“Stepping up to the plate”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Thursday, March 24, 2022
Mark 6:30-46 (Forward, p. 54) CEV p. 1034
Before we move on to the main thrust of today’s account, I want to mention a couple of things that have long puzzled me. Jesus decides to take His disciples to some more secluded place where He and the disciples could be alone and get some rest. But the crowds guessed where they were going and beat them in getting there. So, I’m thinking that the use of this place was either natural or habitual on the part of Jesus. Okay, that makes sense. But then, how did the crowds get there first? Surely, using a boat to cross the lake would be faster than traipsing around the shoreline on foot. So, how did the crowds get there first. Somehow, I have never figured this out.
Several other things, however, are very evident. Firstly, Jesus saw the need for self-care, for a rest, for both His disciples and Himself and took action to take care of this. Even so (this is the second point), He was not a slave to this and was willing to change His mind, to adapt, in light of changed circumstances. Yes, His disciples were in need, but even more so was the crowd. They were like sheep without a shepherd! And so He ‘broke His own rules’ as it were, and ministered to them by starting to teach them. Somehow their need for a rest would have to wait until later.
However, the story doesn’t end just there. The disciples have noticed another pressing need and come to Jesus with it. The day is getting late and the people have not eaten. The disciples suggest dismissing the crowd to they can go to neighbouring farms and villages to buy food. But Jesus has another idea. He asks them to scout around and see what food they already have on hand. Their answer: five small loaves of bread and two small fish. Jesus then takes them, blesses them, breaks them and passes them out for distribution—and voila, somehow everyone is fed, an estimated 5,000 men.
There are two things that strike from this passage in terms of an application to our own lives. Firstly, that Jesus/ God is already aware of our needs, whether they be physical, mental or spiritual and is more than ready to tackle them. And secondly, that often the means of doing so, are already close at hand, often within reach, often belonging to ourselves. Often we are blind to our own resources and capabilities and need a bit of divine nudging to discover them and make use of them. Often we are the answers to our own prayers. Let us pray for the openness, and the ability, to see this, and then to put them at God’s disposal. Amen.
Forward notes: “After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray” (verse 46).
“Many volunteers prepare and serve meals in homeless shelters. I have volunteered at a shelter where patrons are served ‘restaurant-style,’ and I act as waitstaff. At another shelter, volunteers prepare the food, then join patrons in sharing the meal.
“Mark’s story of Jesus feeding the five thousand is very familiar. Yet, with this reading, I noticed the last verse for the first time.
“Mark tells us that Jesus sent his disciples away and remained behind to dismiss the crowd. For Jesus, it wasn’t enough just to feed hungry people. After the meal, he stayed behind to say farewell.
“What did Jesus say, I wonder. Maybe he raised his hand and pronounced a blessing. Maybe he tousled the hair of a youngster on the front row. Whatever he did, Jesus wanted to connect with the people.
“Connection is central to Jesus’s message. The Great Commandment to love God and neighbour is enough to change the world.”
Moving Forward: “Give a gift of time and money to a feeding ministry.