Mark 8:1-9 ~ they ate and were satisfied

Mark 8:1-9

In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.”

And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?”

And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.”

And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away.

Today the phone rang, a friend has experienced a lot of adversity in the last year and a half. This Christian has worked at the Church, done youth work and now feels beaten down with life. Faith and prayers end at the ceiling, what's the use.

Look at the passage, Jesus knows about weariness. The people fed today have followed Jesus by putting time and effort into seeking. They've had three days of rough living. Jesus isn't feeding the people who are comfortable and well fed.

A fatigued, weary place in life and we wonder why there is a time of this roughness. We tend to think think like Jesus, why are we forsaken (Matt 27:46) ? Is God bored? On vacation?

Jesus gives us this to understand God is still there, even when we feel hostile or just overwhelmed:

Luke 18:1-1
1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'

4 "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "

6 And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.

Father, we pray for my Christian friend today & give thanks for the light the people who work for your glory bring. Lift and encourage those carrying the cross of Christ, send them their own Simon (Luke 23:26) to help them carry on. Thank you for the Simons you send. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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