Mark 6:30-37 – From Desert to Oasis – Bible study

Mark 6:30-37 When the Desert Became An Oasis Jesus and His disciples needed a rest. They didnt take vacations like we do in those days. They could not just jump in the car and drive a few hours and be in a completely different part of the country. This made getting away from work and responsibilities very difficult. Jesus cure for that was to head off into the desert. Desert as used in the Bible does not necessarily mean a desert like we think of when we think of the American West or the sands of the Arabia. It was likely more like an sparsely uninhabited area. We might be more accurate if we think of it as they went on a campout. However, their vacation was interrupted before it begins. Others found out where Jesus was going and got there ahead of Him. What was to be a time to rest became another time to minister. Our Lord did not turn away those who sought Him. Yet, we see how Jesus turned this desert place into an oasis. I. \#Mark 6:34-35\ The description of the lost A. Four terms are used to describe the people who gather around Jesus that day. 1. I understand that these terms were primarily intended to describe their physical condition. 2. I find it interesting that it describes the spiritual condition of most lost people. B. The four terms: 1. \34\ They were "as sheep having no shepherd." a. This term is actually a description intended to describe the physical and spiritual condition of these people. b. The term implies the people had no direction and no leader. (1) Sheep are notoriously dumb animals. (2) I am told that they will walk right off the edge of a cliff. (3) An article that I found on the internet included the following news article. ISTANBUL: Hundreds of sheep followed their leader off a cliff in eastern Turkey, plunging to their deaths this week while shepherds looked on in dismay. Four hundred sheep fell 15 metres to their deaths in a ravine in Van province near Iran but broke the fall of another 1,100 animals who survived, newspaper reports said yesterday. Shepherds from Ikizler village neglected the flock while eating breakfast, leaving the sheep to roam free, the Radikal daily said. The loss to local farmers was estimated at $74,000. http://www.challies.com/christian-living/dumb-as-sheep (4) Now I can understand a couple of sheep getting too close to the edge and falling off, but you have to ask yourself, what was the 100th and there after sheep thinking? He looks over the cliff and sees the first 99 of his fellow sheep, all broken and busted at the bottom the cliff; yet, he decides to follow? Thats stupid! But so goes all 1500! The first 400 die and become padding for the next 1100, but in all, $74,000 worth of damage is done. (5) So why did a whole herd of sheep follow, one after the next, over the cliff? Because they had no direction and no leader. (6) Essentially, even though the sheep were in the vicinity where they were supposed to be, they were lost. They cannot safely navigate themselves around. c. So when Jesus gets off the ship, He sees this large group of people who physically look like a flock of scattered sheep. (1) They have no direction. (2) They have no leader. (3) He is moved with compassion for them and begins to teach them. d. However, this term also describes the people spiritually. (1) When the Bible describes people, especially unsaved people as sheep, it is implying that they dont know where they are going and they dont have anyone to help them. Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Romans 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (2) They are like LOST SHEEP. (a) It is not meant to be a disrespectful term. (b) However, it does imply they have no direction for eternity and that they have no God to guide them. (c) Spiritually speaking, they are lost. (3) Of course, that is why Jesus came, to be our Shepherd. John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 1 Peter 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. 2. \#35\ Their "day was now far spent" a. This was actually meant to describe the time of day it was when Jesus performed the miracle. Jesus had spent most of the day teaching. b. However, it also describes a lost persons place in life. (1) They had used up most of their opportunity. (2) Life is like a day. (3) It comes in fresh and new, with all kinds of opportunities. (4) Yet, we see the end of each day coming at us and we wonder where the time has gone. c. Is that what your life is like? (1) Your life started with dreams and opportunities, like everyone elses. (2) But sin has stolen them all from you! (3) That is what sins does! It promises so much but actually steals whatever you have. (a) Sin steals your opportunities. (b) Sin steals your family. (c) Sin steals your youth. (d) Sin steals your health, your peace of mind, your money, your self esteem, your reputation. 3. They were in "a dessert place." a. Again, that was a physical description of the land, but how aptly it describes those who are wandering in a spiritual wilderness! b. Sin robs you of everything you have and then dumps you in a wilderness to die. c. Unless you know what you are doing, a wilderness is an uncomfortable and dangerous place to be. d. Are you living in the wilderness? (1) Are you alone? (2) Are you scared? (3) Do you have anything to fend off the wild beasts? (4) Do you know where you are and how to get to where you want to be? e. Without a Shepherd to lead you, you will surely perish. Canadian Richard Code found dead after Survivorman-inspired trip into wilderness By Michael Sheridan DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Thursday, March 4th 2010, 10:01 AM The Toronto Star reports a 41-year-old Canadian man was found dead on Wednesday after he trekked into the Ontario wilderness with only an armful of supplies, including matches, blanket, fishing tools and some cash. Richard Code journeyed into the harsh woodlands early Thursday after leaving a note for his landlady, telling her that if she did not hear from him by Sunday to alert authorities. When he failed to come home, 86-year-old Barbara Ellis grew fearful. "I sort of dread these trips, but I know theyre so very important to him," she told the Canadian paper. Ellis reported him missing, and days later, police found his body. Authorities indicate he died from hypothermia. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/03/04/2010-03-04_canadian_richard_code _found_dead_after_survivormaninspired_trip_into_wilderness.html 4. Lastly, the Bible says the time was "far passed." a. That is the Bible way of saying that it was now too late. b. These people were hot and hungry, but it was too late for them to find shelter and food. c. There was no place for them to go and nothing for them to do. d. I hope it is not too late for you! (1) I have been called by God to tell you about the good Shepherd. (2) He loves you and desires to lead you out of the wilderness, but you will have to decide whether you will follow Him or not. e. I hope it is not too late for you already. (1) I hope it is not too late to save your youth, your family, your career. (2) I hope it is not too late to invest your life. (3) I hope it is not too late for your soul. f. One thing is for certain. If you keep waiting, it will be one day. II. We see what Jesus did. A. Jesus cared for these people in two ways. 1. Physically 2. Spiritually B. \#Mark 6:38-44\ We see what Jesus did for them physically. 1. This is a great miracle. 2. These people had a physical need, and Jesus met it. 3. Jesus takes a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish and feeds them all! 4. \#Mark 6:44\ There were 5,000 men gathered there that day, not counting the women and children. 5. No doubt, this was a much needed miracle for the people. After all, they were hungry and it was late. 6. However, this is not really what I want us to dwell upon. C. \#Mark 6:34\ We see what Jesus did for them spiritually. 1. Jesus taught them. 2. It may not look like it, but Jesus is actually doing the same thing for them spiritually that He did for them physically. a. He is feeding them. b. Before Jesus feeds their bodies, He feeds their souls. 3. You see, these people were spiritually lost, wandering out in a dangerous wilderness, with no one to lead them. 4. He is taking the opportunity to feed their starved souls. 5. Many people do not see the need of having their souls feed, but it is the most important thing you can do for yourself. a. We are not just physical and emotional beings. b. We are also spiritual beings. c. Many of our pains and sorrows are born out of our physical needs. d. There is nothing more filling and nourishing to the human soul than to be fed with the words of God. Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 6. While we know what Jesus fed these people physically, the Bible does not bear record of what He feed them spiritually. III. What might Jesus have said to these lost sheep to feed their hungry souls? A. Perhaps He told them that God loves them. 1. That may seem like an old message, but it is an important message. 2. Jesus thought this message so important, that He delivered it Himself. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 3. Every human being on this planet needs to be told the truth that God loves them. B. Perhaps He told them that they were sinners. Luke 5:32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 1. The only people that Jesus can help are sinners. 2. Some find these two truths incompatible – that God loves them, yet they are sinners. 3. They think that if God calls them a sinner, He cannot love them. 4. You and I are sinners and God does love us. C. Perhaps He told them what He had come to do. Mark 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. 1. Again, these are the very words of Jesus to one of the many crowds He spoke with. 2. He came to give His life for them. That means that He came to die for us. 3. And He came to give His life as a ransom. That means His life will be the payment required for those who will accept Him. a. Too many people like to critic God for setting the penalty of so high. b. The penalty for sin is death. c. That same crowd forgets that God then came to pay it. d. If you know this and refuse to accept what He did, then your your sins become your problem alone. D. Perhaps He told them what they needed to do. John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 1. All that you must do is believe that Jesus is Who He said He is and surrender to Him. 2. He is God. Believe that and yield to Him. 3. The Bible commands sinners to repent and believe. IV. Let me close with three thoughts: A. It is no more difficult for Jesus to fix a hungry soul than it was for Him to feed a hungry body. 1. Things may seem very bleak to you, and indeed they probably are, but Jesus is the God will unlimited power. 2. Turn your life over to Him, completely, and see what He will do. B. It is no more difficult for a person to receive Jesus into their heart that it was for these people to receive bread into their hand. 1. These very people had no problem receiving from Jesus the loaves of bread and the fish. 2. By the way, you dont either. God has been very good to us all. 3. It is no more difficult to receive the Words from His lips than it was to receive the food from His hands. C. Just like bread from the kitchen satisfies the body so the Bread from heaven will satisfy your soul. 1. How can I describe the feeling one gets after eating a piece of hot, fresh baked bread? 2. How do you tell someone the satisfaction you experience after a delicious, hot, home-made supper? 3. And how do you describe the joy and satisfaction that Jesus brings to a hungry, lost soul? 4. These are things you must simply must experience. Would you like to experience them today?