July 22, 2018 Sunday Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

“30 ¶  Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. 31  And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. 32  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. 33  But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. 34  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.” (Mark 6:30-34 NKJV)

            One of the consistent threads throughout Scripture is the idea we are God’s sheep and God is our shepherd. This description is as humiliating as it is true. Sheep are not very bright and will consistently leave the good places where the shepherd brings them and go to the wilderness where they become prey.

            Jesus calls his disciples together and in their hunger and weariness Jesus decided they needed a place to be nourished and to rest. This nourishment and rest was probably not just physically but also emotionally and spiritually.

            One of the hardest things as your eyes are opened by God is seeing the spiritual starvation as well as the other kinds of starvation and to take time to take care of yourself. From experience I know this can be very difficult!

            But if we are not careful we will destroy ourselves spiritually. We can come to believe to be a god in our own right who must meet every need! This is a loss of faith in God to know the needs of others and asked their shepherd take care of them.

            But the multitude like trouble followed Jesus and came “together” to find Jesus. Their need led them to the shepherd because they like sheep have wandered in the wilderness and their lives in every way were broken. They knew their deep need and for the first time recognized Jesus was the one who could fill that need and heal them.

            When Jesus got off the boat and came out he saw all of those sheep and was moved with compassion. Jesus knew these were sheep who had run from their shepherd and no longer were under the shepherd’s protection and had fallen prey to the evil one!

            Our response to the needs of others is usually to give them money or food but Jesus does something remarkable, Jesus teaches them! Jesus realizes their need cannot be met by a handout but like the old saying says “if you give a man a fish you will feed him for a day but if you teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime”!

            Do you see the great need around you and hear the cry of those who have no shepherd? How do you respond to such a great need? If Jesus responded to their desperate need by teaching them “many things” how should we respond?

(The story of the starfish stranded on the beach can teach us that like the little boy who responded to the statement he could not save them all said he could at least help one!)