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Nov 28, 2021

Count to Eight

Count to Eight

Passage: Mark 6:30-44

Speaker: Patrick Lafferty

Series: Follow: Learning from Mark about Jesus’ Most Misunderstood Command

Keywords: shepherd, teach, bread, sheep, satisfied, feed

Mark’s gospel travels at a fairly quick step. No episode lasts long–until we get to this famous feeding of far more than the available fare. Why does Mark take such a leisurely time telling the first of two miraculous meals? We’re meant to see something crystal clear in Jesus that makes all the clearer what it means to follow him.

Readings & Scriptures

PREPARATION: Isaiah 25:6-8
LEADER: On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.

ALL: He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.

ADVENT READING: Luke 2:8-20

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Luke 2:15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

CENTRAL TEXT: Mark 6:30-44

Mark 6:30   The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men. 

CORPORATE CONFESSION OF SIN
Almighty and merciful God,
we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep.
We have followed too much
the devices and desires of our own hearts.
We have offended against your holy laws.
We have left undone those things which we ought to have done;
and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.
O Lord, have mercy upon us.
Spare those who confess their faults.
Restore those who are contrite,
according to your promises declared to the world
in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
And grant, O merciful God, for his sake,
that we may live a holy, just, and humble life
to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON based on Isaiah 53:6
LEADER: In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we are assured that there is no sin so terrible that God cannot forgive, no hurt so terrible that God cannot heal.
God accepts, God forgives, and God sets free. Receive the forgiving love of God.

ALL: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Thanks be to God.

BENEDICTION: Adapted from Hebrews 13:20-21
LEADER: Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. The peace of the Lord be with you all.

ALL: And also with you.

RELATED SCRIPTURES:

Psalm 23
Isaiah 25:6-8
Ezekiel 34:1-24
John 10
1 Corinthians 13
James 2:14-17

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. The hardest parts of loving pets? The hardest parts of loving people?
  2. Appeal to all you can remember about how the bible depicts shepherds. Why use that metaphor to describe Jesus’s own ministry? Why does it nicely capture His purpose and manner? Why is it a necessary metaphor in how we think about our own charge as those who follow Him? 
  3. Extra credit: what might be a more modern metaphor we might choose today to capture the same sense of this heart of ministry?
  4. Make the case from the text that following Jesus has an interest both in the spiritual and material condition of others? Deep questions: 1) is that interest equal, given what you read about the proportion of attention Jesus gives to both in the entirety of his ministry? Why or why not? 2) what happens when you make either interest to the near exclusion of the other?
  5. How does Jesus respond to the disciples’ initial urging to send the people away for them to find food? What idea might he be getting them to consider? Why ask them to take inventory of the available food?
  6. As we said in the sermon, the heart of our charge as followers is on its face fairly unnatural to us. Resist the urge to use oversimplifications, jargon, or platitudes (you first, pastor, right?). How is what Jesus has done for us supernaturally meant to work upon us so that what feels unnatural begins to seem more natural?

QUOTES:

  • Disciples should always count to eight. . . .Christian faith is nothing if it is not a supernaturalism, if it can count only to seven, if it does not believe that Jesus is risen and can do things. - Frederick Dale Bruner
  • God uses the talent pool available. - Philip Yancey

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