Mark
6:14-44 - They were great men of God - ‘John the baptiser... Elijah... the prophets of old’ (14-15). None of them can compare with the Lord Jesus Christ. These men directed attention to the Lord (1 Kings 18:36-39; Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:25-27). Of Christ alone, we say, ‘There is salvation in no one else...’ (Acts 4:12). Christ saves - and satisfies: We feed on Him and we are ‘satisfied’ (42). Apart from Him, the human search ends in this: ‘I can't get no satisfaction’. In Him, there is satisfaction - He is the Saviour. Saved, satisfied and sharing - this is what we are to be. To His disciples, He still says, 'You give them something...' (37). We say, ‘We don’t have enough’. He says, ‘I am more than enough’ (2 Corinthians 3:5). Many are ‘like sheep without a shepherd’. We must not fail them. We must ‘teach them many things’ (34).
6:14-44 - They were great men of God - ‘John the baptiser... Elijah... the prophets of old’ (14-15). None of them can compare with the Lord Jesus Christ. These men directed attention to the Lord (1 Kings 18:36-39; Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:25-27). Of Christ alone, we say, ‘There is salvation in no one else...’ (Acts 4:12). Christ saves - and satisfies: We feed on Him and we are ‘satisfied’ (42). Apart from Him, the human search ends in this: ‘I can't get no satisfaction’. In Him, there is satisfaction - He is the Saviour. Saved, satisfied and sharing - this is what we are to be. To His disciples, He still says, 'You give them something...' (37). We say, ‘We don’t have enough’. He says, ‘I am more than enough’ (2 Corinthians 3:5). Many are ‘like sheep without a shepherd’. We must not fail them. We must ‘teach them many things’ (34).
6:45-7:23 - The
storm is raging: ‘they were making headway painfully, for the wind was
against them’ (48). Jesus draws near, and there is peace: ‘the wind
ceased’ (51). Another ‘storm’ continues to rage: ‘Why do your disciples
not live according to the tradition of the elders...?’ (5). How did
Jesus respond to this ‘storm’ of criticism? - He exposed the hypocrisy
of those who made the tradition of men more important than the Word of
God (7-9,13). He invited ‘the people’ to come ‘to Him’, to ‘hear’, to
‘understand’. His Word was addressed to ‘all’ of them (14). Jesus
emphasizes this point: ‘man looks on the outward appearance, but the
Lord looks on the heart’ (1 Samuel 16:7). The heart of the matter is the
matter of the heart. Which will it be? - ‘Their hearts were hardened’
(52) or ‘Loving the Lord your God with all your heart’ (12:30).
7:24-8:26 - Verse 27:
The Gospel is for all - Jews and Gentiles (John 3:16). It seems like a
‘refusal’. It is not. In love, Jesus says, ‘Show me that your faith is real’. First things ‘first’: Do you really want
to be blessed by the Lord ? Or, are you content with ‘going through the
motions’ of religious ritual? Is God's Word going in one ear and out
the other (deaf)? Are you ashamed of the Lord (dumb)? Jesus ‘makes the
deaf hear and the dumb speak’ (37). Jesus feeds those who are hungry - for Him. To those who say, “‘Yes, Lord, even the crumbs’, so long as it comes from You”,
Jesus gives much - and we are ‘satisfied’ (28;8). Don’t settle for ‘the
leaven of the Pharisees’ (15) - second best (by a long way!) - when you
can have Jesus, the very best! ‘Open our eyes, Lord. We want to see Jesus’ (22-26; Mission Praise, 545).
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