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 two hundred 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 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.—Mark 6:31–44 

Introduction

This story is one of the most beloved stories in the Bible. The Gospel writers loved it too. It is the only miracle contained in all four Gospels. But some modern day commentators are embarrassed by it because it reads in an undeniably miraculous way. That presents a problem to people if they don’t believe in miracles. So some try to repackage this story without the miraculous elements. They tell us that what really happened was a miracle of generosity. When the little boy was willing to share his five loaves and two fish, suddenly there was a groundswell of inspiration that led everyone else to share the food they had. In other words, this is not a miracle in the wilderness, but a potluck in the wilderness.

That message fits the secular songs I hear for the holiday season.

Some days we forget to look around us
Some days we can't see the joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give
So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for …

—Josh Groban, from “Thankful”

We certainly say “yes” to the problem of selfishness. We are self-absorbed and take when we should give. We also say “yes” to the need to pray and hope. The Bible agrees that we should hope for what we do not see (Romans 8:25).

But we cannot say “yes” to the world’s gospel solution: “It’s up to us to be the change.” This “gospel” is basically a potluck approach where we are all called to be better, try harder, give more and do more. This “gospel” says that the hope for a better future is a better future version of you and me. That is no hope at all.

There is so much more to celebrate in our text. In fact, what we see here can keep us from despair. What if we feel crushed by the summons to be the change and believe that it is all up to us? That is the setting of this passage—the people are harassed and helpless—like sheep without a shepherd. They can’t make it on their own. But there is a greater hope. The message is not “It’s up to us—just be generous.” The message of this text is good news for those who know they are harassed and helpless: “Jesus is the long-awaited Shepherd who satisfies his sheep.”

In fact, this passage is the fulfillment of an ancient hope. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” This means that because the Lord is my shepherd, I have everything that I need.

Mark 6:31–44 focuses on the two needs of the sheep that the Great Shepherd meets: spiritual food and physical food.

Sermon Outline

1. The Need for Spiritual Food (vv. 31–34)
2. The Need for Physical Food (vv. 35–44)

1. The Need for Spiritual Food (vv. 31–34)

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.

The first observation to make is that Jesus is going to provide rest for his disciples. The crowds had become too crushing—coming and going so that Jesus and the disciples could not even eat.

So they went away in a boat to a desolate place to find rest away from the crowds. The crowds recognize them and run(!) so that they beat them to the spot (v. 33). So what do Jesus and the disciples find when they reach their getaway destination? A great crowd.

Here is where I marveled as I meditated on this text. If this was written about me, the next verse would say: “When Jason saw the great crowd, he became greatly irritated and mumbled under his breath how hard it is to get a day off.” We are not at our best when our plans are interrupted. In fact, someone’s interruption can lead to our eruption.

I was reminded of this recently in a story from Ken Sande. He told of how he got so irritated with his children as they were fighting in the backseat of the vehicle that he turned around and yelled at them at length. He said he even moved the rearview mirror to glare at them for a while. Suddenly, the meek voice of their little boy was heard: “Daddy, do you think we should pray about whether or not that was righteous anger?” He didn’t need to pray. Ken Sande said that he confessed it as a sin and received their forgiveness. It is so easy for things (even good things) like peace and quiet to become an idol. Peace and quiet is a good gift, but a bad god.

Consider Jesus’ response to the crowd following him: “When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34). I thought about preaching the whole sermon on just Mark 6:31–34. We could focus our whole time on this glorious truth—that Jesus had compassion. It is a wonderful Greek word: splanchnizomai. That word will not mean anything to you unless perhaps you have a medical background and can hear that this word is where we get our English word: splanchtology (the study of the gut). Do you see what this says about Jesus?

Jesus did not have some superficial pity for the people. He had compassion for them—deep down in the very depths of his being. Have you ever heard the expression “a gut feeling”? It means that you feel something way down deep. You can actually give yourself a stomachache by caring about something so much that you make yourself sick worrying about something. Jesus felt compassion from the depths of his being for these people because they were like sheep without a shepherd. This word for “compassion” is only used of Jesus in the New Testament.

Jesus identified their main need: As sheep without a shepherd they needed guidance and teaching. Jesus did not merely give them a devotional thought, a little snack of a homily. The text says, “And he began to teach them many things.” He taught them at length—so much so that it became late in the day. The desolate nature of the place and the lateness of the day created another problem now that Jesus must address in point 2.

2. The Need for Physical Food (vv. 35–44)

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 two hundred 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 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.

The disciples see the problem right away: The hour is late and the place is desolate—send the people away to find food. It does seem that the disciples have some level of concern about the people, but it also seems like they are concerned about themselves. Remember that they have not eaten yet either. Remember that little problem about how crushing the crowd was so that they could not even eat (Mark 6:33). It is suppertime. Send them away, Jesus.

We used to have something in my family when I was growing up called “fend for yourself” night. You were supposed to raid the refrigerator and scrounge around to make yourself something to eat (usually when my parents were too tired to make something for us). That seems to be the disciples’ solution for the crowd: “fend for themselves night.”

But Jesus says something shocking: “You give them something to eat” (Mark 6:36). The disciples immediately look to their physical resources. They say that they don’t have the kind of money it would take to purchase food for them. In fact, it would take about 200 days’ wages—more than half of a year’s wages. One commentator says, “The disciples again function as straight men whose alarm accentuates the magnitude of the miracle.” (Garland, Mark, 253–54).

Don’t forget the context as well. They had just returned from a journey in which Jesus prohibited them from bringing along money for their money belt or extra provisions and supplies, like food.

So Jesus gives them instructions for a food reconnaissance mission: How much food do you have—go and find out (v. 38). They report back that they have five loaves and two fish. Did you ever wonder where they got it? John’s Gospel tells us where they found the food and what Jesus was up to in this whole story. Listen to John 6:6–9 …

He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”

More than half a year’s wages would not be enough for everyone to get even a few bites. The little boy gave them five loaves and two fish, but that seemed like a pitiful provision: What are they for so many?

So Jesus organized the people into groups of hundreds and fifties—like a host seating the people at a large gathering. Then it says he (1) took the five loaves and two fish, (2) looked up to heaven and said a blessing, (3) broke the loaves, and (4) gave them to the disciples to set before the people (Mark 6:41).

What was the result? All the people ate and were satisfied (Mark 6:42). The people were like sheep without a shepherd—lacking guidance and food—no thanks to “king” Herod. Herod throws a banquet for himself and the elites of Galilee and the sinful party leads to death. Jesus has a banquet for what Herod would have regarded as the rabble of Galilee. This miraculous banquet of heavenly food leads to the sustaining of life and satisfaction. More than half a year’s wages would not be enough for a little snack, and here Jesus filled the people with five loaves and two fish and there were 12 baskets left over.

Each Jew had a wicker basket that they would wear as their daily attire. Here, each of the twelve disciples would have his own basket of leftovers as a physical reminder—a faith souvenir to mark this moment: Jesus can do what no one else can do. He can provide what no one else can. But what is happening here is far more than meets the eye. Consider five big, biblical echoes in this story.

Transition: The Echo Chamber

At least five biblical echoes are taking place in this story. Hearing these echoes takes a beloved story and makes it richer, deeper, sweeter, and fuller.

1. Jesus is the Greater Moses Who Brings a Greater Exodus and Rest in the Wilderness

Someone may ask, “Where do you see that?” I am glad you asked. There are five things here in this one point that take us back to Moses and the Exodus. 

A. Jesus, like Moses, feeds the people with teaching from God and bread from heaven.

B. The phrase, “sheep without a shepherd” hearkens back to Moses’ prayer that God would appoint a successor for him to lead the people into the Promised Land when Moses cannot because of his sin of rebelling against the word of the Lord (Numbers 27:12–23).

Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.” So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.”—Numbers 27:15–18 

C. The Mosaic camp divisions.

Jesus has the disorganized people without a shepherd and gathers them into organized groups or rectangular sections (so they could be fed in a more orderly way). This reflects Moses’ instructions for the camp of Israel (Exodus 18:21, 25).

 D. The response of the disciples matches the perplexed question of Moses:

But Moses said, “The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!’ Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?”—Numbers 11:21–22

E. The Provision of Rest in the Wilderness

Don’t miss the fact that this story started with the theme of rest in the wilderness (which Mark repeats three full times). God’s provision of rest in the wilderness is frequently repeated in Scripture—a greater rest than the first Exodus (Psalm 95:7–11; Isaiah 63:14; Jeremiah 31:2; Hebrews 3–4).

2. Jesus Is the Greater Elisha

A man came to Elisha with 20 loaves of barley and Elisha told him to give it to the prophets there (numbering about 100). When Elisha asks his servant to feed the company of prophets, he said, “How can I set this before a hundred men?” (2 Kings 4:43a)

Elisha’s response to his servant, “The Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over’ ” (2 Kings 4:43b). And they did. “So he set it before them. And they ate and had some left, according to the word of the Lord” (2 Kings 4:44) 

3. Jesus Is the Answer to the Ezekiel 34 Paradox

Ezekiel 34 is a text in which God brings a charge of judgment against the shepherds (i.e., the rulers) of Israel for not caring for his flock. We get the expression from our text about how the people suffered “because there was no shepherd”:

So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts.—Ezekiel 34:5

God declares that there is no one to seek them out and the shepherds have not been feeding the sheep, but eating the sheep. So God is going to come in judgment against the shepherds and he himself will come and seek out the lost sheep:

“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.”—Ezekiel 34:11

He emphasizes that point multiple times. He will come to them. What will happen when he comes? He will provide food for them and make them lie down on a rich pasture.

There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God.—Ezekiel 34:14–15

But the end of the text contains a paradoxical promise because he says that he will send his servant David as one shepherd who will feed them:

“And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.”—Ezekiel 34:23

Here is why I call it a paradox. Who exactly is coming to be the shepherd: God himself or David? The answer is yes because of the Incarnation. Jesus is God made flesh. In the flesh, he is in the line of David. Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of David has come to shepherd his people 

4. Jesus Is the Great Shepherd of Psalm 23

The people are not in want—he completely satisfies them (Psalm 23:1, Mark 6:44). Jesus makes his sheep lie down in green pastures (Psalm 23:2, Mark 6:39). This helped answer one of the main questions that I always have when reading this text: Why tell us that there was grass and why emphasize that it was green grass? Why is there grass if this is a desert and wilderness place? (Mark 6:31, 32, 35). The barren desert is green because the shepherd has found good pasture for his flock. He makes them lie down in green pastures here beside the sea (Psalm 23:2; Mark 6:32–33, 45). Jesus has come to restore their weary souls with teaching that guides them into right paths (Psalm 23:3; Mark 6:34).

5. The Lord’s Supper

The fifth point actually points forward instead of backward. What Jesus does here almost perfectly mirrors what happens at the Last Supper. Jesus (1) takes bread, (2) gives thanks, (3) breaks it, and (4) gives it to the disciples (Mark 6:41, 14:22). John’s Gospel teaches us that the miracle is a sign showing that Jesus is the bread of life, the food come down from heaven. Everyone who eats the physical bread will be hungry again, but anyone who eats the heavenly bread will never hunger again.

Conclusion: Black Friday and Good Friday

So we return to the song from the Introduction. Our songs testify that we are so caught up inside of ourselves that we take when we should give. Black Friday can be the epitome of that message. People know that the day after Thanksgiving is a shopping frenzy, with buyers who stand in line for hours in order to snatch up good deals—grabbing all that they can while the getting is good.

Good Friday is the opposite. The God of the Universe gives when he could justifiably take everyone’s life away in judgment. Good Friday centers upon giving, not grabbing. The Son of God came to give his life as a payment. We can’t save ourselves because we cannot pay for forgiveness of sins. He paid the price—something we could never afford and never could deserve: salvation, forgiveness of sins.

So I have three words of exhortation to close: (1) see your need for salvation, (2) see the world’s need for salvation, and (3) see the change that is coming when Jesus comes.

First, see your need for salvation and come to him. This is what Jesus himself preached to the people after the miracle of the feeding of the physical bread.

Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him,“Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst”—John 6:28–35

He doesn’t give bread—he is bread. He gave himself. He did not come with a list of requirements and rules—a way to be saved. He said, “I am the way.” He gives not a complicated list to do, but came as bread to eat. If you are wondering what would happen if you came to him, look at the Scripture again. He would have compassion for you! Don’t forget how deeply moved Christ is for lost sheep (Mark 6:34). John 6:37 says he never casts out any who come to him. When you come to him, you get an absolute miracle—sins forgiven, soul satisfied forever, and God adopts you into his family and you have a forever home.

Second, see the world’s need for salvation. Jesus returned to the shepherd theme again in John 10. There are hired hands who don’t care for the sheep (like the Pharisees and Herod).

He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.  I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.—John 10:13–16

This text would be a good reminder when the disciples later saw the lostness of the whole world, and Jesus sent them to meet the need. They must have been tempted to say, “Who are we (12) among so many?” But they had learned their lesson. Remember the Shepherd—remember the provision with 12 baskets leftover. Let’s do what the Shepherd says. Let’s see what we have … (People called to go, people called to send, and let’s trust that Jesus will call his sheep by name and there will be one flock and one shepherd).

Third, all history is moving toward that day—when there is one flock and one shepherd. You might say, what is he going to do about all the problems in the world—like poverty, cancer, racism, abuse, sin, and Satan and all the rest? The change that is coming is something that we cannot even fully comprehend. All that will matter on that day is whether he is your Shepherd and you are his sheep. He will separate the sheep from the goats. Listen to the soul-stirring hope of Revelation 7 and the difference a shepherd makes.

They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

       “Therefore they are before the throne of God,
           and serve him day and night in his temple;
           and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his
           presence.
       They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
          the sun shall not strike them,
          nor any scorching heat.
       For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be the shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”—Revelation 7:14–17

The Good Shepherd will lead the children of God to the streams of living water, not the fires of the lake of wrath. Let others sing about how our hope is that the change is up to us. We do not believe in the pipedream of a potluck where we all do more and give more. We will sing of our Wonderful, Merciful Savior and Shepherd—who gives the healing and grace our hearts always hunger for.

Sermon Discussion Questions

Outline

1. The Need for Spiritual Food (vv. 31–34)
2. The Need for Physical Food (vv. 35–44)

Main Point: Jesus is the long-awaited shepherd who satisfies his sheep.

Discussion Questions

• In verse 34, what does the word “compassion” mean? Why is that good news for us?
• Can you name the larger biblical echoes in this passage that make a beloved passage even more beautiful?
• What is the difference between Black Friday and Good Friday?

Application Questions

• How do the five biblical echoes in this passage directly apply to you? Is there a next step of belief or obedience that you need to take?
• Reflect on the way that Great Shepherd satisfies his flock in this passage. How can you add your voice of testimony? How has the Lord been your Shepherd and satisfied you? Do you need to share that testimony with someone this week?

Prayer Focus
Pray for a grace to believe and receive all that the Good Shepherd has for you so that you can say “The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want.”

Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.” So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.”—Numbers 27:15–18