The Gospel of Mark 6:30-56 - Heaven's Bread and I AM Walks on the Waters
The Disciples have come back from their great “mission trip” and now Jesus encourages them to take rest. Yet they are recognized and about five thousand flock to them. Jesus has compassion and teaches them. Yet when there is a need for food the Disciples are unable to feed them. Instead, Jesus multiplies fish and loaves and feeds everyone until they are content. The Disciples go ahead in the boat and Jesus spends some time in prayer. He then catches up to them while they are struggling to cross by walking on the water. The disciples didn’t understand or have faith, which is compared against those who come to Him for healing who do believe.
Discussion:
“The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.”
Mark 6:30-32 (ESV)
Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest
Previously in Mark we have seen Jesus set free a man demonized by a legion of demons. After healing the demonized man, Jesus returned to His side of the lake, probably Capernaum. He resurrected a girl and healed a woman of a long term blood flow. He then went to Nazareth where He was met with rejection and insults. Jesus then anointed the Disciples and sent them out. He gave them authority over demons and demonic powers. The Apostles went out calling everyone to repent, casting out demons, and healing many. It is after all this journeying, life and death situations, threats, miracles, healings, and resurrections, not to mention intense ministry that the Disciples return. They immediately found themselves in such a hurry that they didn’t even have time to eat! Jesus, seeing their situation encouraged them to get away to a remote area and rest. Often times when we get involved in ministry it is easy to become overwhelmed with the needs and a desire to do good that we forget to rest and take care of ourselves and our families! This is especially true of pastors and missionaries, which is why they suffer such a large percentage of burnout. Yet we can see from this that Jesus does not desire this and calls us to come and rest. Rest in Him! James R. Edwards explained that the disciples didn’t just have a mission for Jesus, but they also had a mission with Him, and this includes rest (Edwards 2002, 190).
“Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.”
Mark 6:33–34 (ESV)
Like sheep without a shepherd
In ancient days certain nations in Mesopotamia as well as the Jews described their rulers as shepherds. Of course, we know that Moses was a shepherd (Exodus 3:1), and David as well (1 Samuel 16:11-13) (Marcus 2008, 406). Jesus is presented as the prophet like Moses and the Son of David, so referring to Jesus as a shepherd makes sense. However, more than a human shepherd, we must remember that in the Bible, God is often compared to a shepherd (Psalm 23, Isaiah 40:11, Ezekiel 34:11-16, etc). Jesus seeing these people as sheep without a shepherd could be a reference to Him being the prophet like Moses, the Son of David, or to His divinity. We will see later which one Mark is primarily referring to, however, I think it is accurate that Mark viewed Jesus as all three. So Jesus spoke to the people and taught them. However, as the day grew later the Disciples became worried about the people.
“And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”
Mark 6:35–37 (ESV)
You give them something to eat
The Disciples came to Jesus and expressed a concern for the people, because they had not eaten yet. However, when Jesus was asked about food He responded by saying “You give them something to eat.” The Disciples were puzzled, explaining how much money it would take to feed them all. How can they feed this many? It seemed impossible, and would have reminded a Jew of Moses as he struggled to feed the children of Israel in the wilderness (Edwards 2002, 192). I believe that Jesus told them to feed the people in order to make a point; no human can provide this much food in the wilderness!
And so Jesus had the people sit down, blessed the food they had, and then gave it to the Disciples to distribute, just as Elisha had had his servant feed one hundred men with twenty loves of bread (2 Kings 4:42–44) (Collins and Attridge 2007, 325-326). However, this wasn’t one hundred men but five thousand! They didn’t have twenty loaves but five loaves and two fish!
“And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all.”
Mark 6:38–41 (ESV)
By hundreds and fifties
Jesus had the people sit down in groups (companies) of fifty and one hundred, which would mirror a banquet (Guelich 1989, 341). The Qumran community expressed in the Damascus Document that they, living in the last days, were to be organized in tens, fifties, hundreds, and thousands as they waited for the Messiah. After this the “Inspector” would “instruct the many in the deeds of God… and teach them mighty marvels.” Not only this, but he was to shepherd the flock, which also mirrors what Jesus is doing here (Collins and Attridge 2007, 324-325). I believe the point that Mark is trying to make here, using the language that was common to the Essenes (a Jewish community in his day) is that the start of Jesus ministry marked the beginning of the “last days.” Have you ever wondered why it seems that every generation is convinced that they are in the last days? It is because they are, and we are! For over two thousand years we have been in the last days! If this is true, the point that Mark is building to will incorporate this idea. After He had them sit down He blessed the bread and fish and then gave them to the Disciples to distribute.
Looked up to heaven
A typical Jewish prayer over bread and food would be “Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the world. Blessed are you who makes bread come forth from out of the earth” (Lane 1974, 230). We don’t know what He said exactly, however, since it is not remarked upon it is likely that Jesus said a traditional prayer.
It is interesting that “you give them something to eat”, stands in contrast to the prayer that must have been said during the blessing. It is God who makes “bread from out of the earth,” not man. Perhaps the statement was to highlight that they could not, as men, do what was being asked of them. Yet Jesus could, and in being able to provide such bread, did so as Yahweh. It is Jesus who is making “bread from the earth.” I believe this is a very strong divine act. Thus, this miracle acts as a divinity claim of Jesus. Jesus, as God provided bread for the people, and when He did this, He gave them more than enough.
“And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.”
Mark 6:42–44 (ESV)
They ate and were satisfied
As an American who is middle class, it might be difficult to read this and think anything of it. This is because most days when we eat we are satisfied, this is not abnormal for us. However, this was not normal for ancient people, who often faced hunger or even starvation (Stein 2008, 317). A modern example of this concept would be like saying “the richest man on earth came to our very poor church. He gave to each person so much money that they had no desire to get more; no debts, no worry over how to pay bills. They had enough.” This statement would be more shocking to us because we live in a world where people often want for money, they worry about paying bills, or affording groceries. This is how we should read the statement that they ate and were satisfied, it was a moment of great blessing and contentment.
Yet there is more here. The statement is comparable to Psalm 78’s recount of the Israelites and their provision of Manna and meat (Collins and Attridge 2007, 326).
“Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven, and he rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven. Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance. He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind; he rained meat on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas; he let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings. And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved.”
Psalm 78:23–29 (ESV)
Just as the children of Israel ate and were satisfied, so too the men with Jesus ate until they were satisfied. The comparison here is clear, Jesus, like Moses, is leading the people to the “Promised Land.” But what is this Promised Land? They were already in Israel.
5,000 men
Sometimes in a story of ancient history, or even a Bible story, we can be so removed from the event that we find that something that would have been obvious to them is completely unseen by us. In this story of the feeding of five thousand men there is such a moment. As James R. Edwards explains, this story shows that this was not a family event, but a meeting of a revolutionary group, called the Zealots, that were coming to Jesus with the intent to overthrow Rome and make Him their King (Edwards 2002, 194-195).
“Rural Galilee was a stronghold of the Zealot movement (Acts 5:37). The Zealot movement was founded in A.D. 6 by Judas the Galilean, who hailed from Gamala in the hills to the east of Bethsaida (Josephus, War 2.118). Two of his grandsons, Menahem and Eleazar, perished in the battle for Masada in the early 70s of the first century (War 2.433; 7.253). Even before Judas, the independent sentiments of Galilee had resulted in stiff resistance against Herod the Great prior to his accession of the throne in 37 B.C., and when he died in 4 B.C. Sepphoris in Galilee revolted against the transferal of his throne to his sons. Josephus, who commanded the forces in Galilee in A.D. 66–67 against Vespasian, speaks of the valiant resistance of Galilee against the Roman invasion. Galilee—and particularly this part of Galilee which lay within eyeshot of Gamala—was, in other words, the spearhead of freedom movements against Rome, and particularly of the Zealot movement.
Further clues in the account suggest populist and revolutionary sentiments within the crowd. The reference to “sheep without a shepherd” (6:34), is, as we saw, a predominantly military image. Mention of the “many people [who] were coming and going” (v. 31) is unusual, even suspicious, and suggests a clandestine movement afoot, especially if the “many” (Gk. polloi) is to be understood as predominantly or exclusively masculine, as are the five thousand “men” of v. 44. Also, if the verb of v. 33 reads “got there ahead of them,” as we suppose, the context suggests a populist anticipation of Jesus. An unusual number of signs thus suggest that the wilderness commotion was aflame with messianic fervor, and that the crowd hoped to sweep Jesus up as a guerrilla leader. These clues are confirmed in John’s account of the feeding of the five thousand, where we are told that the people “intended to come and make him king by force” (John 6:15).
It is nevertheless clear from the account that Jesus will not march to a populist and militarist drumbeat. He will not be a militant-messianic shepherd of the sheep (so Isa 40:11; Mic 5:4; Psalms of Solomon 17). His model as host of the wilderness banquet is not that of Barabbas, a Zealot chieftain, but that of Moses. The repeated references to the wilderness (6:31, 32, 35) recall Israel’s sojourn in the wilderness following the Exodus from Egypt; the multiplication of loaves (v. 41) recalls the gift of manna (Exod 16:14–15); and Jesus’ leading the people as a shepherd (v. 34) recalls Moses’ leading a fledgling nation. Like Moses (Exod 18:21, 25), Jesus divides the crowd into groups (vv. 39–40). The shepherd that this wayward flock needs is not a guerrilla Messiah but a Moses to teach them (Num 27:17) and a David to lead them (Ezek 34:1–31). It is their work that Jesus has come to fulfill.”
This was so shocking to me that I had to include the quote, as I felt he explains it very well! The feeding of the five thousand wasn’t a family picnic, nor was it a gathering of the religious elite. Instead, it seems that these were men of war, men who were seeking to overthrow Rome! This explains why, after feeding them, Jesus immediately left with His disciples.
“Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.”
Mark 6:45–52 (ESV)
Walking on the sea
And so Jesus came to them walking on the sea! Besides being a sign of Jesus as God, what does the miracle mean? Joel Marcus sheds some light on this, explaining that Jesus walking on the water is to be seen as similar to the Israelites crossing over the sea as they escaped Egypt. Not only this, but the crossing over the water occurred in both instances early in the morning (Exodus 14:24), and when Psalm 77:20 speaks of the crossing, it says that Yahweh’s way was “on (or in) the sea” (Marcus 2008, 431–432). Thus we can see that Jesus walking on the water would be connected to Yahweh being on the waters during the Exodus! Mark is making it clear that Jesus is the God of the Exodus!
He meant to pass by them
What does it mean that Jesus meant to pass by the Disciples? At first this statement is very confusing. Perhaps He was just determined and trying to make it to shore, however, given the entire narrative and Mark’s clear statement about the disciples lack of faith, this makes less sense. As William L. Lane explains, it is more likely that Mark is making a reference to “a manifestation of the transcendent Lord who will “pass by” as God did at Sinai before Moses (Ex. 33:19, 22) or on Horeb before Elijah (1 Kings 19:11)” (Lane 1974, 236). This makes much more sense, and becomes a key moment where the Disciples should have seen His divinity, but clearly they did not, for it says that their hearts were hardened (a reference to unbelief).
They did not understand about the loaves… hearts were hardened
This statement in the story really confused me. I would think that them not understanding Him walking on water would be the point, but instead Mark points out that them not understanding the miracles of the loaves was the cause. Why is that? First we need to understand that unbelief is connected to a hard heart. When it says that their hearts were hardened it is saying that they didn’t have faith.
“Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.”
Mark 16:14 (ESV)
Matthew expounds on this and explains that the point of their lack of faith was that they didn’t believe that Jesus could provide for them.
“And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?”
Matthew 16:7–9 (ESV)
The story of the multiplication of loves and fishes is pointing back to Psalm 78 which is talking about the Israelites when they received manna from heaven. The problem was that the Israelites didn’t believe that God would provide, as we see the Disciples didn’t either.
“They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them… They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness? He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?”
Psalm 78:11, 19–20 (ESV)
God wanted the Israelites to see that He was their provision, not Moses, not the Egyptians, not themselves. They were to live by God and His word.
“And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”
Deuteronomy 8:3 (ESV)
Thus, the Disciples not believing the Word of the Lord, the works of Jesus, that He would provide for them was unbelief and a lack of faith. It was this lack of faith that caused them to fear, and not believe in Jesus. But what were they not believing when Jesus was walking on the water?
I AM
When Jesus gets to the Disciples He instructs them not to fear, exclaiming “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” The Greek for “it is I” is the same as when God says “I am”, and in my opinion this verse could be translated as “Do not be afraid, I AM” (see Marcus 2008, 432)! Yet the Disciples did not understand this. They did not believe in that He would provide, and thus they did not believe that He is I AM (at this time, they clearly believed this later on). Yet Mark explains that there were those who believed in Jesus, and they received healings and miracles.
“When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.”
Mark 6:53–56 (ESV)
The fringe of His garment
The faith of those who came to Him for healing was so great that they believed that if they just touched the fringe of His garment they would be healed! The fringe is a reference to what we would call His tzit zits today, tassels that were worn on the men’s garments (Marcus 2008, 437). To me this shows great faith, for they understood that healing came from Jesus in such great power that they could receive it just by touching His clothing. Thus, we can see a juxtaposition between the Disciples lack of faith and the common people’s faith. Sometimes, even those who are with Jesus, even today, find ourselves in a place of unbelief. We struggle. Yet the call of Jesus is to soften our heard hearts and to have faith in Him. Look to Him for all we have, believe His word, believe in Him, and see the God who walks on the waters and brings forth bread from the earth!
Summary
Jesus encouraged the Disciples to find rest after they had come back from their ministry. However, the people saw them and ran to where they were. Jesus had compassion on them and so He began to teach the men, probably rebels, men who sought the Kingdom of God but wanted to overthrow Rome. After a while the Disciples saw the need for food and asked Jesus to send them away to get food. He responded by telling them to feed the people. But the Disciples were unable to feed them in their own power. Jesus then multiplied the bread and fish and fed five thousand men with enough to leave left overs. The people ate until they were full. After this the Disciples went on alone and Jesus caught up to them by walking on the sea. The Disciples didn’t have faith and didn’t believe. Yet they came to a place where the people did have faith and believed that Jesus could heal them and so many were healed.
Life Application
Often times in our life we find ourselves in a place of need, in a place where we need to believe Jesus for provision because that is all we have. It is in this time that we have the chance to look to Him for our provision, to Him as the source of our provision and life. Whether sickness, poverty, or some other thing has come up we must look to Him to find what we need. Indeed, we should look at these circumstances as a blessing, for they bring to us the opportunity to find our substance from Jesus instead of doctors, or perhaps our jobs.
As Christians, we are called to live our lives in faith. Yet as Americans, this can be difficult, because we don’t often find ourselves in need. When we do have this need, instead of panic or fear, let us turn our hearts to God and ask Jesus for what we lack! Then when our need is met, not only will we find a fulfillment of our faith, but we will have the blessing of an answered prayer!
Questions to Consider
How do we respond when we have a need? Are we filled with worry, fear, or concern?
Do we trust God, or do we just live in comfort?
Connections
Matthew 14:13–36
Luke 9:10–17
John 6:1–21
Outline
Jesus feeds 5,000 people.
Jesus walks on water.
Jesus heals many people in the area of Gennesaret
References-
James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2002), 190.
Joel Marcus, Mark 1–8: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 27, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 406.
James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2002), 192.
Adela Yarbro Collins and Harold W. Attridge, Mark: A Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007), 325–326.
William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), 230.
Robert H. Stein, Mark, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), 317.
Adela Yarbro Collins and Harold W. Attridge, Mark: A Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007), 326.
James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2002), 194–195.
“In the OT-saturated atmosphere of our narrative, however, more is involved in Jesus’ walking on the waters than just an astounding feat of magic. For Jesus’ passage through the sea is reminiscent of the Israelites’ crossing of the Sea of Reeds in the exodus and thus continues the Passover/exodus/Moses typology that characterized the preceding narrative, in which Jesus like Moses provided bread, as well as the beginning of our story, in which Jesus like Moses ascended “the mountain.” As Brown notes (1.255), the Passover Haggadah (Dayyenu section) and later rabbinic texts closely connect the gift of the manna with the Israelites’ crossing of the sea, so this is a natural connection to make. The crucial point in that crossing, moreover, occurred “in the morning watch” (Exod 14:24), just as our miracle does. Furthermore, Psalm 77:20 says that, in the exodus crossing, God’s way was on (or in) the sea, and the Septuagint translation of this psalm (76:16 LXX) speaks of the waters seeing God and being disturbed (etarachthēsan), the same verb that is used in Mark 6:50 for the disturbance of the disciples (the Targum, like Mark, transfers the disturbance from the waters to “the peoples”; cf. Davies and Allison, 2.505). And Jesus’ self-identification formula, “I am here” (egō eimi), has strong connections with Passover; it is dwelt upon in the Haggadah (“I, the Lord, I Am and no other”), and one of the biblical “I am” passages, Isa 51:6–16, is a Jewish lectionary reading (hapṭārā) for the holiday. “I am” is also the interpretation of the divine name that God revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exod 3:14) and is part of the Ten Commandments that he gave to him on Sinai (Exod 20:2; Deut 5:6). Thus the Mosaic and exodus echoes in our passage are unmistakable.”
Joel Marcus, Mark 1–8: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 27, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 431–432.
“For Mark the event is a theophany, a manifestation of the transcendent Lord who will “pass by” as God did at Sinai before Moses (Ex. 33:19, 22) or on Horeb before Elijah (1 Kings 19:11). The text simply uses the language of theophany familiar from the Septuagint.121 It is possible that the evangelist intends his readers to recognize an allusion to Job 9:8, 11: “he walks upon the waves of the sea … If he goes by me, I will not see him, and if he passes by me, I will not recognize him.” In this instance the divine appearance occurred for the very purpose of being seen. In wonderful fashion Jesus put his authority at the disposal of the disciples and passed by to assure them of his presence with them.”
William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), 236.
“But these nuances do not mean that Jesus is just being compared to Moses here; the more important analogy is that which exists between the Markan Jesus, on the one hand, and the God who spoke and revealed himself to Moses, on the other. For in the OT and some later Jewish texts it is consistently God or his wisdom who walks on the waters of the sea and tramples its waves, thus demonstrating that he and no other is divine (see e.g. Job 9:8; Hab 3:15; Ps 77:19; Isa 43:16; 51:9–10; Sir 24:5–6). Similarly, in the OT and Jewish traditions it is God alone who can rescue people from the sea (Ps 107:23–32; Jonah 1:1–16; Wis 14:2–4, etc.; cf. Davies and Allison, 2.503). This interpretation is confirmed by the otherwise puzzling note about Jesus’ intention to pass the disciples, which is reminiscent of the striking and important description of God revealing himself as he passes before Moses in Exod 33:17–34:8 (see the NOTE on “intended to pass them” in 6:48). In this OT text God’s “passing by” is accompanied by his proclamation of his own identity as a gracious and merciful deity (Exod 34:6); in our narrative, similarly, Jesus identifies himself by saying “I am here” and compassionately comes to the aid of his disciples. The link between our passage and Exodus 33–34 becomes even clearer when it is recalled that the name which God proclaims in Exodus 34:6 when he passes by, “Yahweh,” is etymologically explained in Exod 3:13–14 as deriving from the verb “to be,” thus forging a connection with the egō eimi of Mark 6:50.”
Joel Marcus, Mark 1–8: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 27, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 432.
ibid, 437.
