can easily get in the way. People need a visceral connection with Christ followers who bring healing and truth in their lives through the Holy Spirit. Sharing our faith, acts of kindness and generosity, sitting with the sick or aged - these and many other simple ways are the things Jesus calls us to do. Jesus sent them out in pairs - and we need one another in ministry for accountability but also for the employment of our many varied gifts. Jesus wants us to rely on God for provisions - our daily bread - not on media, technology, or a new small group "how to" book. Christ followers, return to the simplicity of the Gospel - take an opportunity to share Jesus' love with someone.