Mark - Lesson 10...Continued from page 2

DAY THREE:  A Lesson in Faith?for More than 5,000

Please carefully read Mark 6:38-44 and answer the following questions.

1.  Jesus set the challenge before His disciples to feed this great multitude.  What logical task did He have the disciples start with in accomplishing this (v. 38)?

2.  John tells us that that Andrew, who always seemed to be bringing people to Jesus, brought Jesus a boy with his sack lunch of five barley loaves and two fish (John 6:8, 9).  The loaves he had were much smaller and flatter than modern loaves, so don’t think the boy carried five big loaves of bread under his arms; the fish were probably dried and salted,[vi] a kind of fish jerky rather than whole fish.  Upon hearing this, what did Jesus tell His disciples to do, and how did they accomplish this (v. 39-41)?

NOTES: We again see a special touch of Mark’s here.  John’s gospel tells us that it was Passover time (John 6:4) and the afternoon sun shone on the green spring grass.  The grass isn’t green in Palestine most of the year, mainly at Passover time.  Some Bible scholars have felt that Mark only indicates a one-year ministry of Jesus, but here we have an indication of more than a one-year ministry. It is still one year before the last Passover when Jesus was crucified.[vii]  The people were stated to be seated in groups, a Greek word from which we get our word symposium; also they were seated in ranks, which literally means like beds in a garden, or arranged by color like flowers in a bed. 

3.  The crowd was organized in ranks much like the armies would be in the Old Testament and also as found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and this might have led some in the crowd to think Jesus was organizing a Messianic army, as they wanted to make Him king by force (John 6:15).[viii]  What was the result of this distribution (v. 42-44)?

4.  The Greek phrase for broke the loaves, and gave has two verb tenses, meaning that He broke these loaves and then they were instantly multiplied and continuously given out.  It is difficult to say what size basket was meant by Mark, as the word means a wicker basket, which could range in size up to the large baskets which Roman soldiers would carry their supplies in.[ix]  That would have been a lot of leftovers, twelve baskets full for the doubting twelve disciples!  The amount of people fed here is deceiving in that it says about 5,000 men; counting the women and children, who were seated and served separately in that culture, there could have been as many as 20,000 people fed![x]

There is no doubt this was a tremendous miracle, and the faith of those around Jesus would have been greatly boosted, or so one would think, as we’ll see tomorrow.  We have looked at the concept of faith before in these studies in Mark, and it is a vital truth we must understand if we are to have a victorious and fruitful Christian life.  What are some ways that following passages tell us about building our faith in Him?

Romans 10:17; 1 Corinthians 2:4, 5
Romans 12:3-5
2 Corinthians 5:7, 8
James 1:2-8

Scripture Memory:  Try to fill in the missing words in the blanks below, by memory if at all possible, and then review the passage several times today.

And Jesus, when He came out, saw a _________________ multitude and was moved with _____________________ for them, because they were like _________________ not having a ________________________. So He began to _____________________ them ___________ things.   Mark 6:34, nkjv