Find your rest in the care of Jesus.
Mark 6:31–44
vv. 31–34—Jesus tells His disciples to travel to a deserted area to rest after their missionary work. However, the crowds saw the disciples traveling and noted their direction. They passed through towns on foot and arrived at the location before Jesus and the disciples. Jesus saw the crowd and had compassion on them, viewed them as sheep without a shepherd, and began to teach the crowd many things.
vv. 35–42—The disciples approached Jesus and told Him that it was late and that He should send the crowds home so they could get something to eat—the third time “desolate” appears, emphasizing they were in a deserted region. Jesus told the disciples, “You feed them.” This statement sets up a conflict with an anticipated solution. The disciples only have five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus has the crowd sit in groups of fifties and hundreds. He blessed the food and then began to have the disciples distribute the food. Everyone ate and was satisfied.
vv. 43–44—There were twelve baskets of food left over. Twelve likely represents the number of tribes in Israel, likening this miracle to God’s provision for Israel when they wandered the desert (Numbers 11:4–6). Mark states the amount of people fed was around 5,000 men, not including women and children.
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