The Christian’s Journey

The Christian’s Journey

Following the Servant

Mark 8:1-21

The Christian life isn’t an arrival, it’s an .

Ephesians 4:1

This section continues the emphasis on action.  The stories about the feeding the 4,000 and the earlier feeding of the 5,000 are similar.  All four Gospels give an account of the feeding of the 5,000 (Mark 6:35-44, Mathew 14:13-21, Luke 9:10-17, and John 6:1-15). However, only Mark (8:1-21) and Matthew (Matthew 15:32-39; 16:9, 10) record the feeding of the 4,000 as a separate miracle.  Unlike the unbelieving Pharisees who were moving in the wrong direction, Mark wants us to see how Jesus longed for His disciples to grow in spiritual understanding, and to nurture and maintain it.    

1. The Second Feeding (vv. 1-13)

Mark 6:32-44                                      Mark 8:1-9

5,000+ people, mostly Jews                        4,000+ people, mostly Gentiles

With Jesus one day (6:35)                           With Jesus three days (8:2)

Took place in Galilee                                   Took place in Decapolis

Sit on the green grass                                  Sit on the ground (literally ‘earth)

Five loaves, two fish                                    Seven loaves, a few fish

Twelve small baskets left over           Seven large baskets left over

Mark 6:34

Matthew 4:4

Jesus wants us to give priority to . 

Matthew 6:33

John 6:35

In Jesus’ hands, there is no such thing as !

“You give them something to eat!”                                                                                    Mark 6:37

Jesus says to each of us:  “I give you the responsibility to with My help.” 

The fact that Jesus delegates responsibility to us is . 

1 Peter 3:8

Ephesians 4:32

Philippians 2:12, 13

2. A Warning (vv. 14-21)

Jesus warns them about the subtle, but corrupting influence of the Pharisees and their political opposites, the Herodians. What the Pharisees and the Herodians had in common is that they both hated Jesus.    

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever!”

2 Peter 3:18

Questions to make them think:

• “Why are you discussing that you do not have any bread?” (v. 17)
• “Don’t you understand or comprehend?” (v. 17)
• “Is your heart hardened?” (v. 17)
• “Do you have eyes, and not see?” (v. 18)
• “Do you have ears, and not hear?” (v. 18)
• “Do you not remember?” (v. 18)
• “When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces of bread did you collect?” (v. 19)
• “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many large basketfuls of pieces of bread did you collect?” (v. 20)
• “Don’t you understand yet?” (v. 21)

If Jesus can feed over 9,000 people, surely He can .   

The disciples were not stupid!  They struggled to overcome

some of the same challenges we have today, like . . .

• Being aware of the dulling influences of .

Matthew 6:33

The goal is to replace the wrong narratives in our head with . 

• Seeing Jesus’ miracles as . 

We can’t forget that the mission and the vision of Christ .

Daily Meditations
 
Memory verse: “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.”                                                                                                          Mark 8:2 
 
 
Monday
Read Mark 8:1-21.  Which subjects did you enjoy in school?  Which subjects required a lot of instruction and assistance before you “got it”?
 
 
 
How would you respond to someone who claimed the feeding of the five thousand (6:35–44) and the feeding of the four thousand (8:1–9) are really the same event reported twice by Mark (and Matthew)?
 
 
 
Tuesday
Read Mark 8:1-21.  What is the significance of this feeding taking place in Gentile territory?
 
 
 
How is Jesus’ compassion and concern for the physical needs of the Gentile crowd indicative of His concern for our spiritual state?
 
 
 
Wednesday
Read Mark 8:1-21.  When we are faced with an impossible situation and we want to turn it over to God, how do we go about doing that?
 
 
 
Thursday
Read Mark 8:1-21.  How do these miraculous feeding episodes serve as a sign of the inbreaking of the kingdom of God?
 
 
 
What is the difference between testing God in faith and testing Him in unbelief?
 
 
 
Friday
Read Mark 8:1-21.  Have you ever encountered someone who wouldn’t accept your explanation of Christianity even if you used sound logic? 
 
 
 
What would it take to get through to such a person?
 
 
 
Saturday
Read Mark 8:1-21.  As we face new challenges, how can we increase the chances that we will remember God’s mighty works from the past and His words of encouragement?