Mark 8:1-10
Find a way to separate yourself from whatever’s going on around you so you can fully enter into today’s passage. if you haven’t read the introduction to Mark’s Gospel, read it here.
Before you read today’s passage, take a quick glance over Mark 6:30-44 - the feeding of the 5000 on the Jewish side of the lake. Then read Mark 8:1-10 recognizing that this miraculous meal is offered on the Gentile side of the lake in the land of Canaan.
Jesus has a way of developing his disciples that causes them to think for themselves. Instead of reminding them of the first time he multiplied bread and fish, he presents a dilemma: this crowd of mostly Gentile people has been so caught up in his teaching and miraculous acts that they have not eaten for days. If he sends them home now, they won’t have energy for the journey.
What role might prejudice play in the disciple’s first response to Jesus’ explanation of the dilemma?
Jesus invites his disciples into his compassion for the people, but they don’t seem to remember what he did before, or else they don’t think he would be inclined to do the same for this crowd mostly made up of Gentiles. Ultimately, Jesus does his miraculous work in partnership with his reluctant disciples allowing them to take part in his care for these people who are different from them.
Read Mark 8:1-10 again remembering Jesus conversation with the Syrophoenician woman in Mark 7:24-30.
Jesus told the Syrophoenician woman that he was sent first to the lost sheep of Israel, but he freely offered his presence and healing to anyone who believed in him. The two accounts of Jesus feeding a crowd, one Jewish and the other largely Gentile, and the baskets of leftovers from each give us a clear indication of who is welcome in the kingdom of God.
When Jesus fed the Jewish crowd, there were twelve baskets of food left over – one basket for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. After the feeding of the mostly Gentile crowd, there were seven baskets of food left over. The number seven represents perfection or completion in the biblical narrative, and it is also the number of towns in the land of Canaan known as the “enemies of Israel.
God’s perfect will is that everyone experience restoration through Jesus regardless of ethnicity, nationality, gender, or societal position. Anyone who places their trust in Jesus and turns to follow him is welcome in the kingdom of God.
Get quiet for a moment and think of the person or group of people that bothers you the most. You might want to think about something in the news that causes you to become angry or afraid. Now picture Jesus inviting you to show his compassion to this person or group of people.
If God’s perfect will is that all people find hope, help and healing through Jesus, then the person or people you thought about are not beyond the scope of Jesus’ grace and mercy. This may be hard to deal with, so take some time to talk to Jesus. If you are having difficulty moving beyond anger or fear to compassion, ask Jesus to begin changing your heart today.
Ask Jesus if there is any specific action you could take to move toward compassion for the people you identified, then get quiet for a moment and listen. If you sense Jesus leading you toward an action, write it down and make a plan for following through
End your time by thanking Jesus for his grace and mercy freely given to you.
If these meditations are helpful to you, please forward them to couple of friends.
Interested in going deeper? Check out The Everyday Jesus Follower’s Guide and blog.
