Well, you may have noticed that we're looking at the same sermon text as last week, and that's not a mistake. I didn't forget which week it was, although I forgot which month it was in the email that I sent out, so I guess you have reason for suspicion there. But the reason for taking another look at the feeding of the 5,000 is because this is a really significant event in the Gospels. Do you realize that the feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle of Jesus that occurs in all four of the Gospels? And because of that, we know that there's a significance to it and many things that we can learn from it. And one of the things about it that's so fascinating are the various layers of truth that are packed into this narrative. Last week we saw how this event shows the compassion of Jesus as a shepherd. But this week we'll look at how it also presents him as a shepherd who truly satisfies his people. And so let's look together at Mark chapter 6, verses 30 to 44. I'll read the text. It's printed there in your bulletin or you can follow along in your Bibles. And then we'll pray for the Lord's help this morning. Mark chapter 6, starting in verse 30. The apostles returned to Jesus and told Him all that they had done and taught. And He said to them, Come away by yourselves to a desolate place, and rest a while. For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat. But he answered them, you give them something to eat. And they said to him, shall we go and buy 200 denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat? And he said to them, how many loaves do you have? Go and see. And when they had found out, they said, five and two fish. Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to all the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men. Please pray with me. Our Father in heaven, we ask your help this morning. We confess that we have hearts that are easily distracted. We confess that it's a setting that we're not used to and there can be many distractions around us. We confess that many of us are weary and tired of months of life not the way we are used to it. And so we ask your help and your strength this morning. We pray especially that your spirit would help us to understand your word and not merely to understand it as facts or as knowledge, but that it would shape us, that Your Word would make us more and more into the image of Jesus Christ as we behold Him. We ask that Your Spirit would help us this morning to hear His voice, and so that we can heed His call and receive His comfort and His satisfaction. It's in Christ's name that we pray. Amen. Well, as you remember, in the context of what's been happening here, Jesus initiates a private getaway with his disciples. They've had an intense time of casting out demons and teaching as Jesus had sent them out. But then an enormous crowd ends up meeting them at the very location they were anticipating having no visitors. And the crowd came, as we saw last week, with some expectations for Jesus. They were coming looking to him to be a leader, and in particular a leader who would address many of the circumstances around them. In particular, who would deal with Rome and the oppression that they were facing from the government. But Jesus, as He saw this crowd, came ashore and saw this great crowd, He had compassion on them. He was moved towards them in their need. And He showed His care by teaching them and by feeding them. It's a great thing to have someone who cares for you, isn't it? Especially when you're going through a hard time, to know that there's someone in your life who empathizes, who cares, who knows what it's like. And that's what we saw of Jesus last week, that His heart moves towards those who are in their need. But it's even better when the person who cares is a person who can do something about the situation that you're facing. And that's what we see this morning as we consider this text. Jesus wants his disciples to see that not only does he have compassion on people in their need, but he's also the one who can satisfy the deepest needs of the people around him. And so this passage highlights for us first of all the people's overwhelming need. The setting of this text is a desolate place. Did you notice that when I read it? Three times it says this is a desolate place. This is the wilderness setting. Now that doesn't mean that it's a desert per se, that they're sitting on sand with no crops around. Remember they're sitting on green grass, Mark tells us. it's an isolated place. When the disciples come up with a solution, their solution is to send the people away, that they could go to the neighboring villages to find food. And so one of the things that we realize right away about this setting is these people have overwhelming need because of the isolated nature of the place that they find themselves. Not only is it a desolate place, but also there are a lot of people to care for. If you look with me at verse 33, it says, Now many saw them going, Jesus and the disciples, and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and they got there ahead of them. And when he went ashore, he saw a great crowd. In verse 44, we learn that it was 5,000 men who were counted that day, and many more probably women and children as well. So much so that when the disciples take the time to calculate quickly what it would take to feed this multitude, they say that it would take 200 denarii to get anywhere close to having enough bread to give the people each some of it. 200 denarii, 200 days wages, $15,000 to $20,000. That's a lot of bread. Even if you're buying it from Panera, it's still a lot of food for a lot of people. And so we see the people's overwhelming need in this setting, but then also it shows us the disciples' lack of resources. The disciples here noticed the problem. It's getting late and the people are hungry. Jesus, in his compassion for them, taught them a long time. He fed them with the very Word of God. But I think, and this is just conjecture on my part, but I think the disciples were probably pretty proud of their awareness of the people's needs. I think they looked out and said, you know what? The Lord's been teaching us to care for people, and I see that they have needs. Jesus, we have a solution. Let's send them away so that they can have food before the evening comes. But Jesus, notice, puts it back on them, doesn't he? You give them something to eat. Can you imagine hearing those words? Jesus, that's not what I signed up for. We were coming here to get away. You give them something to eat. And then we learned that the disciples really had no resources of their own to work with. They don't have enough money, that's certainly for sure. They don't have enough food. Even after pooling all of their resources together, what do they come up with? five loaves and two fish. Would that even feed twelve hungry men, let alone thousands of people? And so we see the disciples' lack of resources in this particular setting. And you notice that the disciples don't even think of Jesus as a part of this solution, do they? Isn't that fascinating? They don't even factor Him into the equation about bread and about fish. If we think back to what's happened in the Gospel of Mark, just a chapter before, the disciples had seen so many amazing things. They saw Jesus still, the wind and the waves. They saw Him drive out a legion of demons. He healed the lady who was chronically ill. He raised a 12-year-old girl from the dead. And they themselves had just gotten back from a time of preaching and casting out demons. And yet when it came to the needs that they saw before them, the people's wilderness plight, they didn't even think of Jesus as one to whom they could turn for help. Maybe they thought that it was beneath Him. Jesus does amazing things like wind and waves and raising the dead. But more than likely, I think it was more that they still, as of yet, did not realize that He had the ability to help them with every need that they faced. You see, what's amazing is even with the disciples' failure to turn to Him, to look to Him in their need, Jesus goes on to then show them exactly what they need to see, doesn't He? And we notice in this sign the abundance of Jesus' provision. We see the abundance of His provision. You know, even in preparing this message, I'm amazed how quickly I just jump to the end of the story and gloss over the miraculous nature of what took place here. Maybe that's part of the downside of it being in all four Gospels, is we're all very familiar with this story, aren't we? And our response can be, yep, of course, Jesus does a miracle, and the people are fed, and we move on as we just fail to consider what's going on. But the text here begs us to stop and to see the abundance of what Jesus provided in that wilderness setting. In verse 40 it says, they sat down. And that's language that's different from saying the normal way people would eat, they reclined at table. Instead they sat down, which is a much more fitting way of speaking of gathering for a banquet. And even though it was just bread and fish that day, they all ate, the text says, and they all were satisfied. And you think of what Jesus began with, five loaves of bread and two fish, which wouldn't even fill one basket full. But by the end, all of the disciples are holding a large basket full of leftover bread and fish because of the abundance of what Jesus provided from such meager resources. And so Jesus provides a feast in the wilderness, and we see that clearly. But then our awareness of the Old Testament calls us to see even more significance to what's taking place here. We've been going through Exodus together. And with Exodus fresh on our minds, we're equipped and ready to hear the echoes of this account in light of the people's wilderness experience. The wilderness theme and having food in the desert is a major theme throughout Scripture. And there are many aspects in this account that help us to see that this is another occurrence of this wilderness theme. The disciples asked this question, where could we ever get enough food? How could we even buy enough food for all of these people? This reminds us of a conversation that Moses had with God in Numbers 11, where he says, where am I to get meat to give to all these people? And then he goes on to say, shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered for them and be enough for them? The disciples are questioning about food and Moses was questioning how the people could be fed in the wilderness. And the people here sit down in groups of hundreds and fifties, and we think of how things were constructed in the wilderness, where the people gathered together in groups in the community. Even the multiplication of loaves and fish calls to mind how God had provided food from heaven, manna over and over again, and quail several times. And the Apostle John makes it explicit for us that this sign is related to Moses' provision in the wilderness, as the people launch into a discussion in John 6, after Jesus has done this miracle. You see, what Jesus wants His disciples to see, what He wants us to see as well, is that throughout the people of God's wilderness wandering, God's people need to turn to Him, to trust Him, to satisfy them, and to provide for them when they find themselves in desolate places. And now Jesus is saying that not only have the people of God of old had to do this, but now they specifically, and we in turn, need to see Jesus as the greater Moses who has come. Not just bringing bread from heaven, but as the bread from heaven, as the living bread who would come to satisfy His people. And this is a lesson that His disciples needed to learn. This is a lesson that the people of God have always needed to learn. And this is a lesson that we ourselves need to learn today as well, don't we? Where do you turn? in your overwhelming need? Where do you turn when you find yourself in a desolate place? When you feel like you don't have enough resources, even for yourself, much less for those around you who are in need? What is your response? Is it send them away? Maybe sometimes in the face of others' needs, we're tempted to think that, have them go somewhere else. But you know, there are other ways we do this send-them-away response as well. Because what were the disciples really asking to have happen in the face of that need? Make the situation change. Make it go away somehow. Where have you turned since March as we've been walking through this wilderness together? What have you been looking to in your need and in your time of desolation? I know that for me it has been a constant heart struggle. of daily looking to other things, whether this would just go away, whether something would distract me, whether it would satisfy, if there's just some remedy of how we could work all of this out. But you know what's been so convicting in all of it, is how hard I have to fight to remember that Jesus is still here with me in the wilderness. as one who cares and as one who can do something about it. As one who can actually satisfy even with these meager resources that I have. You see, part of the point of this feeding of the 5,000 is that Jesus is calling His disciples and He's calling us in turn to see Him as present with us in our need and to turn to Him for help. when we find ourselves without enough resources for what we need. You know, turning to Jesus for help. I think often in our heads becomes this very grandiose thing. I know what I need to do. I'll read my Bible for four hours today, and then maybe things will start to change. I'll implement a whole new spiritual routine in my life, and then He'll do something about it. But do you realize that turning to Jesus in our need is often very simple? It's often very subtle? It's an acknowledgement of, I'm overwhelmed right now. I don't have the resources for myself, much less the needs around me. But I know from your word that you are here. You are here by your spirit and you have what I need. And so I need your help. And what is your plan? How can I follow you along the path of your provision and my satisfaction? Where do you turn in your overwhelming need? This passage not only shows us that we're to turn to Christ in our need, but it also gives us a glimpse of how Jesus often works when we do that, doesn't it? Did you notice how this happens? He doesn't just snap his fingers and fish and bread falls from the sky. It's like DoorDash, but like HeavenDash or something. It just drops in out of nowhere. Instead, we find these stunning words. Jesus, we see a major need and what does He say? You give them something to eat. Wait, what in the world are you talking about? How many loaves do you have? Go and see, he says. He helps them realize, doesn't he, that their resources are far too meager for the task at hand. But then he shows them how he can take their meager resources and he can satisfy all the needs that they find in the middle of the wilderness. This is something that the people of God have always struggled to see, isn't it? We don't have what it takes and we need something outside of ourselves to satisfy and to save. But haven't we especially seen that in the last few months? I'm sure that the Lord wants us to learn many things throughout the last four months and as this trial continues. But what if one of the main things that he wants us to see is really how meager our resources really are? What if he's taking things away from us to help us realize that although we thought we had what it takes, although we look to all these other things to be able to get by, in reality we have nothing without him and we have far too few resources to satisfy our own souls, let alone the needs around us. Is he using even these restrictions to help us see how meager our resources really are? We're in a time of overwhelming need where many of us are struggling. We're all struggling in some ways. And we have needs personally and needs in our church. And then on top of that, there's limitations to how many of us can gather on Sundays. And we need to stay six feet apart. And we need to have something over our faces when we do it. And we think, how in the world, Lord, can we ever go on as your people with so little? Is it possible that he's saying to us, Of course you don't have the resources that you need, but I have everything that it takes to satisfy you in the wilderness. Six feet apart is not too far of a distance for my spirit to work. A piece of cloth over your mouth will not stop words of edification from going forth among the people of God. Zoom meetings in digital presence is not too difficult of a situation. for Christ Himself to minister to us by His Spirit. And so He calls us in the midst of this wilderness to turn to Him and to see how of course we don't have the resources that we need, but of course He is still a Savior who can satisfy. He is the one who provides abundantly when everything seems humanly impossible, doesn't He? Well, in this story, Jesus satisfies the people's hunger. But that satisfaction doesn't last. They will hunger the next day. And in John 6, we see how that unfolds. But Jesus wants them to see that this is just a foretaste of what He had truly come to do. You see, not only is Jesus the wilderness provider, but Jesus has come as the wilderness transformer. A key part of the setting of this whole account is that it's in a desolate place. It's in a wilderness. And this is a prevalent Old Testament theme. And especially as we come to the book of Isaiah. Because in the book of Isaiah, what does the wilderness represent? It represents exile. It represents the judgment that the people must endure because of their sin. It represents the curse for breaking the covenant. But throughout the book of Isaiah, the prophet holds forth that something amazing is going to happen in the wilderness. The wilderness will be transformed, he foretells. In Isaiah 35, it says, the wilderness and the dry land shall be glad. The desert shall rejoice and blossom. Waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. And did you hear in our scripture reading this morning in chapter 49, the bare heights, those desolate places, they shall be what? They shall be their pasture for the people of God, and they shall neither hunger nor thirst in the wilderness. You see, those places that once signified desolation, those places that once signified judgment, would become places of abundant blessing. And how would this happen? Well, Jesus would transform that wilderness. And He would do so by entering into our wilderness so that it could become a place of abundance. He came into our overwhelming need. The limitless One became limited in His humanity. The One who never knew any lack or any need became hungry and thirsty and tired and weak along with the rest of humanity. And He not only experienced the wilderness of a fallen world, but He bore that wilderness for us. He endured desolation that we have never known, and yet we deserve. He was sent away. He was exiled outside the camp. Why? To bear our sins on a cursed cross. His body was broken so that we could eat the bread of life. His blood was poured out so that we could drink of living water and receive the cup of the new covenant in His blood. You see, through faith in Jesus Christ, the glorious news is that the wilderness holds no more curse for us because He has borne it all. But this side of glory We still experience the wilderness, don't we? We still experience desolation. We still experience lack and even loss. But now, through Jesus' redemptive subversion of how he's working all for good, The situations that seemed to us to be most overwhelming and most desolate are now the very places where He sees us in our need and He moves towards us in compassion and He satisfies us in the depths of our souls. What wilderness are you in this morning? What is your overwhelming need? Jesus wants you to know that He is your shepherd who sees you in your need and is moved towards you in tender, loving care. And His heart's desire and the focus of all of His redemptive energy is for your true satisfaction in Him. And so He calls you today He calls us today as we sit on the green grass to turn to Him, to bring our meager resources and to ask Him for help. And as surely as those people ate and went away satisfied, so surely does He promise to meet you in your need and to satisfy you in ways that you can't even explain. Until one day, He takes us to a very different land, where there is no more need and no more lack, in a city where the river of the water of life runs down the center, and we eat forever of the never-ending fruit of the tree of life. May He sustain us until that day, and please join with me in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we're amazed at the abundance of riches that you pour out on us in Christ. We confess that we have weak and wobbly faith. We confess that we look at our needs and our resources and we fail to see the ways that you are here with us, caring, providing, satisfying. Will you strengthen our faith, not because of anything we deserve or have earned, that amaze us afresh with the sheer grace of the abundance that you pour out as you have come to rescue us in the wilderness through Jesus Christ. It's in His name that we pray. Amen.