“A somewhat dangerous game”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Thursday, January 26, 2023
Mark 6:30-46 (Forward, p. 89) CEV p. 1034
What struck me today upon reading this account of Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000 was that it was like a repeat of one of the devil’s temptations in the wilderness, namely, to turn the stones into bread. There the temptation to Jesus was two-fold, one to use His divine powers to look after His own needs, and two to win a following by feeding the masses physically while leaving their souls unredeemed. Here, in today’s story, it isn’t stones, but rather loaves and fishes, but the danger is still there: feeding people outwardly while leaving their inner lives unchanged.
And, on top of that, there is yet another danger, which Mark doesn’t mention, but John does (John 6:15). The crowds, after seeing and experiencing this miracle, wanted to force Him to be king. And why not, a king who could miraculously feed people was sure to be a hit. Why, it was far better than the ‘bread and circuses’ that the Romans promised!
To me, this thinly veiled danger also explains two other things. First is Jesus quick dismissal of His disciples, His sending them off in a boat to the other side of the lake. My guess is that He didn’t want them to be caught up in the mass hysteria. And second is why Jesus felt the need right away to go up on the hill to pray. In a sense, this was like another of Satan’s temptations, to win the world, but at what cost? To have the kingdom without the Cross, without the crucifixion! That must have been sorely a great temptation: imagine, being able to avoid that awful price and achieving fame and power in another less costly way. Humanly, it must have been a very real and difficult temptation—a real danger to His soul.
Nevertheless, He said ‘no’—again. He said ‘no’ to anything and everything that would weaken or compromise His mission upon earth.
For me, there are two lessons here. Firstly, it reminds me of the danger we all face, that the church faces, of catering to people’s short-term physical and social needs but neglecting their spiritual welfare. We minister to such needs as food scarcity and homelessness and poverty and disease, and certainly we should—for did Jesus not also feed those 5,000 hungry people. And we especially concern ourselves with the refugee and the disenfranchised, the powerless and the ostracized, and surely Jesus did that as well. But, He never made any of that His central concern. In fact, according to John’s gospel, His actions in these regards were only meant as signs, as signs to point to something beyond themselves, or more accurately, to Someone, namely Himself.
And secondly, it reminds me of our collective and individual callings as Christians. We, like Jesus, are to fulfil the will of God, to do His bidding, and not let anything stand in the way of that, yes, even when we are sorely tempted to do so. Amen.
Forward notes: “And Jesus had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things” (verse 34b).
“One of my favorite icons is the Good Shepherd. In most versions, Jesus is carrying a lamb around his neck. I have a copy of this icon that sits in my prayer corner: Christ gazes out at the beholder, and, in his arms, a lamb gazes up at the Good Shepherd in peaceful adoration. I turn to this icon regularly whenever I long to be a sheep in such loving intimacy with our Savior.
“In today’s gospel reading, we are called sheep without a shepherd. I think of viral news stories about sheep who have been lost; as domesticated creatures, they can’t shed their wool so need to be sheared every year. I have also seen flocks of sheep endlessly circle cars because they’re each following the sheep in front of them.
“We all need a good shepherd’s loving care. As humans, we’re inclined to wander after our own whims, as selfish or noble as they might be. Jesus, out of deep compassion for us, offers himself up to us. Jesus teaches us many things, including how, simply, to follow him.”
Moving Forward: “In what ways do you allow the Lord to be your shepherd? How often do you follow your own lead or that of others instead?”