Thursday: A Different Kind of Messiah
Daily Lesson for Thursday 1st of August 2024
Read Mark 6:34-52. What was the problem Jesus and His disciples confronted, and how was it solved?
After the disciples return from their mission, they go with Jesus to a remote area on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee to rest. But a large crowd of 5,000 people arrives at the location before them. Jesus sees that they are like sheep without a shepherd. He teaches them the entire day.
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In the evening the disciples recommend sending the crowd away to find food, but Jesus tells them to feed the crowd. The ensuing dialogue (Mark 6:35-38) illustrates that the disciples are thinking in human terms about how to solve the problem. However, Jesus resolves the problem by miraculously feeding the large crowd with just five loaves and two fish.
Characteristics of this story play into the popular concept of Messiah in Jesus’ day. The expectation was that the Messiah would liberate Israel from her enemies and would bring in righteousness and peace. A large number of men in a desert setting would carry with it military overtones of revolt (compare with John 6:14-15; Acts 21:38).
This notion is strengthened by the reference to Jesus’ seeing the people like “sheep without a shepherd,” a partial quotation from Numbers 27:17, where Moses asks God to appoint a leader for Israel after him. This phraseology about a shepherd for God’s people appears elsewhere in the Old Testament, typically with reference to Israel’s lack of a leader or king (compare with 1 Kings 22:17; 2 Chronicles 18:16; Ezekiel 34:5-6).
Yet, Jesus does not meet their false expectations. Instead, He sends His disciples away and dismisses the crowd. And, rather than lead a rebellion against Rome, what does He do? He retreats to a mountain to pray—not what the people were expecting.
In place of the popular view of the Messiah as a king who liberates Israel, He comes to liberate people from the bondage of sin. His walking on the water displays to the disciples that He is, indeed, the Lord of nature. But He does not come to rule but to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
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What should this story tell us about why a correct understanding of prophecy is important? If a false understanding of Christ’s first coming led to disaster for some, how much more so could a false understanding do the same for some in regard to His second? |
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I was struck by this scripture from Mark 6:51-52, 51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. 52 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.” Jesus had just performed a miracle in which he fed over 5000 people with a child’s lunch. Yet here, within 24 hours, the disciples are amazed “beyond measure” when Jesus walks on water and calms the wind by his mere presence.
Despite all they had seen, the disciples had not understood what the incident of the loaves showed them about who He was, what He was able to do, and who His people were to Him. They had not understood because their hearts were hardened. In Mark 8:17, Jesus directly rebukes his disciples, “Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?” A hard heart is one that is insensitive or unresponsive to God's guidance, commands, or presence.
I cannot blame the disciples because I look back and see my own hardened heart. The times when I have passed through contrary winds and forgotten what God had previously taken me through. I become insensitive to his presence. Understanding is not a mind thing, it’s a heart thing. It’s what happens in my heart when I fear and become anxious despite all God has done for me. Ellen White says, “We have nothing to fear for the future except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.” “TM 311)
Thank you God for your patience with me and my hardened heart. Thank you for your Holy Spirit that ever works to soften my heart as I’m willing to let Him. Thank you for often answering my prayer as expressed by Alison Krauss:
Roll back the curtain of memory now and then,
Show me where you brought me from and
Where I could have been.
Just remember I'm human and human's forget,
So remind me, remind me dear Lord.
So then, apparently, the Apostles did not understand the second time Jesus did that with the Gentile Crowd. He first did the multiplying of fish and bread with the Jewish People. Then He did the same miracle with a Gentile Crowd. But then, when the crowds started to follow Him around, Jesus plainly told, both jews and Gentiles, that they were following Him around because of His Miracle of feeding them miraculously.
Amazingly, I have the talent of choice. Amazingly, because of my degenerative nature, my choices seem to lead me into a non-sustainable state. But thank God, even with all my limitations, Jesus is always there to turn my choices into blessings when I decide He controls my life. My best option is to leave everything up to Him, the perfect Knowledge!
Thank you Jocelyn, we all needed this prayer by Allen Krauss! The understanding of prophecy is a gift within itself from God! The utilization and application of this knowledge humbly to ourselves and with others enhances our communication in our walk with God! I realize having this knowledge alone is not enough! satan is as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour! he knows the scriptures! We live in a wicked world with all of it cunning devices and tricks and as our path towards heaven from earth gets narrower, we must look for ways to help others while at the same time let go of our own weighted matters and allow God to take control! We cannot fight this battle alone for we fight not against flesh and blood but against rulers of darkness in high places! It is by the Grace of God that gives us Strength to survive but we must have a yearning to connect others to Him as well with perseverance despite opposition! Our love for others must go to Jesus's heart as we share Him! Thanks again Jocelyn for touching the heart of Jesus with your beautiful statement by reminding us of God's Grace and Power!
There is a very important statement that the lesson makes that gets to the crux of the issue with the disciples, and maybe with some of us also. It is, "The ensuing dialogue (Mark 6:35-38) illustrates that the disciples are thinking in human terms about how to solve the problem." Today, we are reading about these stories. However, the disciples were experiencing them in real-time, but it was still difficult for them to full understand what was happening. So the question is, what needs to happen to give us the ability to see issues from God's, instead of human's perspective? The answer is provided in Ephesians 6:18. A full understand of God is only possible through a revelation provided by the Holy Spirit. But, we have to persevere in supplication or begging for it, that is, for the Holy Spirit to be our teacher. That is what Jesus meant when he said in Matt 5:6, that only those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled. So the second set of questions is, what do we do when issues arise in our lives? Where do we go for solutions? Who do we truly trust to solve our problems?
This story highlights the critical importance of accurately understanding prophecy. Just as a misunderstanding of Christ's first coming led to significant consequences for many, a false understanding of His second coming could have even more severe implications. Mark 10:45 reminds us that Christ came to serve and give His life as a ransom for many, emphasizing the need to truly comprehend His mission and teachings to avoid potential disasters from misinterpretations.
Yes, Jesus certainly is a “different kind of Messiah”!! The apostles seemed to still see Jesus more as just a 'man' though He had provided ample evidence that He possessed powers beyond that of a mere man; beeing still more man than the Son of God. It required the continuous work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts and mind to perceive Him for Who He really is.
If they could have understood why He insisted in feeding the multitudes in this manner, they would not have marveled at this display of the creative power of God, but rather given thanks to the God of heaven and earth who has compassion and loves His children. Their heart and mind had not yet changed; they focused on the physical wellbeing of man, not understanding that Jesus came to satisfy man’s spiritual needs first and foremost.
I am reminded of Jesus’ saying: ”I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.” - John 6:35.
Could it be that Jesus provided miracles to the doubting and unbelieving multitudes to help them recognize in Him the benevolent Power of God through Him? He spoke of and represented the God of their Fathers which they had become estranged from, needing to learn again who their God really was!
In Jesus they were able to see and experience the Father demonstrating His Love to them and still intervening on their behalf, testifying that He is always and forever interested in their physical as well as spiritual wellbeing.
Amen, praise the Lord
Mark's pace reveals a fascinating way Christ dealt with the disciples. The disciples had 2 issues, which are intertwined with this week's lesson...
1. The oncoming storm
On Monday's lesson, they take Christ as He was and He sleeps while the disciples faced a storm alone. Now on Thursday's lesson, the disciples face the oncoming storm again and Christ almost passed by... As if to let them deal with the storm alone... A bigger storm was coming and their Master was to leave them physically
2. The storm within
Christ then seemingly let the disciples have a view of storms in people while also concurrently dealing with their storm within... A storm of lack of faith. Instead of facing this type alone, Christ reveals that internal storms require His presence to be pronounced.
Whilst they expected liberation from the Roman empire, Christ was liberating them from their internal storms and equipping them for oncoming storms
His inside-out approach is what we need to take to the world and to us. Thursday ends well by saying "But He does not come to rule but to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45)."
Yes indeed. Powerful insights.