Lesson from the Loaves

Just a couple chapters after the miraculous feeding of the 5000 in Mark 6, Jesus and his disciples find themselves in a very similar situation. Mark 8:1-3 reads, "During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 'I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.'" This sounds so familiar, except Jesus did not command His disciples to feed them. as he did before (cf. Mark 6:37). Perhaps Jesus was testing his followers, hoping they had learned from their previous experience to step up with a supernatural solution. Unfortunately, they don't respond with much faith as they answered, "But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them? (v.4)” Jesus asked them how many loaves they had. The disciples had seven and a few small fish as well. Just like they did in the previous feeding, after Jesus gave thanks and divided the bread and fish, the disciples distributed the food to everyone and all were satisfied. If you picture the twelve each with a basket filled with a little bit of bread and fish, every time they handed some food out, more seem to be in the basket. The miracle was again happening through their own hand.

Amusingly, right after this feeding miracle the disciples forget to bring bread with them (except for one loaf they had on the boat). Jesus then warns them about the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod. The disciples think it's because they had no bread but Jesus rebukes them and questions their faith saying, "Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? (v.17)" Just like in Mark 6:52, the disciples were missing a very important lesson from the miraculous feeding. Jesus points out that they fed the five thousand with five loaves and had twelve basketfuls of pieces left over. Then they fed the four thousand with seven loaves and had seven basketfuls remaining. What were they not understanding? I think there are several principles they could glean from these experiences but I believe Jesus was emphasizing the role of faith in the supernatural. The Pharisees demanded a sign from heaven right after the feeding of the 4000 and then Jesus warns his disciples about the yeast of the Pharisees, reminding them of the two feeding miracles. They actually fed more people with less food and had more left over the first time versus the second time when they fed less people with more food and had less left over. Could it be that the difference was the result of the Pharisees' yeast? Unbelief, false teaching, spiritual blindness, and the religious spirit may have been present among the 4000 to cause a lessening of the miraculous. Maybe the disciples were even influenced by the Pharisees and began to doubt a little. What will it take for the Church of today to walk in the faith that Jesus demonstrated and commanded us to have? Let us learn to develop a pure faith and partner with God to bring miracles to impossible situations.

"Everything is possible for one who believes." Mark 9:23