Helpfinder Sampler - Flipbook - Page 46
MAR K 7
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
30 The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and
taught. 31 Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said
this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t
even have time to eat.
32 So they left by boat for a quiet place, where
they could be alone. 33 But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people
from many towns ran ahead along the shore
and got there ahead of them. 34 Jesus saw the
huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and
he had compassion on them because they were
like sheep without a shepherd. So he began
teaching them many things.
35 Late in the afternoon his disciples came to
him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s
already getting late. 36 Send the crowds away so
they can go to the nearby farms and villages and
buy something to eat.”
37 But Jesus said, “You feed them.”
“With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work
for months to earn enough money* to buy food
for all these people!”
38 “How much bread do you have?” he asked.
“Go and find out.”
They came back and reported, “We have five
loaves of bread and two fish.”
39 Then Jesus told the disciples to have the
people sit down in groups on the green grass.
40 So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred.
41 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish,
looked up toward heaven, and blessed them.
Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept
• Comfort
MARK 6 :4 5 - 5 2
We have a tendency to focus on the
miracle in this story more than on the miracle’s meaning. The miracle is spectacular:
Jesus walked on water! Believers marvel
and cynics doubt. But the drama of this
event draws our attention away from the
twelve men floundering in a stormy sea.
The winds were blowing at gale force.
Their boat was taking on water. They
were exhausted and scared. Have you
ever felt like that? And then Jesus came
to them. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. The
real meaning of this story is that Jesus
will go to extraordinary lengths in order
to comfort us in troubled seas. What
is your “storm”? Have you listened for
Jesus’ “Don’t be afraid”? Do you expect
him to come to you?
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giving the bread to the disciples so they could
distribute it to the people. He also divided the
fish for everyone to share. 42 They all ate as much
as they wanted, 43 and afterward, the disciples
picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and
fish. 44 A total of 5,000 men and their families
were fed.*
Jesus Walks on Water
45 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his
disciples get back into the boat and head across
the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people
home. 46 After telling everyone good-bye, he
went up into the hills by himself to pray.
47 Late that night, the disciples were in their
boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was
alone on land. 48 He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against
the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the
morning* Jesus came toward them, walking on
the water. He intended to go past them, 49 but
when they saw him walking on the water, they
cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost.
50 They were all terrified when they saw him.
But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be
afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!*”
51 Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind
stopped. They were totally amazed, 52 for they
still didn’t understand the significance of the
miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard
to take it in.
53 After they had crossed the lake, they
landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat
to shore 54 and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, 55 and they ran throughout
the whole area, carrying sick people on mats
to wherever they heard he was. 56 Wherever he
went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—
they brought the sick out to the marketplaces.
They begged him to let the sick touch at least
the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him
were healed.
Jesus Teaches about Inner Purity
One day some Pharisees and teachers of
religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see
Jesus. 2 They noticed that some of his disciples
failed to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing
before eating. 3 (The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water
over their cupped hands,* as required by their
ancient traditions. 4 Similarly, they don’t eat anything from the market until they immerse their
hands* in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to—such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles.*)
7
6:37 Greek It would take 200 denarii. A denarius was equivalent
to a laborer’s full day’s wage. 6:44 Some manuscripts read fed
from the loaves. 6:48 Greek About the fourth watch of the night.
6:50 Or The ‘I Am’ is here; Greek reads I am. See Exod 3:14.
7:3 Greek have washed with the fist. 7:4a Some manuscripts
read sprinkle themselves. 7:4b Some manuscripts add and
dining couches.
