Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Welcome back to Coronavirus. We're still with Jesus in Mark's Gospel, and we're in chapter 8 this time. But we're still in the in the gentile lands, and Jesus is going around doing these miracles. Very similar, and you'll see a very similar story here as he's done in the Jewish areas. So chapter 8 verse 1, during those days, another large crowd gathered.

Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus calls it disciples to him and said, I have compassion for these people. They have already been with me 3 days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way. Because some of them have come a long distance. His disciples answered, but where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?

How many loaves do you have Jesus SARS? 7, they replied. He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the 7 loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people and they did so. They had a few small fish as well.

He gave thanks for them, also, and told us the disciples to distribute them. The people ate and were satisfied. Afterwards, the disciples picked up 7 basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. About 4000 were present. After he had sent them away, He got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dal Manuther.

Now, I mean, this is familiar ground, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. But again, a huge crowd have come to CG's this. Yep.

And they stay with him for 3 days. And what's amazing is that there's a there's a small what Jesus says are. I don't wanna send them home hungry because they'll collapse all the way. Some of them come along this you imagine these people at home packing their sandwiches for the next few days. Yeah.

And then they're sat listening to Jesus and they keep looking at their stocks and they think, oh, we've only got enough. I mean, that's that's as much as we need to get home. Yeah. But they're like, oh, we need to stay here. Yeah.

So they start eating their home rations. So Jesus. So Jesus says, I'm I'm worried for this. These people haven't looked at their food of God. We need to go home now.

Jesus has been so amazing. They've wanted to stay out. I mean, it is interesting just last time. It's just on that, is he opened the ears of of a man that couldn't hear. And it's like their ears are open to this food from heaven, isn't it?

They're hearing the word of God, and they're thinking, this is a conference worth staying. And they're not thinking even their own physical welfare. But Jesus does, which is interesting, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah.

And it says he has compassion on them, which is the lovely words it's often used about Jesus, isn't it? Yeah. And we're still in gentile territory here. So, for Jesus to say, I have compassion for these people. You know, the gentiles are the dogs.

Yeah. You don't normally have compassion for a dog if it's hungry. Yep. You never feed the dogs. But, yeah, Jesus is is spending a lot of time with these people.

So there we are. So we've got that going on. And then Jesus says, I want I want feed them, and the disciples you would think would think, oh, dear, there's 4000 people here, should be a duggle. A little while ago, over in Jewish territory, there were 5000 men plus women and children. And Jesus fed them with a few loads of bread and fishes.

We know what he's gonna do, but they seem to they seem to still be deaf. I know. And they seem to not understand. So he says, you know, they say, where are we gonna buy it? It's what they said, you know, back in whatever chapter it was, the feeling of the 5000 happened perhaps they're thinking I mean, we don't know it's for sure that perhaps they're thinking, God would provide food for his own people.

But God wouldn't provide food for these people. This this miracle won't happen again. Yes, surely not. Exactly. And this is showing us that Jesus is the satisfying the feeder, the bread of life, the God of all nations.

Mhmm. He's not just for the Jews. He's for the Jews and the gentiles. Yeah. Which is a very important thing, isn't it?

Because you often hear sort of Islam, for instance, saying that you've got Jesus for for the Jews, but they need a profit for the gentiles, but that's This is hammering that on the head, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Absolutely. So, okay, so he gets them to do the same thing. They sit on the ground, and then he gives thanks to God for the bread. And they're all fed. Then, again, there's some fish around.

They all have fish sandwiches. Yep. Delicious. Yeah. And then he sends them away.

I mean, it's interesting perhaps they would have stayed, had he not sent them away. But again, just a picture of what Jesus is trying to do spiritually. He's been teaching them for 3 days. We know he's in the business of opening people's ears. We know that he calls himself the bread of life.

Again, it's probably just as Jesus didn't have to touch the man's ears in the previous story, but did physically demonstrates something. Perhaps this is him doing the same sort of thing. I think so. Yeah. He's he's he is the bread of life for for everyone that he will feed you and you'll find such faction in him.

And this is the he's the he's the feeding savior who has compassion on the gentiles the Jews, whatever, or ever nation. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I I guess it follows up.

I mean, you mentioned it. The back in chapter 7 with with the Sorrow finishing woman that called it herself a dog didn't she? Yeah. Even the dogs can have the crumbs from the table. And he's sort of saying, I'm not gonna give me any promise.

I'm gonna do the same miracle that I did for for the Jewish people. Yep. You will be included in my kingdom. Yes. People from all over the world -- Yeah.

-- is amazing. I guess for us nowadays, we we have people who consider themselves more or less religious. Some people grow up in church homes or some people have a kind of a dynamic feel a bit more spiritual. But then there are some people who who who who think that they're so not worthy of God's blessing. And so, why would God God wouldn't do this for me because I'm I'm so not religious, I'm so not really, you know, But Jesus here would be feeding them, wouldn't he?

He would be saying, you might not think you're worth this. The world might not think you're worth this. But here's a fish sandwich. Absolutely. And then, not only a fish sandwich, there were tons left over.

Yeah. You know, so Jesus has enough for everybody. Yep. So it's not like a just enough, is it? Yep.

It's overflowing. And they have to pick up all of these. I mean, I don't know why why don't you do with them? But, you know, it's fantastic. There's abundant life in g's, Yeah.

Amazing. And then you get immediately in a boat and go to the next place. Yeah. Yeah. Conference done straight to the next place.

Let's let's leave it there and we'll come back next time.