Gospel of Mark/Chapter 6:30-56/Commentary

The Gospel of Mark Chapter 6:30-56 6:30 “And the apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught”: The twelve disciples return after their preaching tour (6:7).

6:31 “And He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while’. (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat”: Jesus understands the limitations of the human body, God doesn’t expect more of mankind than man is capable. ”For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust” (Psalm 103:14). Jesus and His apostles had been extremely busy lately, they had just returned from a preaching tour (Matthew 10), and they needed a break. In addition, Passover crowds were starting to gather in Galilee (John 6:2,4), and Jesus knew that there was a grassroots movement to make Him king, a movement that will come to a head right after He feeds the 5000 (John 6:15).

6:32 “And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves”: The quickest way to escape from the crowds was to head out by boat and find a solitary place to the east side of the lake.

The Feeding of the Five Thousand 1

6:33 “And the people saw them going, and many recognized them, and they ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them”: Josephus says that over three million people lived in this area (240 Galilean villages, the smallest of which numbered 15,000 inhabitants) (Wars, III, 3,2; Life of Josephus, 45). “By deliberately sailing to a deserted place, He frustrated any efforts of the Zealots to build a revolutionary mob spirit in the more populated areas” (Fowler p. 255). Matthew notes (14:14), that He also healed their sick.

The reader should note that there is plenty of room on the shoreline of this region of the lake for a crowd of this size to gather and have room. In fact, there is a plain just east of where the Jordan enters the Sea of Galilee that is four miles long and a mile deep (See Lands of the Bible, McGarvey, p. 327f).

6:33 “They ran there together on foot”: Jesus took a leisurely, easy-to-follow boat trip in full view of the crowds on land, sailing east toward Bethsaida Julius rather than south or southeast, almost suggesting thereby that they follow Him. “By sailing unexpectedly He drew the crowds into a deserted place where no food was readily available, a fact that would later become another pressure-point” (Fowler p. 254). In addition, such a move makes a distinction in the people following Him. He started to sift the multitudes, and the less ambitious who remained at home were removed from the more interested followers.

6:34 “And when He went ashore, He saw a great multitude, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things”: “Jesus had every right to be annoyed with the crowd. They had prevented Him and His disciples from having a much needed rest. But instead of being irritated, He responded compassionately” (Gaebelein p.

673). The first thing that such people need is teaching. The world is still filled with people wandering about like sheep without a shepherd. Take a good look at some of your friends, neighbors, relatives, and co-workers. Look at the problems that people get themselves into and the bad decisions that are made on a regular basis. Take a good look at the things for which people will sacrifice their health, family, marriage, and soul!

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“Rather than treat them as bothersome intruders who had thoughtlessly interrupted His sorely needed rest and retirement with the Twelve, He welcomed them. Rather than let their persistence rule Him, He took charge of the situation, too decisive action, and remained in control of both Himself and others. His eye on neither the clock nor His attention fixed on His comforts” (Fowler p. 263).

There where shepherds in Israel at this time, but they were false shepherds and hirelings. The Pharisees and scribes only succeeded in moving people away from the truth (Matthew 23). We need to realize that we have the truth, and without it, our friends will continue to wander like sheep without a shepherd.

6:34 “He began to teach them many things”: Here we see the importance of doctrine. Before Jesus fed these people, He knew they needed something far more important, they needed teaching.

6:35-36 “And when it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and began saying, ‘The place is desolate and it is already quite late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat’”: The disciples starting putting things together.

The place was desolate—no homes or businesses nearby and the nearest town around five miles away. It was getting late in the day and if the people were going to find food they needed to head out right away.

6:37 “But He answered and said to them, ‘You give them something to eat!’ And they said to Him, ‘Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?’”: Be impressed that for the most part, this miracle would be wasted on the multitudes, that is, most wouldn’t develop the right kind of faith (6:26). And yet, God continues to do good and gracious things, even for sinful men---if only one soul would be impressed by this miracle, then it was well worth it. Jesus isn’t being cruel or unfair. Rather, He is forcing His disciples to realize that there exists no human or natural remedy for the problem at hand. He wants them first to exhaust all the alternatives. “Two hundred denarii”: An impossible sum in the mind of the disciples. Such a price respresented the pay of a common laborer earned in a period of eight months. Yet even this amount 3

would not truly meet the needs of the people. John records that this price would only provide a “bite” for each person (John 6:7).

6:38 “And He said to them, ‘How many loaves do you have? Go look!’ And when they found out, they said, ‘Five and two fish’”: “The bread spoken of was more nearly comparable to pancakes in size and shape; and the fish were not the main part of the meal, but were probably picked fish used as relish, much as sardines are used now…This small amount of food would scarcely make a satisfying lunch for one child to say nothing of five thousand men, besides women and children” (Tenney p. 112). Let us be impressed that Jesus allows the situation to grow seemingly hopeless before He acts. There isn’t enough money, even to buy a snack, it is late, they are away from town, all the food selling business are closed, and this sorry sack-lunch is the only food within miles! (Matthew 14:15).

6:39 “And He commanded them all to recline by groups on the green grass. And they reclined in companies of hundreds and of fifties”: Jesus probably had them sit down for the purpose of orderliness, and to prevent greediness, elbowing, riot, and confusion. It probably also tested their faith, as they saw food being distributed to another group---would that food last? Would there be enough for everyone? What about the groups farthest away from where the food started?

Apparently Jesus kept multiplying what had been given Him (Luke 9:16). Imagine the amazement on the faces of the disciples as they kept coming back to Jesus— only to see more baskets of food to distribute! They could have as much fish as they wanted to go with the bread. Unlike Philip who could only think about providing a snack, Jesus was providing a whole meal, with seconds, thirds and so on. In view of this statement, and what was leftover (6:13), we must reject the argument made by unbelieving scholars that this wasn’t a miracle, but only something in which each person took a very small piece (like communion) of the bread and fish that were available.

“By thus arranging them in orderly companies, Jesus accomplished several things.

He saved His apostles much time and labor in distributing the food. He insured that each one should be fed, and that the reality of the miracle could not be

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questioned, and He ascertained definitely how many men were fed” (Fourfold p.

377).

6:41-43 “And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all.

And they all ate and were satisfied. And they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish”: “Nevertheless, infinite resources are no excuse for waste” (Hendriksen p. 223). “He thus taught them and us a lesson in economy, prudence, and preservation. Natural resources are gifts from His lavish hand. These, He permits us to use, but in the object lesson teaches us that it is inconsistent with His will to waste or abuse them” (Woods p. 119). It was common for the Jewish people to carry baskets with them when traveling. “By carrying his own food along with him he (the average Jew) was not forced to shop in markets and touch (ceremonially) unclean persons and objects” (Butler p. 229). Possibly these leftovers were for Jesus and His disciples for meals in the following days.

As usual, there will always exist people who claim to believe in what the Bible says, and yet want to remove all the miraculous elements from it: “A Sunday School teacher was trying to convince her class of youngsters that there was no actual miracle performed by Jesus here at the Sea of Galilee. “Children,” she said, “you must realize that Jesus didn’t actually provide bread and fish for the people to eat. They were really filled by His teaching.” A small lad revealed heavensought faith when he said, “But what about the twelve baskets left over, Teacher?”’ (Butler p. 230).

6:44 “And there were five thousand men who ate the loaves”: “Why bother to take a count even for the record? In order to furnish the reader an adequate conception of the magnitude of this miracle. By counting only the men, the Gospel writers deliberately understate their evidence, and the resultant psychological effect on the reader is far more stunning upon reflection” (Fowler pp. 274-275). Therefore, the total number might have been closer to 10 or 15 thousand. 5000 men were 5000 witnesses to this miracle. When the gospels were written, many of these men were probably still alive. Probably every person 5

in Galilee knew someone who had been here on this occasion. Even when John wrote his gospel, many of these children were still alive.

Jesus Walks on the Water 6:45 “Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side of Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the multitude away”: The reason that Jesus quickly breaks up this gathering is probably due to the feelings stated in John 6:15 “Jesus therefore perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force, to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone”.

Jesus knew the hearts and intentions of those in crowd (John 2:24-25). “Goaded by visions of temporal glory and prosperity, the multitude decided to seize Him by force, if necessary, and proceed triumphantly to Jerusalem and the Passover” (Butler p. 231). “Various ideas about the Messiah were current, and various prophets were expected, some being linked with nationalist, militaristic views… but to Jesus the prospect of an earthly kingdom was nothing else than a temptation of the devil, and He decisively rejected it” (Morris p. 346).

6:46 “And after bidding them farewell, He departed to the mountain to pray”: “There are only three occasions in this Gospel in which Jesus withdraws to pray, and each time some sort of crisis is involved: after the excitement and activity of a busy Sabbath in Capernaum (1:35), after the multiplication of the loaves (6:46), and in Gethsemane after the Lord’s Supper (14:32-36)” (Gaebelein p. 675).

6:47 “And when it was evening, the boat was in the midst of the sea, and He was alone on the land”: The Sea of Galilee is about four miles wide. Thus a boat in the middle of the lake could easily be seen in the full moon of Passover time.

6:48 “And seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night”: The disciples were facing a stiff-headwind.

The Romans divided up the night into four watches, 6-9 p.m., 9-12 p.m., 12-3 a.m., and 3-6 a.m. Therefore for some nine hours these men had rowed strenuously and were still some distance from the shore. Tired, cold, wet and exhausted, in the midst of a storm, the disciples are about to experience a major shock.

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6:48 “He came to them, walking on the sea”: Being near the Passover season, the moon may have been full. “The toiling disciples looked up; and suddenly they saw Him; it was all so unexpected, they had been bent so long over their oars…

Here is just the kind of story that a fisherman like John would have loved and cherished and remembered. Every time he thought of it he could feel that night again, the gray silver of the moonlight, the rough oar against his hand, the flapping sail, the shriek of the wind, and the sound of the surging water, the astonishingly unexpected appearance of Jesus, the sound of His voice across the waves, and the crunch of the boat as it reached the Galilean side” (Barclay p.

212). “They see one approaching the boat, walking on the water as on a paved street…was drawing near out of the eerie darkness of the stormy night to confront them” (Woods p. 121). “To see a figure approaching them, moving against the wind faster than the boat could travel, and rapidly overtaking them would be disconcerting if not unnerving” (Tenney p. 115).

6:48 “He intended to pass by”: Jesus did not walk up and say, “Hi guys”, rather as He was walking by on the sea He was not looking their way.

6:49 “But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out”: Even though Jesus has raised the dead, cast out demons, healed all diseases and multiplied loaves and fishes---the disciples do not conclude that, “No problem, Jesus can walk on water”. Rather they immediately conclude that they must be seeing some kind of spirit.

6:50 “For they all saw Him and were frightened”: All the apostles saw Him and all of these men were afraid. “But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, ‘Take courage: it is I, do not be afraid’”: What wonderful words! There are some wonderful lessons here. 1. Jesus watches over us. Even though He was on the mountain in prayer, He hadn’t forgotten about His disciples in the midst of the sea. 2. Jesus is also the answer to all our fears! (Hebrews 13:5-6). Though not mentioned by Mark, Matthew informs us that Peter, asked the Lord for permission to walk upon the water with Him (14:28-31).

6:51 “And He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were greatly astonished”: There are two more miracles here. First, the wind 7

immediately stopped when Jesus stepped into boat and John records that the boat was immediately at it’s destination once Jesus got into the boat (John 6:21).

The feeding of the 5000 plus demonstrated Jesus’ power over matter and quantity. The miracle on the lake demonstrated His power over nature and the forces of creation. To this day, with all his technology, man still finds himself helpless against the weather. Jesus could walk through a tornado, untouched. He would walk upstream on a raging, flood-swollen river, He would walk through a tidal wave, stand on top of the hot ash coming from Mount St. Helens—Jesus is stronger than any natural force upon this planet! Butler notes, “It is worthy of note here to see the independence of the accounts of this miracle: Matthew alone mentions Peter’s attempt to walk on the water (Matt. 14:28-31). Mark alone mentions Jesus seeing their distress while still on the mountain (6:47-48).

John alone mentions that it was dark (6:18) that they had rowed about 3-4 miles (6:19), and that the boat arrived “straightway” where they were going (6:21). The infidelic theories of the liberal and radical scholars claim the Gospel writers were not inspired to write independent accounts, but copied from one another. But the facts say differently—they wrote independently of one another” (pp. 233-234).

Some try to explain away this incident by suggesting that what the disciples really saw was Jesus wading through the shallows at the edge of the shore. Yet that explanation fails to account for so much. Why would such men be afraid of seeing Jesus wade a little off shore? How did He get into boat? Why would Peter ask permission to go wading with Him? How did they all end up immediately on the other shore? How did a wading Jesus get into a boat out in the middle of the lake?

6:52 “For they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened”: They still did not put it altogether. They failed to realize that Jesus is the Lord of the universe and can do anything.

6:53 “And when they had crossed over they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore”: This is a plain north of Magdala on the western side of the lake. It was a very fertile region and thus had a large population.

6:54 “And when they had come out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him”: They plainly knew Him by sight.

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6:55 “And ran about the whole country and began to carry about on their pallets those who were sick, to the place they heard He was. And wherever He entered villages, or cities, or country-side, they were laying the sick in the market places, and entreating Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and as many as touched it were being cured�: This is wonderful and we can all understand how one would run and immediately grab a sick family member, friend or relative to bring to Jesus to be healed. Yet---nothing is said about the people coming for the needs of their souls. Nothing is said about people running and grabbing friends so they could hear the word of God or so they could repent.

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