The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Mark 6:45-53 (day four)

It’s passages like this one that help me understand Jesus’ words in John 16:7, “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”

Jesus’ very presence changed the disciples situation. As he spoke to them on the sea, their fear turned to peace, their chaos turned to calm. Jesus climbed into the boat with them, and they immediately felt courage and comfort.

When Jesus rose from the grave and ascended to his rightful place with the Father, he sent us the Holy Spirit. Now, the very Spirit of God dwells in those who believe. Through the power of the Spirit, people across the world and across time are now afforded the courage and comfort that the disciples experienced on the boat that day. When the Spirit abides in us, we have everything we need to weather each storm. The Spirit speaks the very words of Jesus, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.”

Re:Verse passage – Mark 6:45-53 (day three)

“Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea; and he intended to pass by them.”

What to make of Jesus’s apparent non-interactive close encounter? There are various viewpoints on this, but perhaps Jesus intended merely to look in on them to see how they were handling a potentially dangerous situation, not necessarily intending to interfere if things were fine. If so, that action would indeed be in keeping with Jesus’s tender shepherding. Where there is danger, the Savior is near. But he also desires us to the greater things – he says so elsewhere in the gospels – and so he leads us to live with power and ability. His nearness, though, means that in our cries for help we can discover he’s already there.

Re:Verse passage – Mark 6:45-53 (day two)

for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.” v. 50

We have studied Mark for several weeks, and one of the angles we have been studying is how people respond to Jesus. Week after week, Pastor Chris calls everyone to some sort of response in worship. He is giving voice to the work of the Spirit in each service. We are always responding in some way or other. A response that gets a lot of text in scripture is one of fear. When you read the birth narrative in the gospel according to Luke, almost every encounter with the divine is preceded by the statement do not be afraid. That has to mean something, right. When you witness something supernatural there is a fight or flight response that is triggered. When you don’t know how to process what you are experiencing, a common response is fear. That is how we are wired, it’s ok. It is what we do next that matters. When we hear the words ‘do not be afraid’ we are called to trust the messenger and put that fear into action. It is our privilege to be a part of the Kingdom building that is happening all around us, but we must first get out of our own way. The fear response likely tells us that we are not up to the task that we are facing. True statement. The next step for believers is to trust that the Lord will equip you to do just what he has called you to.

Re:Verse passage – Mark 6:30-44 (day seven)

The Lord is my shepherd. Psalm 23:1

He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Mark 6:34

When a Shepherd sees wayward sheep, what does He do? The Shepherd begins to herd. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures. Psalm 23:2

And He commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass. Mark 6:39

The Shepherd provides for His wayward sheep.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Psalm 23:5

He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them. Mark 6:41

The Shepherd satisfies His wayward sheep.

He restores my soul. Psalm 23:3

They all ate and were satisfied. Mark 6:24

The Shepherd’s provision is beyond what is needed.

My cup overflows. Psalm 23:5

and they picked up twelve full baskets. Mark 6:43

The Shepherd will guide you, provide for you, and satisfy your needs more than you can ever imagine. Stop trying to walk through the valley alone and let the Shepherd lead you where you need to be.

And all ate and were filled… – Mark 6:42 (NRSV)

The disciples were exhausted. They had nothing left—not even time to eat. (Mark 6:31) Yet, at Jesus’ command, they found themselves serving another crowd. With no energy and barely any food—just five loaves and two fish—they had nothing to offer 5,000 hungry people.

But Jesus multiplied both. He took their weakness and their small offering, blessed it, and made it more than enough.

In the end, everyone was full—the disciples and the crowd alike.

This is Mark’s message: God takes our little—even our nothing—and multiplies it until all are satisfied.

Re:Verse passage – Mark 6:30-44 (day five).

We know that Mark’s Gospel was greatly influenced by Peter’s personal experiences with Jesus. It is interesting that only Mark uses “shepherd language” to describe Jesus’ compassion. Perhaps Peter upon reflection and being later challenged and encouraged by Jesus (post resurrection) saw what was happening at a different and deeper level. Mark uses the word picture of a shepherd and sheep in his account of the Feeding of the Five Thousand. When Jesus told Peter (three times) “Feed my sheep”, it permanently changed the way Peter saw people. And it also shaped the way he looked back and processed Jesus’ thoughts, words, and actions. Seems that a life lesson was learned. Lord, teach us (this life lesson) to see and love people the way You do. The whole person. Like a shepherd. 

Re:Verse passage – Mark 6:30-44 (day four)

Jesus wasn’t just filling a physical need when he broke the bread and multiplied the meal that day. He was instilling what would become an important tradition in the family of God.

Consider the subsequent times Jesus engages with others over food. At the Last Supper, he takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to those around the table as a sign of the sacrifice he would soon make on their behalf. That meal became a core memory for everyone present. After his resurrection, Jesus appears to the disciples on the beach and cooks them a holy breakfast, also involving a miracle of multiplication. That meal provided restoration of friendship and soothed the disciples’ souls. When Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish to feed the hungry crowd, he was showing the disciples what was possible in the new rules of the Kingdom of God.

In Acts 2, in the earliest days of the church after Jesus had ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, notice what the disciples do. They devote themselves to certain things: teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. The disciples had been watching. Jesus showed them that it was about more than food, it was about building a new, beloved community over that which satisfies the soul.

Re:Verse passage – Mark 6:30-44 (day three)

“He saw a large crowd, and he felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”

When did compassion well up in Jesus? When the people’s anxious experience of life washed over him. He felt in his body the emotions at work in their bodies. That’s empathy – remaining with people in how they’re experiencing their circumstances, witnessing how hard it is for them, feeling the weight they feel as they show you how it is for them. And empathy gives birth to compassion, always. Where there is no compassion, there’s no empathy, and there’s no seeing another person – not really. There’s only agenda and disdain and shaming. The Incarnation forever puts the lie to the claim that empathy is a fancy word for coddling. The Incarnation is itself the ultimate empathy. And so we now follow the Savior’s lead.

Re:Verse passage – Mark 6:30-44 (day two) 

And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.”  v. 31a

Your job will always ask more of you. Rarely, if ever, will you find in your vocational calling a time that says ‘you’ve done enough, you should relax.’ There is always a benchmark we are reaching, a deadline approaching, and the bottom line to consider. What often makes it worse is if there is a let up of pressure it is often accompanied by a sense of guilt that can come either internally or externally. There will always be more to do. Jesus sets the example for us to breathe. From the earliest pages of scripture, we are told to rest. Even in the midst of an avalanche of needs surrounding Jesus and the disciples, he reminded them of the need to stop. Not forever. We should take seriously the call to work, and to rest.