Tricks With Fish and Bread?

 Mark

008 [8.1-3] At about this same time he again found himself with a hungry crowd on his hands. He called his disciples together and said, “This crowd is breaking my heart. They have stuck with me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they’ll faint along the way—some of them have come a long distance.” [8.4] His disciples responded, “What do you expect us to do about it? Buy food out here in the desert?

Lord Jesus--I wonder what would happen if the Sunday sermon went on for three days without coffee or a break? These people did not miss out on the blessing because they were willing to wait, to listen and to stay with you during those three days in the desert.  I wonder how that played out...were there breaks in the teaching? Did they ration out the water that was available? Do I miss out sometimes because I leave for home too soon?

If you were concerned with these peoples needs after three days how much more is there concern for those who walk with you a life time? How often does your heart break  for the needs that you are  fully aware of?  Yet, on my side of the earth-heaven continuum I remain unaware of that breaking heart of my Lord.

So maybe my default should be to assume that you know exactly what is needed.  That you are working in ways that are unseen to bring about exactly the feast that is needed at exactly the right time.  My part is to listen, to watch, to respond with faith when needed.  Was there just a hint of sarcasm in the voice of the disciples as they look around and said..."What do you expect us to do about it?"  Ok...so losing the sarcasm would also be a move toward positive...

[8.5] He asked, “How much bread do you have?” “Seven loaves,” they said. [8.6-10] So Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground. After giving thanks, he took the seven bread loaves, broke them into pieces, and gave them to his disciples so they could hand them out to the crowd. They also had a few fish. He pronounced a blessing over the fish and told his disciples to hand them out as well. The crowd ate its fill. Seven sacks of leftovers were collected. There were well over four thousand at the meal. Then he sent them home. He himself went straight to the boat with his disciples and set out for Dalmanoutha. [8.11-12] When they arrived, the Pharisees came out and started in on him, badgering him to prove himself, pushing him up against the wall. Provoked, he said, “Why does this generation clamor for miraculous guarantees? If I have anything to say about it, you’ll not get so much as a hint of a guarantee.”

Lord Jesus--Do I buy into the same way of looking at miracles that the Pharisees did?  They were not looking at the people impacted but rather for a guarantee of authenticity of the act performed. For you the act was a validation of seeing a known need and seeking to address the need.  It was not q theological debate that moved your heart but rather the needs of these people who cared enough about the message to listen even with out eating.

Peterson, Eugene H. (2006-06-15). The Message Remix 2.0: The Bible In contemporary Language (Kindle Locations 30794-30802). NAVPress - A. Kindle Edition.