My God and My Country

The Gospel According to Mark

Chapter 6:35-44

35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, saying, This is a desert place, and now the day is far passed.

36 Let them depart, that they may go into the country and towns about, and buy them bread: for they have nothing to eat.

37 But he answered, and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said unto him, Shall we go, and buy two hundred pennies worth of bread, and give them to eat?

38 Then he said unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and look. And when they knew it, they said, Five, and two fishes.

39 So he commanded them to make them all sit down by companies upon the green grass.

40 Then they sat down by rows, by hundreds, and by fifties.

41 And he took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looked up to heaven, and gave thanks, and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them, and the two fishes he divided among them all.

42 So they did all eat, and were satisfied.

43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.

44 And they that had eaten, were about five thousand men.

Brethren:

Today, we read of the feeding of the thousands. There are two verses that have been impressed upon the mind of this writer; those being verses thirty-seven and forty-four.

In the former, we find our Redeemer instructing His disciples to feed those who had come to hear Him. This is to say, that it is our duty to care for the well-being of others. In the latter verse, it is found the fulfillment of God's promise to increase one hundred fold or more to those that earnestly seek Him.

“The disciples moved that they should be sent home. When the day was not far spent, and night drew on, they said, This is a desert place, and much time is now past; send them away to buy bread. This the disciples suggested to Christ; but we do not find that the multitude themselves did. They did not say, Send us away (though they could not but be hungry), for they esteemed the words of Christ’s mouth more than their necessary food, and forgot themselves when they were hearing him; but the disciples thought it would be a kindness to them to dismiss them. [Make] note: Willing minds will do more, and hold out longer, in that which is good, than one would expect from them. Christ ordered that they should all be fed. ‘Give ye them to eat.’ Though their crowding after him and his disciples hindered them from eating, yet he would not therefore, to be even with them, send them away fasting, but, to teach us to be kind to those who are rude to us, he ordered provision to be made for them; that bread which Christ and his disciples took with them into the desert, that they might make a quiet meal of it for themselves, he will have them to partake of. Thus was he given to hospitality.

This miracle was significant, and shows that Christ came into the world, to be the great feeder as well as the great healer; not only to restore, but to preserve and nourish, spiritual life; and in him there is enough for all that come to him, enough to fill the soul, to fill the treasures; none are sent empty away from Christ, but those that come to him full of themselves. Care was taken of the fragments that remained, with which they filled twelve baskets. Though Christ had bread enough at command, he would hereby teach us, not to make waste of any of God’s good creatures; remembering how many there are that do want, and that we know not but we may some time or other want such fragments as we throw away.” - Matthew Henry - Theologian