MARK 6:45-56 Lesson # 14
STRESSING CLOSED MINDS
I. Greetings.
RQ Are you like me and sometimes get side-tracked from your real goals? It is so easy to do.
Note: Jesus models for His disciples how to handle this. In these few verses He shows the apostles how to get back to a proper focus.
Note: Often the work of helping others or serving God can get our minds off the key issues.
Q Do you think the disciples were tempted to get distracted with another agenda?
An = Keeping on the true track is hard for humans and the disciples were no exception. The stress of doing good work or doing spiritual ministry can make us vulnerable. Like them, we can get impatient with others or discouraged with ourselves when pressure builds, and Jesus has a word for us. However, this word is not so much a spoken message but a word portrayed in the action of Jesus and His interaction with His disciples.
II. The Preparation of Prayer: Mark 6:45-47.
>>>> Have someone read Mark 6:45-47.
Note: Jesus had just performed an amazing miracle. He fed five thousand people. If you remember, the miracle seemed to be as much for the benefit of the disciples as for the people. It appears only the disciples knew all the details of the miracle, so they could learn how to have faith in the midst of the tension of ministry or life. When the miraculous feeding was over Jesus gave new and unusual instructions for them to leave.
Q What is the stated reason for Jesus’ sending off the disciples and for His dismissing the crowd?
An = It was so He could be alone to pray.
Q Why is it important to get alone to pray?
Q Another question, is it more important to get alone after a tremendous experience of success?
An = See if they can see why Jesus did this. This is the second time we find this pattern in Mark (see 1:35-39). If something goes extremely well for you in a ministry situation, playing music, speaking, or organizing an event for the church or a person in need, and if we do not want to get caught up in the illusion of pride, we can be helped and safe guarded by talking to the Lord.
Certainly one cannot remain in the stupidity of pride for long in the true presence of the Almighty.
Note: We know Jesus prayed, but we don’t know what He said to His Father. This is typical of the Gospels (for example Luke records Jesus praying 15 times, but only tells us the words He used in four of those instances). Did He pray for help against His own temptations or was He praying for the disciples? I want to suggest a couple things for us to pray for when we are alone.
1) Perhaps pray using Scripture as a guide. Here are two examples. Philippians 1:9-11 and Psalm 38:13-22. The first is from Paul who was praying for others he cared for, and the second is a prayer made by the Psalmist who is in great anxiety. In the cases where we do have some of the words or thoughts Jesus prayed, these two issues were parts of His prayer life. Perhaps the first example from Philippians would be a prayer when things went well and the other from the Psalms when they did not.
>>>>Have someone read Philippians 1:9-11.
In verse 9, Paul prays that the love of the people he cares about would grow. If their love grew it would result in real knowledge and discernment (See Luke 10:21-22). Paul knew that if they learned to love more they would become wise, and then in verse 10 discernment from love would help them choose what is excellent, which would keep them sincere and blameless until the end. In verse 11, love would result not only in discernment, which would lead to good choices, but it would guide them to fill their lives with righteous actions that would bring praise to God.
Put simply, we should pray for others that their love would grow.
>>>> Have someone read Psalm 38:13-22:
This prayer is made when the Psalmist was overwhelmed (Luke 22:39-44):
Express your confusion or pain (13-14),
Express your hope in God in the midst of your trouble due to enemies (15-17),
Ask for forgiveness of your own sin (18),
Do not take justice into your own hands
But rather ask God Himself to intervene (19-22).
In other words, pray, do not fume or work yourself up in anger. It is OK to be anxious and ask God in the midst of anxiety for help. It takes faith to pray and not smolder in resentment.
III. The Power Over Raging: Mark 6:48-49.
>>>> Have someone read Mark 6:48-49.
Note: See in 6:48 that our Lord is watching – It is hard to remember that God is always watching, especially when He seems to be absent.
Q Why does He let the disciples experience trouble and struggle?
An = Back in Mark 4:35-41, the last time the disciples encountered difficulties in a boat, Jesus was sleeping. Now He is not even in the boat, He is further away, He is on the land. He seems to deliberately allow them to get into situations that cause them stress when He is seemingly not available.
Q Is God’s goal to make our lives easy?
An = Mark tells us God’s twin goals are to build us and bless us. He often allowed the disciples to encounter storms. Perhaps, His best blessings come in disguise.
Note: The phrase “passing by” in verse 48 is seemingly an odd one. However, let us see this phrase in other biblical texts: have someone look up and
>>>> Read Exodus 33:19, 22
>>>> Read I Kings 19:11
Mark is deliberately using language that hints of theophany (the appearance of God to men). One familiar with the O.T. language would no doubt have noticed this subtle allusion to the presence of God. This is one more hint that Mark saw Jesus as the same God who founded Israel and created the entire world. Mark sees Jesus in the same language as the Lord God Almighty.
IV. The Disciple’s Hardened Hearts: Mark 6:50-52.
>>>> Have someone read Mark 6:50-52
Q What does Jesus say to them in the midst of their fear?
An = “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” When Christ was in their presence, they were courageous and free of fear! Notice He then climbs into their boat. In a similar fashion, He climbs into our circumstances, and they sort themselves out!
Give an example of this from your own life or from someone everybody else knows. You could have someone prepared to do this before the meeting starts.
Q What does 6:52 mean?
An = Perhaps this helps us see another reason why Jesus let them get so stressed? If we are stressed, maybe it is because we have hardened our hearts. We did not learn from the previous situation what was possible to learn.
Q Did they immediately learn from the previous situation of Jesus making bread for 5,000 people from 5 loaves and 2 fishes?
An = At times Jesus did things in their midst, even a miracle, and they did not learn what He so plainly wanted them to learn. God does something for us, but often we are not drawn closer to God. It is only later when we are frightened to death that we finally understand the point.
Q Though the disciples’ hearts were hardened, and they did not learn, did Jesus still love them?
An = surprisingly, yes. We also can go through periods of spiritual dullness, and yet He still loves us.
Note: Understanding the ways of life, and the actions of God, are often not a matter of intellectual ability, but of learning in actual life experiences. True understanding is often a matter of being open to seeing what God is trying to say and do in our lives.
We are often very dense.
V. The Crowds Too: They Wanted Healing But Not Teaching, Mark 6:53-56.
>>>> Have someone read Mark 6:53-56.
Q In the midst of such acts of healing, what is missing?
An = There is no teaching. Remember Mark is always pointing out that Jesus’ real desire is to teach the people, not merely give them temporal blessing. Some of us here today have needs and such needs are important to God, but what we really need from God is often overlooked. We want blessing, but not what He wants to teach us.
People often did not want Jesus’ Word which can heal their souls, but only physical miracles or blessings. We need healing and we often need physical blessing, but He wants to give us more.
Q Did Jesus heal anyway?
An = Yes, He did. The disciples did not understand what they should have understood, but Jesus saved them in the boat anyway. The people wanted healing, and Jesus gave it to them.
Jesus did not teach here, but He did teach later. Next week, watch what He did. He creatively got the truth to the people.