WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:02.080 Well, good morning, family. 00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:07.519 I want to start by saying that it is really just a joy to see all of you. 00:00:07.919 --> 00:00:12.080 And it's been a privilege to be able to worship with you today on this Lord's day. 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:18.079 And uh I want to say uh thank you for all of the continued prayers for me and Valerie. 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:22.879 Um I'm happy to say that by God's grace, last week we celebrated two years of marriage. 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:26.320 And um, yeah, all that I can say that he's just been good. 00:00:27.359 --> 00:00:31.600 Um yeah, so all I can say is that God has been good. 00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:33.759 Uh he's been very, very, very good. 00:00:33.920 --> 00:00:36.960 Uh Valerie says hello, and she sends her love. 00:00:37.039 --> 00:00:44.799 Uh we do miss you all, but um we are very much grateful for our time that we are having in Vancouver. 00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:50.560 Um with all that said, um I'm delighted to be here with you today, bringing you God's word. 00:00:53.200 --> 00:00:58.479 I'd like to begin our time together by asking a few questions. 00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:07.359 Have you ever found yourself in a season of life where you were just struggling to get through the day? 00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:13.519 Have you ever been in a place where you are just exhausted from the daily grind? 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:23.680 It's that place where you sometimes don't look forward to the next day because you know that the moment you wake up, your mind is thinking about all the things that you have to get done that day. 00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:26.879 When you wake up, time is tight. 00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:30.400 So you maybe say a two-sentence prayer as you're getting ready. 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:35.840 You know, if you're a parent, you find yourself trying to say that prayer in your heart as you're helping your kids get ready. 00:01:36.079 --> 00:01:41.760 And as you're doing that, you realize one is coming down with a cold, and the other one is giving you attitude. 00:01:41.920 --> 00:01:46.239 And then that heart in your prayer turns into a small fit of frustration. 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:58.799 Or that season could feel like a time where you're constantly going out of way out of your way for someone that you love, uh, someone that you care about because you you want the best for them. 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:06.799 But if you're being honest, you know that after spending some time with that person, you're spent. 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:09.199 You're tired. 00:02:10.479 --> 00:02:12.240 Does anyone know what I'm talking about? 00:02:12.879 --> 00:02:13.280 Yeah. 00:02:13.520 --> 00:02:15.599 If you don't, you could be that exhausting person. 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:26.719 But again, have you ever found yourself in a season of life where you're just struggling? 00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:34.960 And by struggling, I do mean the things that I just mentioned, but I also mean in the sense that you are you're just aware that God seems far away. 00:02:35.280 --> 00:02:42.000 Uh, you can empathize with David in Psalm 51, where he says, Restore the joy of your salvation to me. 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:49.520 Do you ever find yourself struggling because you realize you are not as far along as you'd like to be? 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:55.680 Or you're not as good as you'd like to be, or you're not the best Christian that you'd like to be. 00:02:57.520 --> 00:03:03.599 If you've ever felt that way, or maybe are currently feeling that way, I first want to say that I'm glad that you're here. 00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:19.360 I'm glad that you're here because I get the joy of reminding you, along with myself, of the one who invites us to rest, of the one who has compassion towards us, and the one who gives us our daily bread. 00:03:19.840 --> 00:03:24.719 I get the joy of speaking today about our compassionate shepherd. 00:03:25.280 --> 00:03:27.039 Our compassionate shepherd. 00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:31.840 And so if you have a Bible with you, I invite you to turn with me to Mark chapter 6. 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:37.120 This is a familiar passage of Jesus feeding the 5,000. 00:03:37.360 --> 00:03:41.840 If you're using a Pew Bible, you can turn to page 893. 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:54.560 But uh before I go any further, I'm just going to take the moment to seek the Lord's help. 00:03:54.879 --> 00:04:01.280 Uh, gracious Father in heaven, we are gathered here today because we desire to hear you speak to us. 00:04:02.479 --> 00:04:13.280 I pray that as we spend time in your word, we would hear it, that we would welcome it and produce fruit 30, 60, and 100 times over what will be sown. 00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:18.000 And all of this, I pray, O Lord, that you would show us your Son. 00:04:19.040 --> 00:04:22.480 Help us to see our compassionate Savior Jesus Christ. 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:24.399 In his name we pray. 00:04:24.720 --> 00:04:25.360 Amen. 00:04:29.759 --> 00:04:34.879 Rest, compassion, and bread. 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:38.079 That's our outline for today. 00:04:38.639 --> 00:04:48.240 Not the most elaborate, but these are the words I want to keep in mind as we just journey through this familiar story together. 00:04:48.800 --> 00:04:53.439 Let's read verses 30 and 31, Mark 6. 00:04:55.199 --> 00:05:00.639 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:07.680 He said to them, Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while. 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:13.839 For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. 00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:22.399 The beginning of this story of Jesus feeding the five thousand starts with the apostles gathered around him. 00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:28.000 And the apostles are telling Jesus all the things that they have done and taught. 00:05:28.720 --> 00:05:32.879 But what exactly is all this things that they have done and taught? 00:05:33.439 --> 00:05:38.240 If we look at me at verse 7 of this same chapter, we get a big clue. 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:48.480 Verse 7, it reads, He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over unclean spirits. 00:05:52.160 --> 00:05:56.160 And so they went out and preached that people should repent. 00:05:56.720 --> 00:06:02.480 They drove out many demons, anointed many sick people with oil, and he healed them. 00:06:03.600 --> 00:06:09.519 Here we see the apostles called by Jesus Himself, and they were sent out on assignment. 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:12.000 They were on a mission. 00:06:12.959 --> 00:06:20.639 And if you are a Christian, you too have been called by Christ Himself, and you too have been sent out on an assignment. 00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:27.120 Wherever God has placed you in your current life situation, that is your assignment. 00:06:27.519 --> 00:06:34.959 Be it a spouse, that's your assignment, a parent, that is your assignment, employee, boss, CEO. 00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:40.720 Again, wherever God has placed you, that is where he has called you to live for him. 00:06:41.839 --> 00:06:49.199 But in our passage, we see that the apostles were sent out to preach, sent out to drive out demons and to heal the sick. 00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:57.279 And from the sound of verse 30, it sounds like the apostles were pretty successful, productive, you can say. 00:06:58.079 --> 00:06:59.360 Hence that word all. 00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:09.120 When the apostles gathered around Jesus, they were excited to share everything about the sermons and the miracles that they had performed. 00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:17.199 Have you ever had one of those days, maybe weeks, where you're really productive? 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:20.560 Maybe rare, but you're getting things done. 00:07:20.800 --> 00:07:24.639 And when somebody asks you on that day, how was your day? 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:28.480 It's never enough to just say, Oh, it was a good day, or it was a productive day. 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:35.600 You have to listen, I woke up early, I went to the gym, did my devotionals, had breakfast, yada yada yada, yada yada yada. 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:37.040 Just excited. 00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:40.800 That's the apostles in verse 30. 00:07:41.839 --> 00:07:54.160 Now, while the apostles were excited to share with Jesus all that they had done and taught, Jesus replied to them with a rather profound statement, you can say. 00:07:55.279 --> 00:08:02.720 Verse 31, he says, Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while. 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:04.800 Rest. 00:08:06.959 --> 00:08:09.839 Now no man worked like Jesus. 00:08:10.399 --> 00:08:12.160 No man had a ministry like his. 00:08:12.399 --> 00:08:15.839 He was not like your usual teacher of the day. 00:08:16.160 --> 00:08:23.279 When people listened to him, they were astonished and amazed because there was a certain authority to his teaching. 00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:28.959 Thousands of people would gather to hear him. 00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:32.960 Similar to like this place, but even more full. 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:39.600 People sitting down the aisles, full in the balcony, maybe in the gym, all to hear Jesus speak. 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:42.480 And he would teach and teach. 00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:51.120 Not to include his personal discipleship that he would do with his disciples, but then on top of that, he healed people as well. 00:08:52.320 --> 00:09:03.279 Mark 1, verses 32 to 34 reads, When evening came, after the sun had set, they brought to him all those who were sick and demon-possessed. 00:09:03.679 --> 00:09:13.600 The whole town was assembled at the door, and he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and drove out many demons. 00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:18.080 No man worked like Jesus. 00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:20.960 No man had a ministry like he did. 00:09:21.039 --> 00:09:31.360 And yet, in this particular moment in verse 31, as he's responding to all the things that the apostles have done and taught, he doesn't say, Great job. 00:09:31.519 --> 00:09:34.240 Keep going, keep going, keep going. 00:09:35.440 --> 00:09:39.679 But rather, as a compassionate shepherd, he says, Come rest. 00:09:40.960 --> 00:09:45.440 Come away by yourselves to a remote place, kind of like the wilderness. 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:46.639 Come away. 00:09:47.039 --> 00:09:48.960 Rest for a while. 00:09:51.039 --> 00:09:58.000 I was in this call to rest very different from our current cultural norm that places a high emphasis on work. 00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:00.960 Work can easily become an idol for us. 00:10:01.120 --> 00:10:07.200 We can easily be impressed with someone who works 60 to 80 plus hours a week. 00:10:07.679 --> 00:10:14.399 And sadly, in our day, a person's value is often tied to what they do or how much money they make. 00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:21.759 But the good news is that our Lord Jesus, our compassionate shepherd, does not always expect us to be working. 00:10:22.639 --> 00:10:26.480 Don't take this to mean that we are to be lazy and not work at all. 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:32.159 The Lord calls us to work, but he also calls us to rest as well. 00:10:33.039 --> 00:10:40.320 Genesis makes this clear that the Lord worked the six days and he rests on the seventh. 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:42.720 And this laid a pattern for us. 00:10:43.679 --> 00:10:50.000 Brothers and sisters, we are finite creatures, and our compassionate shepherd knows our frame. 00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:52.159 He knows when we need to rest. 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:55.120 Listen to these words from uh J.C. 00:10:55.360 --> 00:10:56.000 Ryle. 00:10:57.360 --> 00:11:06.639 He says, Our Lord knows well that his servants are flesh as well as spirit, and have bodies as well as souls. 00:11:07.120 --> 00:11:14.799 He knows that at best they have a treasure in earthen vessels, and are themselves compassed with many infirmities. 00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:31.919 Come ye apart, he says, and rest a while. 00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:36.240 One last comment on this point of rest. 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:45.440 You know, there are a lot of subtle influences and narratives in our culture that tell us that we need to do and be more than what God has called us to be. 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:51.759 We obviously encounter these narratives through the content that we consume on our phones and social media. 00:11:52.639 --> 00:11:59.919 But sometimes we can even encounter these narratives within our own family, sometimes even within the walls of the church. 00:12:00.159 --> 00:12:13.600 And this isn't to point fingers or anything, but however, sometimes you can't always put your finger on it, but every now and then there's maybe a small voice inside of you that says to you, you're not measuring up to everyone else. 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:18.720 You don't pray like so-and-so, or you've missed your Bible reading this week. 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:22.480 You should be farther along in your walk with the Lord. 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:26.399 It should be more holy, more godly, more holy. 00:12:28.799 --> 00:12:30.720 Anyone here knows that voice? 00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:34.639 I just want you to know that's not the voice of our compassionate shepherd. 00:12:36.960 --> 00:12:41.919 Our compassionate shepherd says to you and me, come rest. 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:44.000 Come rest. 00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:53.440 And as the Lord invites us to rest, I want us to know that there's a reason why we can rest. 00:12:53.600 --> 00:12:58.080 There's a reason why we can rest when he invites us to rest. 00:12:58.399 --> 00:12:59.759 Let's continue to read. 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:03.039 Verses 32 to 36. 00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:18.320 So they went away in a boat by themselves to a remote place, but many saw them leaving and recognized them, and they ran on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:26.799 When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. 00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:30.080 Then he began to teach them many things. 00:13:30.799 --> 00:13:36.159 When it grew late, his disciples approached him and said, This place is deserted, and it's already late. 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:43.600 Send them away so that they can go into the surrounding countryside and villages to buy themselves something to eat. 00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:48.159 Here's a little fun fact about me. 00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:50.399 You might be able to relate to this. 00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:52.960 I am a bit of a little introvert. 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:55.759 Don't get me wrong, I love people. 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:59.360 I love getting to fellowship with brothers and sisters. 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:08.799 Uh last week I had the privilege of taking seminary classes, and it was just a joy for me to catch up with classmates that I've met, classmates that I haven't met before. 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:16.080 I love people, but there comes a point in time where my social battery gets empty, and I don't want to be around people. 00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:23.200 And so I can kind of empathize with the apostles who were trying to send the large crowd away. 00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:28.799 Notice in verse 35, we see that phrase, when it grew late. 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:35.200 And so the people who were here listening with Jesus, they stuck around for a while. 00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:44.320 They stuck around for a while, but we see this contrast between how the apostles respond toward the crowd versus how Jesus does. 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:50.559 The apostles are essentially wanting to move away from the crowd. 00:14:51.120 --> 00:14:53.039 How does Jesus first respond? 00:14:54.240 --> 00:14:55.759 Verse 34 again. 00:14:56.000 --> 00:15:07.519 When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd and had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. 00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:11.440 A few comments on this verse. 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:15.600 Isn't it amazing that the Lord Jesus had compassion? 00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:22.159 He truly felt something, he was moved from the inside. 00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:35.519 This is amazing because it reminds us that this Jesus that we're looking at, he's not just an abstract idea, not just a set of doctrines and teachings, but he is a person. 00:15:36.559 --> 00:15:38.159 And he's not just any person. 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:47.840 Mark tells us that he is the Son of God, the one whom demons tremble at, the one who speaks to the winds and the waves, and they obey him. 00:15:48.559 --> 00:15:50.720 This is our compassionate shepherd. 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:58.960 Second, what's even more amazing is the reason behind his compassion. 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:02.240 The reason behind his compassion. 00:16:30.559 --> 00:16:33.519 This image of sheep without a shepherd. 00:16:34.080 --> 00:16:38.720 It's kind of one of the first Sunday school lessons that you have, or VBS lessons that you have. 00:16:40.799 --> 00:16:49.440 One of the big questions of the Old Testament is this Who is going to be the one to lead the people of God? 00:16:50.799 --> 00:16:54.240 Who is going to be the one who watches over them? 00:16:55.519 --> 00:17:06.000 The Lord used Moses for a time to bring his people out of the bondage of slavery of Egypt, and God had appointed him to be Israel's shepherd for a season. 00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:10.720 But even Moses knew that his time would eventually come to an end. 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:16.799 And so he prays this prayer in Numbers 27, verses 16 to 17. 00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:37.839 He says, May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all, appoint a man over the community, who will go out before them and come back in before them, who will bring them out and bring them in, so that the Lord's community won't be like sheep without a shepherd. 00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:42.480 The people of God needed a shepherd. 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:48.000 And in the ancient Near East, it was common for kings to be referred to as shepherds. 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:53.119 Kings were ones who watched over a land, more specifically, a people. 00:17:54.559 --> 00:18:02.240 It was no coincidence that one of the greatest kings of Israel was King David, and he was a shepherd before he was a king. 00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:08.400 However, even though David was a great king, he wasn't always a good king. 00:18:08.720 --> 00:18:10.960 Just look at his sin with Bathsheba. 00:18:14.960 --> 00:18:25.519 Fast forward in the history of the Old Testament, there does reach a point where the Lord God is extremely disappointed and frustrated with the leaders of Israel. 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:29.839 Listen to this portion from Ezekiel 34. 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:39.519 The word of the Lord came to me, Son of Man, prophesy against the shepherds that are that are the kings and leaders of Israel. 00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:43.759 Prophesy and say to them, This is what the Lord God says to the shepherds. 00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:49.440 Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding themselves. 00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:52.480 Shouldn't the shepherds feed their flock? 00:18:52.720 --> 00:18:58.319 You eat the fat where the wolves and butcher the fatten animals, but you do not tend to the flock? 00:18:59.039 --> 00:19:10.160 You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost, instead you have ruled with violence and cruelty. 00:19:11.279 --> 00:19:13.759 They were scattered for lack of a shepherd. 00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:18.000 My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill. 00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:26.000 My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and there was no one searching or seeking for them. 00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:32.799 The people of God needed a compassionate shepherd. 00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:40.079 And regardless of your background, your skin color, race, or status, that remains true of all of us today. 00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:42.960 We still need a compassionate shepherd. 00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:49.440 And Mark is telling us that that compassionate shepherd is Jesus. 00:19:50.720 --> 00:20:04.640 When Jesus sees the crowd in our passage today, he sees those who are lost and vulnerable, those who don't know where to go, those who are aimless, those who don't know what they're doing. 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:11.759 Does anyone you know personally come to mind when you hear those words? 00:20:13.359 --> 00:20:20.000 Lost, vulnerable, aimless, without hope, without God. 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:29.039 Now these words certainly do apply to those who are unbelievers, unrepented sinners. 00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:39.200 And if that's you here today, a person who hasn't repented of your sins, a person who hasn't put their faith in their compassionate shepherd, I ask you to please do so. 00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:48.559 But I also think that these words of lost and vulnerable can also apply to us as Christians. 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:51.839 This is why I asked the questions that I did in the beginning. 00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:59.359 And I asked, you know, are there ever seasons in your life where you find yourself struggling to just get through the day? 00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:07.759 You know, there are no doubt real seasons and moments in the Christian life where it's just hard. 00:21:08.559 --> 00:21:10.319 And we're struggling. 00:21:11.920 --> 00:21:19.200 But it's here where we can really appreciate the reason behind Jesus' compassion, the reason why. 00:21:19.920 --> 00:21:28.960 And again, verse 34 says, when he saw the crowd, he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. 00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:33.680 This is a picture of our salvation, brothers and sisters. 00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:48.160 The good news is Jesus is our compassionate shepherd, and that he did not come to die for us because we were righteous and perfect, but he came to die for us because we were lost, sinners. 00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:51.599 We were like sheep without a shepherd. 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:56.799 The Lord does not have compassion for us because we have our lives together. 00:21:57.119 --> 00:21:59.519 The Lord does not have compassion for you because you are. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:09.200 Good parent, or you're a good worker, or because of who you listen to, the Lord has compassion on us because He is compassionate. 00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:19.200 His compassion for us is not rooted in our performance, but our performance is rooted in His compassion. 00:22:19.839 --> 00:22:23.279 We love because He first loved us. 00:22:25.599 --> 00:22:34.480 I had finished our first point with saying that there's a reason why we can rest when Jesus calls us to rest. 00:22:35.680 --> 00:22:43.680 And the reason why we can rest when Jesus calls us to rest is because he is a compassionate shepherd. 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:51.200 We can rest because his compassion towards us is not rooted in our performance, but it's rooted in who he is. 00:22:51.759 --> 00:22:55.359 And it is moved by our spiritual needs. 00:22:56.400 --> 00:23:05.279 And so for all the saints who sometimes wonder if God is disappointed with them, please remember that he's compassionate. 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:07.359 You can always go to him. 00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:25.119 And if you're here and if you're not a Christian, just know that the Lord's compassion is not a permission slip to keep on sinning, but it's an invitation to repent, to bring your sins to him, no matter how big or how small, how terrible. 00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:27.680 His compassion is for you to go to him. 00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:35.920 Rest, compassion, and bread. 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:40.799 Let's read verses 35 to 37. 00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:51.279 When it grew late, his disciples approached him and said, This place is deserted, and it's already late. 00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:59.839 Send them away so that they can go into the surrounding countryside and villages and villages to buy themselves something to eat. 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:04.079 You give them something to eat, he responded. 00:24:04.559 --> 00:24:10.960 They said to him, Should we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat? 00:24:14.799 --> 00:24:24.079 The beginning of this story started with Jesus calling his apostles to come away to a remote place, to the wilderness, you can say, to get some rest. 00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:32.640 But unfortunately, what was supposed to be a break gets interrupted by the thousands of men who wanted to hear Jesus. 00:24:33.200 --> 00:24:39.920 Many hours go by, many hours go by, and the apostles realize that it's getting late. 00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:48.079 And so the question that they have is the same question that our brother Mark mentioned earlier. 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:51.359 How are these people going to get fed? 00:24:53.279 --> 00:24:56.880 How are these people going to get fed in the middle of nowhere? 00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:08.240 I mean, we know that Jesus told us to, you know, go feed them, but the way our wallets are looking, we don't got it at the moment. 00:25:09.279 --> 00:25:14.160 How are these people going to get fed in the middle of nowhere? 00:25:15.920 --> 00:25:21.279 This is the exact same question that Moses faced while in the wilderness with the people of Israel. 00:25:22.160 --> 00:25:31.039 But the same person who provided for Moses and Israel in the wilderness is the same one who's going to provide for this large crowd. 00:25:32.079 --> 00:25:38.880 Mark is showing and telling us something about our wonderful, compassionate shepherd. 00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:42.400 Let's continue to read verses 38 to 43. 00:25:43.519 --> 00:25:47.119 He asks them, How many loaves do you have? 00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:48.160 Go and see. 00:25:49.119 --> 00:25:54.640 And when they found out, they said, Five loaves, five and two fish. 00:25:54.960 --> 00:26:03.519 Then he instructed them to give all um to uh then he instructed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 00:26:03.759 --> 00:26:05.440 Notice the green grass. 00:26:05.680 --> 00:26:08.799 Think of the 23rd Psalm The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 00:26:08.960 --> 00:26:11.759 He makes me lie down in green pastures. 00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:15.440 The scene of this miracle is a pastoral one. 00:26:17.680 --> 00:26:22.880 Verse 40, so they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 00:26:23.599 --> 00:26:36.079 And here in verse 41, we're going to see these actions of taking and breaking, uh taking blessing and breaking, a bit of a foreshadow of what Jesus will do with the Last Supper. 00:26:36.799 --> 00:26:41.680 Verse 41, he took the five loaves and the two fish, looking up to heaven. 00:26:41.920 --> 00:26:45.039 He blessed and broke the loaves. 00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:52.720 He kept giving them to his disciples to set before the people, and he also divided the two fish among them all. 00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:57.359 Everyone ate and was satisfied. 00:26:57.839 --> 00:26:59.200 I love that verse. 00:27:00.079 --> 00:27:06.240 Again, another pastoral image where we see the compassionate shepherd providing all that is needed. 00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:10.000 The Lord Jesus is a savior that satisfies. 00:27:11.440 --> 00:27:17.200 Verse 43, they picked up the twelve baskets full of pieces of bread and fish. 00:27:18.160 --> 00:27:23.200 Those who had eaten the loaves were five thousand men. 00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:53.200 Mark wants us to see that our compassionate shepherd, Jesus Christ, is that same God in the Old Testament who provided for his people in the wilderness, the one who called his people to rest in the wilderness, the one who had compassion on them, because they were grumbling, like sheep without a shepherd, and that same God who provided bread from above to give them their daily strength. 00:27:53.920 --> 00:28:00.160 Jesus Christ is the Lord and the shepherd of Psalm 23. 00:28:00.480 --> 00:28:02.000 And I'll close just by reading it. 00:28:02.160 --> 00:28:08.160 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, He makes me lie down in green pastures. 00:28:08.960 --> 00:28:12.880 He leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul. 00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:18.079 He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 00:28:18.720 --> 00:28:23.759 Yea, though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. 00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:26.720 Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:35.279 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, you anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over. 00:28:36.240 --> 00:28:44.640 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 00:28:44.880 --> 00:28:46.319 Let us pray. 00:28:50.559 --> 00:28:54.720 Without you, Lord God, we are truly lost sheep. 00:28:56.319 --> 00:28:59.759 Thank you so much for your compassion towards us. 00:29:00.319 --> 00:29:02.240 Thank you for your grace. 00:29:03.519 --> 00:29:11.920 And I pray, Lord, that as we depart, we would be reminded of your compassion for us. 00:29:14.079 --> 00:29:19.279 And may we remember that compassion is not only for us, but also for others who do not know you just yet. 00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:22.079 Thank you for who you are. 00:29:22.640 --> 00:29:26.240 Thank you, Lord Jesus, for being our faithful, compassionate shepherd. 00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:27.920 And we pray this in your name. 00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:28.880 Amen.