"Jesus Is Yahweh: The God Who Shepherds, Feeds, and Walks on Water" | Mark 6:33-56 | The Gospel of Mark Series | Hillside Baptist Church

Who is Jesus?

That's the most important question you will ever answer.

I realize that in a church like ours, that question might seem odd to ask.

There's probably an assumption that we all know who Jesus is, and that we would all come up with similar answers.

And while that's very likely true, it's still important to ask.

The reality is that most people don't know who Jesus is.

They might understand him as a historical figure, the basis for Christianity, and an important person who changed the world.

But that doesn't quite get at the heart of who Jesus is.

As we continue to work our way through the Gospel of Mark, we still find crowds of people asking that same question.

Who is this man, Jesus?

Is he just a good teacher?

A moral example?

A miracle worker?

Or is he something far more?

The question of Jesus' identity is important.

It's vital.

It makes all the difference.

How we answer this question has implications for how we spend eternity.

Many of us have a functional understanding of Jesus, but sometimes we forget to view him in light of the Trinity.

We love Jesus as Savior, but forget that he is also Yahweh, the eternal Son.

In our passage today, Jesus reveals himself as Yahweh, the God who fed his people in the wilderness, ruled the seas, and passed before Moses in glory.

But Mark doesn't come right out and tell us that.

So as we enter this passage, let's slow down and pay close attention.

And let's ask the question the disciples themselves were forced to wrestle with.

Open your Bibles with me to Mark chapter 6, beginning in verse 33.

Mark 6 · chapter mention

And before we read, let's go before God in prayer.

Father in heaven, as we just sang, open our eyes, open our hearts.

We pray that you would help us to see Jesus today.

We ask for your help in Jesus' name.

Amen.

At the end of the previous episode, we saw the disciples going away on a boat with Jesus to a desolate place where they could get some rest.

Let's continue with verses 33 and 34.

And the people saw them going, and many recognized them, and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them.

And when Jesus went ashore, he saw a large crowd, and he felt compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.

Well, so much for a peaceful retreat.

They can't seem to shake the crowds.

And while it would be easy to be frustrated as one of these disciples, we see Jesus have a very different attitude.

He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.

Our gospel writer Mark intends to communicate in these words that these people were like many of the generations that lived before them, suffering under a lack of leadership and care, vulnerable and in need of a true shepherd.

That was the way ancient Israel was described, as abandoned by unfaithful leaders.

And this phrasing of sheep without a shepherd echoes throughout the entire Old Testament.

Consider Numbers 27, 17.

Who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of Yahweh will not be like sheep which have no shepherd.

We also see in Ezekiel 34 a condemnation of false shepherds, and that Yahweh Himself will come to shepherd his flock.

I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out, I will feed them with good pasture.

We see this even more clearly in Psalm 23, which describes the Lord Yahweh as the good shepherd.

Yahweh is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul, he guides me in the paths of righteousness, for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me.

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You have anointed my head with oil, my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and loving kindness will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of Yahweh forever.

What we should take away from this is not just that Jesus is compassionate, but that he is the very fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises about the shepherd of God's people.

Jesus doesn't just resemble a good shepherd, he is the good shepherd, the very one Psalm 23 speaks of.

At times you've been blessed with faithful leadership, at other times you felt the ache of its absence.

Pastors are called to shepherd the flock of God, but we don't always do that well.

We're fallible, we fail.

But in this passage, we need a shepherd who never does.

Jesus is the good shepherd who shows us compassion and even knows us by name.

And in this passage, we see the same compassion Yahweh showed to Israel, now embodied in the flesh of his Son Jesus.

He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Amen.

Let's continue with verses 35 through 44.

And when it was already quite late, his disciples came to him and began saying, This place is desolate, and it is already quite late.

Send them away, so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.

But he answered and said to them, You give them something to eat.

And they said to him, Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?

And he said to them, How many loaves do you have?

Go look.

And when they found out, they said, Five and two fish.

And he commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass.

And they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties.

And he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, he blessed the food and broke the loaves, and he kept giving them to the disciples to set before them, and he divided up the two fish among them all.

And they all ate and were satisfied.

And they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces and also of the fish, and there were five thousand men who ate the loaves.

Even at first glance, this is an incredible miracle.

There is a crowd of five thousand men, not even counting women and children.

They are in the middle of nowhere.

Everyone is hungry with no immediate access to food.

And all the disciples could muster up was five little bread rolls and a couple of fish.

And we can't overlook the response of the disciples.

They still thought in worldly terms, failing to see that Jesus was capable of providing any need that should arise.

Not only did the disciples lack the same compassion as Jesus for these people, but they were unwilling to try and meet their needs themselves.

They basically told Jesus to send them away, using the excuse that it was getting late and they were going to need to eat soon.

Jesus challenges his disciples by flipping it back on them.

He says, You give them something to eat.

And they yet still continue to dig their heels in the ground.

How can you expect us to feed them?

You expect us to go make the trek to surrounding villages looking for food?

And even if we find food, you realize that would cost almost a year's worth of wages to get what we need, right?

Right, Jesus?

And it's easy to look at the disciples in this scenario and ridicule them.

Once again, we benefit from knowing the outcome and a more complete picture of who Jesus is and what he came to accomplish.

For these disciples, they had witnessed Jesus perform countless miracles, and yet they still didn't quite fully understand him.

But as we see in this passage, Jesus is the divine provider in the wilderness.

He takes what little the disciples had to offer, and he multiplies them, not just to meet a need, but to demonstrate his identity as the same Yahweh in Exodus 16, who fed the Israelites manna in the middle of the wilderness.

The fingerprints of the Old Testament are all over this.

This is not a new story, this is the old story come to life in Jesus.

Consider Psalm 78, verses 19 through 29.

Psalms 78:19–29

Then they spoke against God, they said, Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

Behold, he struck the rock, so that waters gushed out, and streams were overflowing.

Can he give bread also?

Will he prepare meat for his people?

Therefore Yahweh heard and was full of wrath, and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also mounted against Israel, because they did not believe in God and did not trust in his salvation.

Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven.

He rained down manna upon them to eat, and gave them grain from heaven.

Man ate the bread of angels, he sent them provision to satisfy.

He led forth the east wind in the heavens, and by his strength he guided the south wind.

Then he rained meat upon them like the dust, even winged fowl like the sand of the seas.

He caused them to fall in the midst of his camp all around his dwelling places.

And so they ate and were very satisfied, and their desire he brought to them.

Apparently God can provide a table in the wilderness.

He did it before with the ancient Israelites, and he does it again right here in Mark chapter six.

There's even an account in 2 Kings where the prophet Elisha feeds 100 men with 20 loaves.

While no doubt a miraculous work of God at the time through one of his prophets, it still pales in comparison to what Jesus accomplishes with the feeding of the 5,000 plus.

Elisha was a prophetic type of Christ, pointing forward to this day that finds its fulfillment among Jesus' disciples.

And they still didn't recognize Jesus as Yahweh Himself.

Also not to be overlooked is Jesus commanding the crowds to sit down in groups on the green grass.

The green grass echoes Psalm 23 again.

This is the good shepherd feeding his sheep.

Even after feeding the 5,000 plus, there were leftovers.

The twelve baskets left over are also relevant.

We know that the number twelve is significant relating to God's people, and it likely represents the restoration and fullness of Israel under the Messiah.

Jesus is doing what only Yahweh did in the Old Testament, creating abundance in the wilderness.

The people didn't just eat, they were satisfied.

We often live in what could be called a scarcity mindset, clinging to what we have out of fear that it won't be enough.

We focus on our own needs more than the needs of others.

And like the disciples, we sometimes act as though God's commands are unreasonable, forgetting that he is both willing and able to provide.

That means God is free to use the resources of this world however he pleases, and he often does so for the good of his people and the glory of his name.

As God's children, we are not spiritual orphans.

We have access to the Father in prayer, and his resources are never limited.

The disciples didn't need to scrape together a year's wages to feed the crowd.

They simply needed to come to Jesus, to trust him, and to ask.

They didn't need to understand how he would provide, only that he could.

But they didn't, because they still hadn't come to see Jesus as Yahweh in the flesh.

God's kingdom is a kingdom of abundance, not of scarcity.

But let's be clear, this is not the prosperity gospel.

We're not promised health, wealth, or success on demand.

What we are promised is that our Father knows what we need and he is both able and faithful to provide, often in ways that we could never expect.

And when he calls us to give, serve, or sacrifice, he never leaves us empty.

And here's what's more astounding: Jesus didn't just provide the miracle, he involved the disciples in it.

He didn't rain down bread from heaven this time, he broke the loaves with his own hands, but then placed the baskets into the hands of the disciples, the same disciples who doubted, who hesitated, who couldn't see beyond the scarcity.

Jesus could have fed the crowd without them, but he chose to use his disciples, flawed and hesitant as they were, as instruments of his provision.

They were the ones who carried the bread to the people.

They saw up close that what came from Christ's hands did not run out.

And remember, it was their own food that served as the foundation for this miracle.

What they lacked, Jesus multiplied.

He didn't just show them that the impossible was possible, he called them to participate in the impossible, trusting in his power.

This was part of their training as future leaders.

Jesus was teaching them not only to depend on him, but also to minister like him, not from the strength of their own resources, but in full dependence on his sufficiency.

And this is how God often works.

Not because he needs us, but because he loves to include us in his purposes.

That's how he's designed the church to function.

So we must not rely on what we can see or supply.

We must fully lean on the power of God, trusting him to take what little that we have that it would be more than enough.

Successful ministry involves meeting people's needs in the power of God.

So let this be a reminder to us as a church.

Jesus doesn't give us breadcrumbs, he gives us fullness, even in the wilderness seasons of life.

Whether your needs are physical, emotional, or spiritual, he knows them all and he meets us right where we are.

God is not absent in the wilderness, he provides, he sustains, he satisfies.

So don't lose heart and don't doubt his provision in this season.

The same Jesus who fed the crowd is still faithful today.

Let's look at verses 45 through 52.

And immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side of Beth Seda, while he himself was sending the crowd away.

And after bidding them farewell, he left for the mountain to pray.

And when it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land.

And seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea, and he was intending to pass by them.

But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought that it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified.

But immediately he spoke with them and said to them, Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid.

Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped, and they were utterly amazed, for they had not gained any insight about the loaves, but their heart was hardened.

By now I hope you're beginning to see that Jesus is Yahweh in the flesh.

But if that connection hasn't fully clicked yet, don't worry, Mark isn't finished.

As we briefly unpack this next section, that truth should come into even sharper focus.

There are two major phrases that I'd like to focus on.

He was intending to pass by them, and take courage, it is I, do not be afraid.

Beginning with the first, he was intending to pass by them.

Once again, we see echoes of the Old Testament.

In Job 9 8, Yahweh tramples down the waves of the sea.

In Psalm 77 19, your way was in the sea and your paths in the mighty waters, but your footprints were not known.

Or Isaiah 43 16.

Thus says Yahweh, who makes a way through the sea and a path through the mighty waters.

Jesus walking on the water is no doubt a clear allusion to Yahweh as described in these Old Testament passages.

And yet the most profound allusion comes from his intention to pass by them.

This is a direct reference to Exodus 33, 19 through 23, where Moses asks to see God's glory.

And Yahweh said, I myself will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.

But he said, You cannot see my face, for no man can see me and live.

Then Yahweh said, Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand there on the rock, and it will come about, while my glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.

Then I will remove my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.

I know we've looked at a number of old past old Testament passages today, but that's intentional.

Because Mark wants us to see them.

This is no casual stroll across the sea.

This is a theophany, a divine self-disclosure.

The phrase he meant to pass by them is not about avoiding the disciples, but about revealing his divine identity, just as Yahweh did for Moses.

And notice when this happens in the darkest hour, while the disciples are struggling against the wind in the middle of the sea.

It closely mirrors the earlier scene where Jesus calmed the storm.

But this time he is not in the boat with them.

He's purposefully absent, perhaps to test their faith or to call them to act on what they had already seen him do.

Mark even hints that this storm is no ordinary weather event.

The word translated straining or struggling literally means to be tormented or tortured.

It's language often used for demonic affliction.

In other words, the disciples were not just battling nature, they were facing spiritual opposition.

And into that chaos comes Jesus, walking on the waves, just as Yahweh trampled the sea in the Old Testament.

He comes not only to rescue them, but to reveal himself as the same God who passed by Moses, who commands the wind and the waves, and who alone can bring peace in the midst of torment.

This is not just a miracle.

This is a moment of divine revelation.

Jesus is Yahweh.

And in this moment of intense fear and confusion, Jesus speaks, take courage, it is I, do not be afraid.

That phrase, it is I, is more than just a casual self-identification.

In the Greek, it is ego aimi, I am.

It's the same words Yahweh used when he revealed himself to Moses from the burning bush in Exodus 3.14.

Jesus isn't just saying, hey, it's me.

He is identifying himself with the divine name.

In the midst of the storm, with fear swirling all around them, Jesus is doing what only Yahweh can do.

And he's declaring in no uncertain terms, I am.

And how do the disciples respond?

Their hearts were hardened.

Their hearts were hardened.

Just like Israel in the wilderness.

They failed to connect the dots.

They failed to see that this was the same Jesus who multiplied the loaves with divine provision, and that he now walked on the waves with divine power.

In fact, these were some of the clearest signs Jesus had given them, deliberate echoes of Yahweh's actions in the Old Testament, and yet the disciples still didn't understand.

Their hearts were dull, their eyes were blind, and the full weight of who Jesus is, Yahweh in the flesh, was still hidden from them.

And so they continue their journey.

Continuing with verses fifty-three through fifty-six.

And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Ginesaret and moored to the shore.

And when they got out of the boat, immediately the people recognized him, and ran about that whole region, and began to carry here and there on their mats those who were sick to the place they heard he was.

And wherever he was entering villages or cities or countryside, they were laying the sick in the marketplaces and pleading with him, that they might just touch the fringe of his garment, and as many as touched it were being saved from their sicknesses.

They arrive on the shore again.

Jesus can't seem to go anywhere without being recognized anymore.

People are being brought to him for healing by any means possible.

And we see Jesus do a lot of the same work we've seen him do throughout the entire Gospel of Mark.

But let's make sure we don't overlook this reference, that they might just touch the fringe of his garment, and as many as touched it were being saved from their sicknesses.

We are reminded again of the hemorrhaging woman back in chapter 5.

And yet there's even more to see here.

Jesus fulfills Malachi 4.2, but for you who fear my name, the Son of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.

As people go to Jesus, touching the fringes of his garment, he is the fulfillment of that promise.

Wherever Jesus goes, healing spreads.

This is not just random power, it is Yahweh restoring his broken image bearers, just as he promised to do.

Jesus is Yahweh, the Son of God, come in the flesh, bringing the healing power of God to his people.

Yet he does this not apart from the Father or the Holy Spirit, but in the united mission of our triune God.

Some of us carry wounds no doctor can treat, deep grief, regrets, fears, or sins we can't fix on our own.

But take heart, Jesus is still healing broken lives today, not from a distance, but through his personal presence with his people.

He meets us in our loneliness, in our pain, and even in the quiet moments no one else sees.

Whether you're struggling in body, heart, or soul, he has not forgotten you.

His healing is real and it reaches deeper than you may realize.

Jesus is Yahweh, not merely like Yahweh, not simply sent by Yahweh.

He's the great I am, the one who walked with Moses, fed Israel in the wilderness, ruled the seas, and promised to come and shepherd his people.

In this passage, he reveals his glory not only to the disciples, but also to us.

So don't miss the glory of Christ in these verses.

He is the same God who led Israel through the Red Sea, the same God who ranged down manna from heaven, the same God who passed before Moses in radiant glory, the same God who said, I myself will shepherd my people.

Jesus is Yahweh, not the Father, not the Holy Spirit, but the eternal Son, fully divine, clothed in flesh.

And he is worthy, worthy of all of our worship, honor, and praise.

He still feeds his people by his word and daily provision.

He still sustains us in every storm that we face.

And he still draws near to the broken and weak with the tender compassion of the good shepherd.

And he has come in the person of the Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

As Isaiah declared, This is our God, we have waited for him that he might save us.

So, church, lift your eyes to him.

Let Jesus have the rightful place in your heart, not just as a teacher or a miracle worker, but as your shepherd, your savior, your God.

Worship Him as the glorious sovereign Lord that he truly is.

Jesus is Yahweh, the God who shepherds, the God who feeds, and the God who walks on water.

Let that truth stir your hearts and break through every fear this week.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we confess that we often don't worship you as we ought to, that we don't give proper reverence to how you've revealed yourself as a God who exists in three persons Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We often look at Jesus as a miracle worker, as somebody who is our Savior, but we forget that He eternally existed.

We forget to worship Him as the same God who delivered your people even in the Old Testament.

And so would you help us to give him a proper place in our hearts?

That we would go forth this week in confidence and boldness and reminded of your tender care for us.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.