Mark 8:1-10

Be Still: Lord, help me to be present to you as you are so graciously present to me. Amen

Read: Mark 8:1-10

During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.' (v1,2) 

Encounter: I'm not proud of the fact that I find long sermons/talks a struggle (it's my age!). How ever gifted the speaker, after about twenty minutes, my attention starts to flag and if I hear the phrase 'coming in to land', my heart sinks because my experience of flying suggests that takes another 10-15 minutes.

But the crowd in the passage had been listening to Jesus for THREE DAYS! Clearly, they weren't there just to catch a miracle (although they saw many) - they couldn't get enough of what he had to say. Captivated by Jesus, hungry for spiritual truth, they had forgotten about their bodily needs. 

But Jesus hadn't. We're told he looked on this motley crowd of hungry people, worried about them fainting on the long trek home and he felt 'compassion'. This is a rare occasion when Jesus speaks directly about his own feelings, and the word he uses implies 'vital organs or entrails' - Jesus is moved in the very depth of his being by these people's physical as well as spiritual needs.

The second crowd-feeding miracle that follows, demonstrates how much God in Jesus cares for his children. Bread is multiplied so everyone is satisfied. The miracle shouldn't surprise us - as well as feeding 5000 in Mark 6,  in Exodus 16 God provided manna for the desperate people, and in 2 Kings 4, Elisha is given 20 loaves of bread which God multiplies to feed 100 men.

Jesus does it again! He demonstrates the loving heart of divinity. The difference here is he involves his disciples in the miracle. They are his hands and feet carrying the miracle to the waiting people.

Apply: Jesus wants to involve you today in his miracles. He wants you to be his hands and feet, working alongside other members of his family, to bring relief to the poor and needy, healing to the suffering, grace to the wounded, news of salvation to the lost.

Devote: Lord, I have so little to offer to you, but I know you are the God who multiplies.