February 17, 2010
Mark 6
Mike Schwiebert
I never go shopping on black Friday because I don’t like the crowds. The rudeness and running around - all to save a buck - is not my style.
Perhaps that’s a good word picture of the swarming crowd that we find in Mark 6. If you read carefully the story of feeding the 5,000, you will see that Jesus led the disciples away for some rest. The crowds found out where He was going and ran ahead (vs. 33). They didn’t plan or pack. They saw Jesus moving, and ran!
Later, after Jesus crossed the lake again and walked on the water, it’s reported that people ran throughout the region to bring the sick to Him (vs. 55).
Such intensity. Such chaos. People running, and Jesus in the middle of it all. The disciples never did get a chance to rest.
I prefer tidy to chaos…organized to inefficient…planned to spontaneous. However, that’s usually not the way ministry happens. It can be messy, imposing and inconvenient. People running to Jesus often demand something when you are tired or would rather be doing something else.
Yet there are two truths from this chapter that resonate with me:
- The heart of Jesus toward the crowd is always compassion.
- The command of Jesus still applies today: “You give them something to eat.”
Only fools would think that they could handle that by themselves.
Before becoming Grace Covenant’s Media Director, Mike Schwiebert worked in Christian television, managing video and audio production teams.
