Connecting In a Deserted Place Filled with People

Last Sunday we talked about Inviting and how when a person sees and gets to know Jesus it’s natural to want to invite someone else to get connected to Jesus too because of all the ways Jesus impacts and touches our life. Today’s passage is about Connecting. If you look back in Mark 6 to verses 7-13 you see they’re about Jesus commissioning and instructing the twelve apostles who “went out and proclaimed that all should repent. 13 They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.” Verse 30 tells us what happens when the apostles return from their mission trip. Listen for how many ways we hear about people connecting with other people.

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January 17, 2016
Mark 6:30-44, Connecting In a Deserted Place Filled with People
Pastor Doug Scalise, Brewster Baptist Church

“30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves 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 deserted place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. 35 When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; 36 send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii (note: a denarii was the usual day’s wage for a laborer) worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” When they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And all ate and were filled; 43 and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.

            This passage begins with the apostles huddling up around Jesus to share all they had done and taught during their first time doing ministry on their own. In football terms this is like film day on Monday when a team looks at what went well and what mistakes need to be learned from and corrected from the game the previous day. Jesus sent the apostles out in teams of two so each one of them had someone else for encouragement, wisdom, comfort, and mutual support. The apostles were likely exhilarated, exhausted, gratified, drained, and perplexed by some of what they’d seen and experienced. They probably had questions they wanted to ask Jesus about. Jesus invites them to go on a team retreat in a deserted place away from the demands of other people and the tasks of ministry and mission to reconnect with one another and with him. This is very important for us to do. Taking regular time to connect with God and the key people we live with, or work and serve with is important for us – it’s renewing, it builds a sense of connection, it’s builds a sense of being part of a team. We want to be connected with Jesus and great things can happen when we’re connected with Jesus and other people.

When Nathan and Greg were young they enjoyed building with Legos. As the years went by we ended up with many plastic bins filled with Legos. Individual Legos are small pieces of strong, resilient plastic of all different sizes, colors, and shapes. Individually they’re not very impressive, unless you accidently step on one in your bare feet. But, when you take those small little pieces of plastic and connect them in groups of fifties and hundreds and thousands those individual pieces can turn into… well take a look at what they can become when they get connected.

Showed slides of Lego Creations

            The purpose of a Lego is to be connected to another Lego. That is how and why they’re made – for connection. Like a Lego, we’re also made to be connected with God and other people. Like a Lego piece, each of the apostles benefitted from being connected to Jesus and to each other. Each of them had something to offer and contribute, and so do we, and by being connected to Jesus and to each other we have a chance to be a part of something significant that is greater and larger than what we can do on our own. I had a great time yesterday with our Worship Team; we spent three and half hours together getting to know each other better, praying together, learning about worship, affirming our strengths and sharing ideas and thoughts about how we can improve. I hope if you asked them that they’d say it was time well spent.

Jesus’ retreat with the apostles in a deserted place doesn’t work out in quite the same way; however, because while they’re going there in a boat, thousands of people can see them and they run around the shoreline and get to where Jesus’ team is going before they even arrive; so much for a retreat in a deserted place. Jesus comes ashore and Mark says (6:34), “he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” One of the things Jesus can do that we need to learn how to do is to see with physical eyes in such a way that we have a spiritual impression. In other words, we have to learn to see people and the world the way God does, because if we can, we’ll be closer to God and serve God better. Humanly speaking, there was likely at least one apostle who looked at the crowd of people and thought to himself, “Go away and leave us alone. We need a break!” Jesus sees the situation differently.

Three times (verses 31, 32, & 35) in this passage we hear the phrase “deserted place.” This is a reminder of how God provided manna in the desert or wilderness for the people during the Exodus from Egypt. Psalm 23 was also clearly in Mark’s mind and memory as he told the story of the feeding of the 5,000. Mark says that Jesus had compassion on the people “because they were like sheep without a shepherd,” which echoes the 23rd Psalm. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.” This miracle is the only one that appears in all four Gospels, but Mark is the only one who mentions “the green grass” (Mark 6:39) doubling down on the connection to Psalm 23. Note how Jesus has the people sit down in groups of hundreds and fifties which helps turn a large anonymous crowd into smaller units that make you more likely to feel connected to the people around you. Then in language that sounds very much like Jesus uses at the Last Supper, Marks writes, “Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples.” Amazingly, as the disciples share the bread and fish with the people there is more than enough so that there 12 baskets of leftovers. Symbolically, there is enough for each of the 12 tribes in Israel, enough so that each of the 12 apostles has a basket to carry as a reminder that they are with the Good Shepherd.

For almost four years BBC member Linda Viprino, has been the team leader for preparing meals one Monday a month here at church for the Faith Neighborhood Kitchen/Calvary Meals program in Hyannis. After nearly four years and 8,500 meals later, Linda’s time of involvement with the Meals program came to an end this week.

Photo of Linda in kitchen with Marilyn Raatz and Chelsea Forgeron.

I want to share part of an email Linda sent to the volunteers who helped with that ministry because I think it communicates the value of connecting and sharing. She wrote, “I would like to personally thank all of the 140 volunteers who made this outreach possible, especially those who served numerous times, either helping me cook the meals in the BBC kitchen, transporting the food to Hyannis, serving the meals at the Faith Assemblies of God Church, or baking hundreds and hundreds of cookies and brownies! While the meals provided were a blessing to those in need, I am sure that those of us who were able to be the Lord’s hands and feet in this endeavor were really the ones blessed by it. The needy, whether or not homeless, are folks just like you and me, living ordinary lives, but for a few missteps or a few poor choices, find themselves living on the fringes and finally as outcasts from society. But we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and as such, they belong to us and we to them, and they are deserving of all we can do for them.

I pray that the love and light of Christ that we have shown them will have a lasting impact on their lives, for which we can all thank God that we were privileged to be a part of. May God bless each and every one of you, and remember the words of Christ: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” -Matthew 25:35 NIV ~ with my heartfelt thanks and gratitude, Linda Viprino

Sometimes a human connection can happen in simple ways – like preparing, serving, or sharing a meal, or a hand on a shoulder, a hug, a text, an email… a phone call…a card in the mail… just to know someone is there… thinking of you… reaching out to you…it helps a lot when one is sick, feeling detached, isolated, or lonely. When we’re in those moments we can also seek to strengthen our connection with God. Pastor Choco said, “We gain by giving, we rise by bowing to serve, and we’re filled by pouring ourselves out to God and others.”

The whole cycle of Inviting, Connecting, Equipping and Sharing is present in this story in Mark 6. The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. Jesus invites the disciples to a lonely place to rest and connect with him and each other after their time of ministry and service. A great crowd followed them because they wanted to be connected to Jesus. Jesus has compassion and (v. 34) “began to teach them many things” to equip them to grow in their faith and spiritual walk with God. When the problem of food arises, Jesus orders them to have the people sit in groups in order to turn a larger crowd in which people feel anonymous and not responsible or connected to those around them into smaller groups where people can connect and identify with each other. Bread and fish are blessed, broken, and given, shared with all. And when we share what we have with Jesus, there is more than enough to share with everyone. Jesus is worthy of our trust and if we give Him our all, He will take it, bless it, break it, and share it with others.

I began with Legos and I’m ending with them. When Legos aren’t connected they’re easily moved and pushed around and even easy to lose. When they’re connected; they form strong bonds, new shapes, and are harder to break apart and harder to lose. Picture the difference between loose stones compared with a stone wall. All of that is also true in the church. When we’re not connected with God and each other, we’re more easily moved and pushed around and influenced by even slight external pressure. It’s also easier to get lost or be lost. When we’re connected with God and each other we form strong bonds, new shapes, and our bonds are harder to break and we’re less likely to get lost and far more likely to be found.

Blessing: Hebrews 13:20-21

20 Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

 

Questions for Discussion or Reflection

1. After a time of intense ministry and service, Jesus invites the disciples to take a time of rest away from the crowds. Why is it important for us to regularly build in to our lives time of Sabbath, rest, and renewal? What happens if we don’t?
2. Notice the emphasis on the location being “a deserted place,” (verses 6:31, 32, & 35). Why might this be significant? Can you remember any other Bible stories where something significant happens in the desert or wilderness?
3. Mark 6:34 says, “and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” Look again through Mark 6:30-44 and see how many parallels you can find to the 23^rd What does it mean for you that Jesus is like a Good Shepherd?
4. How do you think you would have felt if you were one of the disciples with Jesus and he looked at you regarding feeding more than 5,000 people and said, “You give them something to eat.”
5. What does this story tell us about the power and authority of Jesus to meet our needs?
6. How does this episode in Mark 6:30-44 remind you of the Lord’s Supper (see especially Mark 14:22-25)?