Mark 8:1-10: Encore!

It was as if the crowd had shouted "encore!", and in response Jesus' had again fed a large crowd, just a short time after His first miraculous feeding.  Some Biblical scholars have argued that this is a re-telling, with a slight twist, of the same story.  Their opinion emerges from an effort to explain why there would be two stories, so similar in nature, in such close proximity within Mark's gospel.  I think to truly understand why there are two feeding miracles- and I do believe that these are two distinct stories- we must look at the differences rather than the similarities.

Whereas Jesus' first miraculous feeding was to benefit a group of Jews, here Jesus is feeding a mixed group of both Jews and Gentiles.  As we have seen previously, by taking His power and authority beyond the traditional boundary of Judea at the time, Jesus is sending a powerful and unmistakable message.  When the disciples ask Jesus', "what do you intend to do?", He responds with a question, "how many loaves do you have?"  It is clear that Jesus already has a plan in mind to respond to the hunger of the crowd.  How He goes about distributing the food takes into account that this is not a strictly Jewish audience.  Whereas in Mark 6 Jesus blesses (the Greek word eulogy) the bread, here He gives thanks (the Greek word eucharist) for it.  To bless the bread would have been a very Jewish way of acknowledging God's provision, to give thanks is more of a Gentile way of praying.  Obviously whether he blesses or give thanks, the object of Jesus' gratitude is the same, God.  And yet, He is showing that as God's kingdom breaks out of the confines of Israel, there will be new ways of accomplishing the same task.  It is telling that in Mark's account of the Lord's Supper, Jesus blesses (eulogy) the bread and gives thanks (eucharist) for the cup.  If Mark really did write this gospel with a Gentile audience in mind, perhaps even the church in Rome, how encouraging would it be for them to see Jesus tending not only to needs of Jews, but also of Gentiles.  In many ways, this second feeding is a sign of things to come.

Think about a church like the one in Corinth, which Paul writes to in his first Corinthian letter.  A church of Jew and Gentile would have looked very similar to the audience of Jew and Gentile that Jesus' ministers to in this story.  It makes me think of today.  When we gather on Sundays and take part in Communion, how many other Christians are doing the exact same thing all over the world?  Some call it the Lord's Supper, some Communion, some the Eucharist (which as we have seen is a Biblical way of referring to it).  Whatever we call it, through this meal the story of Jesus is being recounted in dozens, if not hundreds of languages.  Imagine the amazing diversity, in not only appearance, but also social status, wealth, and occupation.  So many differences, and yet one thing in common that makes all the difference in the world, Jesus Christ.

Mark 6:30-44: Feeding and Following

I had a professor that used to tell us, "if you are ever on Jeopardy and they ask you what miracle story is the only one that occurs in all four gospels, you better know the right answer after taking my class...and I will expect you to show your appreciation for what you learned from me by mailing a check for a small portion of your winnings."  The miracle he was referring to was the feeding of the 5,000, and it is indeed the only miracle that occurs in all four of the gospels.  Perhaps this should cause us to take note of what it is that Jesus does exactly, and why His actions are so significant.
To truly understand this manifestation of Jesus' power and goodness, we need to look beyond the miracle and see how Jesus' actions reveal to us His true identity, and how they instruct us to act as His disciples.  I have often over-looked Jesus response to the disciples when they bring up the problem of feeding this large group of people.  He doesn't mince words when he instructs them, "you give them something to eat."  The disciples expected to turn the crowd loose to fend for themselves, and yet Jesus takes the opportunity to teach them that they should concern themselves with the needs of others.  Do our attitudes and actions as Jesus' disciples live up to what He has envisioned for us?  Jesus' actions when he does obtain a little bit of food are noteworthy.  He takes, looks up to heaven, says a blessing, breaks, and then gives.  Many of us take, and some of us even look up to heaven and acknowledge God as the giver of our blessings, but how many of us then divide what we have and share it with others?  Jesus' teaches us what it means not only to say we are thankful, but also to demonstrate that appreciation through our actions.
This miracle story teaches us something about how we should act as followers of Jesus, but it also reveals something about who Jesus is.  The phrase "the good shepherd" is never used by Mark, but Jesus' character- especially when contrasted with that of Herod- identifies Him as such, even if the title is never used.  Herod, Israel's supposed leader, is shut up in his palace feasting with the elites, and executing the righteous and innocent like John the Baptist.  Jesus however, walks among the people, having compassion on them and seeing to their needs.  In Numbers 27 Moses expresses fear that after his death, the Israelites will become as "sheep without a shepherd".  In that instance God chooses Joshua to act as Moses successor.  Now, centuries later, we see Jesus, whose name is a form of Joshua's name, having compassion on the crowd because they are like "sheep without a shepherd."  Moses fears have been realized, and yet God has acted by providing a new, better Joshua to meet both the temporal and eternal needs of His people.  In ways that invoke the 23rd Psalm, Jesus makes the people lie down in green pastures (v. 39), and prepares for them a table (v. 41).  In the person of Jesus Christ, God has faithfully fulfilled the promise He made to Israel through the prophet Ezekiel:
"For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.  As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.  And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country.  I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land.  There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.  I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God.  I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy.  I will feed them in justice." 
- Ezekiel 34:11-16

God has indeed come among us as a shepherd, searching us out and rescuing us, making us lie down and feeding us.  He calls each one of us to Himself.  Do you hear, or better yet do you recognize, the voice of your shepherd?