Sermon

Come, follow me // #21 - Jesus feeds the 4,000 (Mark 8:1-21)

Avenue Community Church

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  1. During those days, another large crowd gathered since said

  2. nothing to eat. Jesus called his disciples to

  3. him and said, I have compassion for these people.

  4. They have already been with me three days and have nothing to

  5. eat. If I send them away home hungry

  6. they will collapse on the way because some of them have come a

  7. long distance. His disciples answered, where in

  8. this remote place. Can anyone get enough bread to

  9. feed them? How many loaves do you have?

  10. Jesus asked seven. They replied.

  11. He told the crowd to sit down on the ground when he had taken the

  12. seven Loaves and given. Thanks, he broke them and gave

  13. them to his disciples to distribute to the people and

  14. they did. So they had a few small fish as

  15. well. He gave thanks for them.

  16. Also and told the disciples to distribute them the people at

  17. and were satisfied. afterwards, the disciples picked up seven,

  18. basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over about 4,000 were

  19. present After he had sent them away, he got into the boat with

  20. his disciples and went into the region of dalmanutha.

  21. The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus the test and they

  22. asked him for a sign from Heaven.

  23. Decide deeply and said, why does this generation asks for a sign?

  24. Truly I tell you. No sign will be given to it.

  25. Then he left them got back into the boat and cross to the other

  26. side. The disciples have forgotten to

  27. bring bread except for one loaf that they had with him in the

  28. boat. Be careful, Jesus warned them.

  29. Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees, and that of Herod.

  30. They discussed this with one another and said it is because

  31. we have no bread aware of their discussion.

  32. Jesus asked them, why are you talking about having no bread?

  33. Do you still not see or understand?

  34. Our, your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes, but failed,

  35. All to see and ears, but fail to hear.

  36. And don't you remember when I broke the Five Loaves for the

  37. 5000? How many basketballs did you

  38. pick up 12? They replied and when I brought

  39. the seven loaves for the 7000, how many basketballs of pieces?

  40. Did you pick up? They answered seven said to

  41. them, you still not understand. I need to start this morning

  42. with an apology and it's an apology to us.

  43. At least the specific few viewer here this morning.

  44. And I need to apologize to our gluten and wheat intolerant

  45. friends. Because today, we're going to

  46. talk a lot about bread. Bread is going to come up quite

  47. a lot. And I'm really sorry because I

  48. know the bread that you're able to eat, is not as good as the

  49. bread. I'm about to Rave about because

  50. breads amazing, isn't it? Bread is just one of the

  51. greatest things. It is phenomenal, whenever it's

  52. bread week on Bake-Off, I always want to go and eat the whole of

  53. the nearest bakery, or just go to France, because I always

  54. thought I liked nice bread. I always thought I had nice

  55. bread growing up and then I married Jamie.

  56. And she told me to France and oh my Edward French, bread is like

  57. next-level. Good fresh French bread.

  58. First thing in the morning, you can't beat it and then we had a

  59. home group dinner and Elena made her for Katya.

  60. Have you ever had a lane can sells for catch you again?

  61. That is next level good. Like it's incredible bread and

  62. I'm again I have to apologize but bread is fantastic, isn't

  63. it? I've been so hungry.

  64. Preparing, this sermon And bread is one of our oldest human food

  65. stuff. They found a records back as far

  66. as their Found Records of humans exist in and there is no country

  67. in the world where bread isn't a part of their food.

  68. Tradition bread is just a universal, incredible, brilliant

  69. thing. If you don't like bread, I am

  70. sorry for you. But it is no wonder with bread

  71. being that kind of everywhere that Jesus uses bread.

  72. In this passage particularly as a way of teaching his disciples

  73. because that's what he's doing in this passage.

  74. Well actually going to focus loads on the Miracle itself.

  75. We're going to focus on what Jesus is teaching.

  76. He uses bread to teach his disciples.

  77. And as we read through this, did you get a bit of a sense of deja

  78. vu? This all feel a bit familiar.

  79. Because it is really familiar, isn't it?

  80. A lot of this stuff feels like it's happened already.

  81. It's incredibly similar to what happened back in chapter 6, as,

  82. and if you flick back, you can see there, Jesus fed.

  83. The 5000 here is the 4000 and there are loads of similarities

  84. between these two events that are recorded for us by Mark.

  85. So the place that they happen, my desolate Wilderness type

  86. Place. Jesus is emotions is compassion

  87. even his words. How many loaves do you have

  88. everybody's full? And there are loads of Purrs.

  89. And at the end, Jesus sends both of the crowds away and the

  90. disciples getting a boat. There are loads of similarities

  91. between these two events. So the question is is this just

  92. the same story that Mark is repeating?

  93. He's got a bit mixed up. Well, no, because there are

  94. enough differences between these two events that they know that

  95. they're not the same thing. You can probably spot them at

  96. another time of different numbers of people, different

  97. numbers of fish, and bread, and leftovers, and plenty of other

  98. things. Even the length of time, that

  99. the crowd that Jesus feeds have been, Gather is different.

  100. So back in Mark 6, I've just been with Jesus for one day

  101. hearing is teaching here the bin with Jesus for three days seems

  102. like they all got some pack up went out and hung out with Jesus

  103. for three days at the end of this three days.

  104. Their food is starting to run out so Jesus called his

  105. disciples to him and says I have compassion for these people.

  106. They've already been with me three days and have nothing to

  107. eat. If I send them home hungry,

  108. they'll collapse on the way because some of them are come

  109. along. Distance.

  110. And just as we start, these see, Jesus's heart here.

  111. I have compassion for these people.

  112. Jesus cares, deeply about the people in front of him.

  113. Yes. He cares about their spiritual

  114. need, that's why he's been teaching them.

  115. That's why Jesus came was to teach but he also cares about

  116. their physical needs. He's also bothered by people's

  117. bodies. Yes, the physical hunger is not

  118. as big as their spiritual hunger, but he cares about it.

  119. And the same is still true today is worth reminding ourselves of

  120. that fact. He cares for all of us.

  121. Yes, his priority for all of us is our spiritual hunger and our

  122. spiritual needs. But he also cares about our

  123. physical hunger and physical needs to.

  124. So that is hunger or finances or our health, or our exams or our

  125. stress levels, or our mental health.

  126. There is nothing too small in our lives, to Jesus to care

  127. about, Jesus care, deeply about, every little bit of your lives.

  128. It's so easy for us to think that there are things too small

  129. for Jesus to be bothered about are interested in, so we don't

  130. take them to him. But don't listen to that lie

  131. instead. See the care and the compassion

  132. that Jesus has for all aspects of all the people that he meets

  133. and then bring everything to him.

  134. Pete reminded us last week, didn't he?

  135. That Jesus has because Jesus cares for everyone. and Mark

  136. reminds us again of that here But what happens next, in verse

  137. 4 should come as a bit of a surprise.

  138. When we read verse 4, here's what we should read something

  139. like this, his disciples answered him, are we have seven

  140. Loaves and a willing to serve you again like before.

  141. Here you go, Jesus, we know what you can do with seven loaves.

  142. Instead we get this ridiculous response from the Disciples of

  143. its stroppy in it, but we're in this remote place to anyone get

  144. enough bread to feed them. Like what are you talking about?

  145. Disciples are your memories really that?

  146. Sure, just a few weeks ago at most you saw Jesus feed 5,000,

  147. plus people with just Five Loaves and two fish.

  148. But they don't remember that. All the they don't even enter

  149. into their brains. This new problem has pushed out

  150. any memory of what Jesus has done before.

  151. And so, Jesus very patiently, ask them again.

  152. Exactly the same question as he asked them last time.

  153. How many loaves do you have? How many loaves do you have?

  154. I can imagine that becoming a bit of an in-joke for the

  155. disciples in the years to come Peter sat around, I'm quite

  156. hungry. How many loaves do you have?

  157. So the disciples club together and they give seven loaves to

  158. Jesus, and he gives thanks, and he hands out the disciples to

  159. give out to the hungry crowd, and then does the same with the

  160. fish. but interestingly, as Jesus provides for the crowd who

  161. is it, that he's teaching As Jesus gives the food and

  162. provides this miraculous food for the crowd who is it that

  163. he's teaching because if you're in the crowd and you're right at

  164. the back somewhere and someone hands you some bread and fish

  165. you just going to take enough to eat and pass it on, right?

  166. You're not going to know did this only come from Seven Loaves

  167. and some fish? You're not going to know that.

  168. Who is it? That knows that.

  169. It's the disciples. Jesus is teaching the disciples

  170. and is Jesus provides for the crowd.

  171. The disciples learned this lesson about him and they are

  172. the ones that get to see this miracle firsthand.

  173. And they get to see this miracle for the first hand for a second

  174. time. And that is interesting to Jesus

  175. feeds to massive multitudes of people in wildernesses in

  176. desolate places. Now if you know your Old

  177. Testament, that is a direct mirror of the way God provides

  178. for his people in Exodus 16 and numbers. 11 God provides

  179. unexpected food for his people in the middle of nowhere in a

  180. Wilderness and Mark wants us to spot that link.

  181. Jesus is doing what only God has done for his people in the past.

  182. Mark wants to make it even more remarkable.

  183. Back in chapter 6, The Crowd that Jesus said were from the

  184. Jewish area, there were Jewish people but here Jesus is still

  185. in the decapolis, the Gentile area.

  186. Jesus is feeding a gentile crowd.

  187. Jesus is showing the disciples at the kingdom of God is for the

  188. Gentiles too. From like conversation, he had

  189. with that woman back in chapter 7, who came to him and has all

  190. the stuff that crumbs and table, while here the crumbs from

  191. chapter 7, turn into full-blown bread.

  192. And the thing that Jesus teaches his disciples here is that the

  193. Gentiles are going to get more than crumbs after all.

  194. The Gentiles get more than crumbs after all.

  195. Now that would have been an incredible Comfort to Mark's

  196. original readers. A lot of whom would have been

  197. gentiles. Even though the Gentiles might

  198. have been rejected by the Jews, they haven't been rejected by

  199. God, and they are part of the New Kingdom.

  200. That Jesus came to establish. And that's what Jesus teaches

  201. his disciples here. The Gentiles get more than

  202. crumbs after all So after this event again about and I imagine

  203. the boat ride in verse 10 is probably a fairly quiet one as

  204. the slightly. Embarrassed disciples realized

  205. just how Daft they'd been how forgetful they've been when

  206. they've seen all this already. But the truth is I'm far more

  207. often like them than I like to admit.

  208. Are you I forget all the time about Jesus power and his care

  209. day in day out. Like last week, Pete reminded

  210. us. Those wonderful truth that Jesus

  211. cares about everyone and has power over everything and he's

  212. making all things new But I've shown I forgot on that again.

  213. And again, this week, I have reacted to the things that have

  214. happened for how we respond in slow traffic, but how we respond

  215. when he, for doesn't do what I wanted to immediately.

  216. When I get hurt when things, don't go my way big or little

  217. things. We can all be like that.

  218. Can't we all forget these truths, we learn so often,

  219. despite having seen Jesus care for us and others in the past

  220. despite having seen Jesus has power over all things through

  221. our lives, new problems like the disciples push those memories

  222. out of our heads. Unlike the disciples, we can be

  223. so quick to either doubt or to forget that Jesus really cares

  224. for everyone and that has power over everything.

  225. But that's one of the reasons that Jesus repeats this miracle,

  226. he wants to remind the Disciples of what they've already learned

  227. before. And I've said this before here,

  228. is that we need that because the Christian Life is a constant

  229. cycle of Amnesia, and deja vu. The Christian Life is a constant

  230. cycle of Amnesia. And Deja Vu are forgot that I'd

  231. learned that already. And so Jesus repeats this

  232. miracle because he knows that's true and that's why God has

  233. given us each other. We are so prone to forget this.

  234. We're so like the disciples. The forget, these truths that

  235. God has given us each other to help each other in services like

  236. this but also throughout the week to remind each other of the

  237. truth about Jesus that we forget far too quickly, that's part of

  238. what being disciple. Making disciples looks like

  239. regularly reminding each other of these truths.

  240. So the question is, what can we be doing on our own in our

  241. families and our home groups and our times together?

  242. So remind each other of these truths about Jesus that we

  243. forget far too quickly. But thankfully though the

  244. disciples are forgetful. Jesus is so patient, isn't he?

  245. And he's so willing to teach us again.

  246. And again, he doesn't snap at the disciples here.

  247. He just shows them again. What they've already forgotten.

  248. Jesus cares, so much and is so patient and is so ready to teach

  249. us and show us what he's like again and again and that is good

  250. news, isn't it? But is good news if you know you

  251. need that patience for yourself. And here the disciples get to

  252. learn that the Gentiles, get more than crumbs after all.

  253. But so do they They get another loaf of Jesus, his patience and

  254. his teaching for them. And that is very unlike the next

  255. group of people that we meet in this passage the Pharisees and

  256. in these three verses the disciples learned by the absence

  257. of bread and Jesus teaches the disciples at the Pharisees, get

  258. nothing at all the Pharisees, get nothing at all.

  259. Now Mark, doesn't spend too long in this interaction so we won't

  260. either but the Pharisees grab Jesus out of the boat and they

  261. demand him to give them a sign from Heaven, a sign that he

  262. really is sent by God. And that might sound like a good

  263. thing. I could very easily sound like

  264. the disciples are just the the Pharisees it just this close to

  265. believing just one more sign. But in the gospels demanding a

  266. sign from Jesus is never a good thing.

  267. It is always evidence that the person asking is really an

  268. opponent of Jesus. And these guys demand that

  269. Jesus, give them some proof, some sign that will convince

  270. their big brains of who he is and who he's come from.

  271. And Jesus responds. Is to psi the deep Long sigh his

  272. second son, died in just a few verses.

  273. Which is worth knowing Jesus teaches us through his size.

  274. But I think we can work out what this lesson is, right?

  275. If you if you go to your mom and dad and you ask for something

  276. some food or I don't know what kids ask for these days.

  277. Bitcoin. Is that a thing you're into?

  278. I don't know but if you go to your spouse or your boss or your

  279. teacher or your mommy, your dad and you ask them for something

  280. and they go That's not a good thing.

  281. Is it? You know that coming?

  282. Next is not something good. You know, that that is not a

  283. positive response and Jesus size.

  284. And he says, why does this generation asks for a sign?

  285. Truly, I tell you. No sign will be given to it.

  286. Jesus isn't going to perform for them.

  287. He isn't going to bow down to their whims, they don't get to

  288. set the standard of what is enough for them to be convinced.

  289. He doesn't need to prove himself to them anymore than he has

  290. because he already has how many more signs do these Pharisees

  291. need? They've had plenty of signs.

  292. They just refuse to believe them.

  293. Jesus is the sign. They refused to believe what is

  294. right in front of them and demand more. but there is no

  295. greater sign than Jesus, and if he's not enough for them and

  296. nothing will be What more sign do you need from me?

  297. Jesus says The reality is the Pharisees choose to be blind.

  298. They choose to read blind to be blind and they refuse to see

  299. what is clearly right in front of them.

  300. And so unlike the crowd in the first versus the Pharisees, get

  301. nothing at all from Jesus. I mean, he could very easily

  302. have created some bread out of bread in front of them, right?

  303. You could have performed a sign that's not hard for Jesus to do

  304. it gives them nothing. No bread at all.

  305. And the Pharisees turn and walk away, and the disciples followed

  306. Jesus into the boat and sail off. if you're here this morning

  307. or you're watching online and you're waiting for Jesus or God

  308. to prove to you, who he claims to be for a sign to make you

  309. feel like the Bible is true and worth obeying what this is worth

  310. noticing If the life and the Miracles of Jesus weren't enough

  311. for the Pharisees when it was right in front of them.

  312. Won't be enough for you, either. And today, we all have far more

  313. evidence of Greater signs and the Pharisees had at this point,

  314. we have proof of Jesus, death and Resurrection.

  315. You have the evidence of Jesus working all throughout history

  316. through his power in his people through the church.

  317. You have 100 or so evidences of is working power in this room

  318. with you today. You have the evidence of his

  319. word where he shows you himself, if you read it and look for him,

  320. you have signs. Even if you don't understand

  321. them completely. You can follow Jesus before you

  322. understand everything, that's what the disciples do isn't it?

  323. They don't understand. We're going to see a bit more of

  324. that in a minute but they follow Jesus into the boat.

  325. Faith comes by stepping into the boat with Jesus, rather than

  326. standing on the shore in your safety.

  327. It's easy to look down on the disciples.

  328. They make it very easy for us. But there with Jesus there there

  329. I would encourage you to do that today in the boat to stop

  330. demanding evidence, that's going to satisfy you and to follow

  331. Jesus and like the crowd at the start of the passage be

  332. satisfied. But speaking of the disciples,

  333. the third thing, that Jesus teaches them is that the

  334. disciples don't get it at all. The disciples do not get it at

  335. all. For this boat ride is a lot more

  336. chatty, isn't the disciple seem a lot more chatter than the last

  337. one? Mainly, it seems because they

  338. realize they're only brought one loaf of bread with them and

  339. Jesus, hears, and chatting about this and he uses bread as a

  340. parable as a picture to try and teach his disciples a truth.

  341. And he warns them saying be careful, watch out for the yeast

  342. of the Pharisees and that of Herod.

  343. And again, Mark doesn't spend a long time on this so we won't

  344. either but Jesus here is talking about something that the

  345. disciples would have all understood baking bread.

  346. Breaking bread is nothing more people did in that culture than

  347. they do these days. And they would have tried to

  348. break bread, baked bread without yeast in it.

  349. Particularly, and when bacon it, if any yeast did get into any of

  350. the do, it will ruin the whole batch, it would affect the whole

  351. thing. The tiny little bit of yeast can

  352. ruin all the lows come from one batch of bread of do.

  353. And Jesus is saying that something about both the

  354. Pharisees and Herod is just as dangerous as a little bit of

  355. yeast in a load of dough. Just a little bit of it.

  356. Can have a big impact so be careful and watch out other

  357. words. Jesus uses.

  358. And putting together from Mark's gospel, what we know about both

  359. the Pharisees and Herod, there's not loads they have in common

  360. but the one thing they do have in common is that they both on

  361. the outside look like they're interested in God's kingdom.

  362. But on the inside they refused to want have anything to do with

  363. him in their hearts. They want to look impressive to

  364. the people around them but they don't want to obey what God

  365. tells him to do. And so Jesus is warning his

  366. disciples to watch out for any outward.

  367. Good behavior. There's nothing to do with real

  368. love for God. To watch out for people who are

  369. more bothered about appearing to behave, good enough, then they

  370. are about repentance. Beware the face doesn't become

  371. something that's lived out in front of others, when Everyone's

  372. Watching has got nothing to do with real heart.

  373. Love for God. If your face looks impressive on

  374. a Sunday but doesn't change the way you treat your mom or your

  375. dad, or your spouse, or how you browse the internet, how you

  376. behave when your Christian friends aren't around, or are

  377. you behave when you're alone? That should be a warning. that's

  378. what Jesus is warning his disciples and us to watch out

  379. for the Pharisees in herod's outward goodness in front of

  380. everybody showing off how great they are, but empty unchanged

  381. hearts, that is an example to run away from But that isn't why

  382. Mark tells us this. Instead, he tells us what Jesus

  383. teaches his disciples to show, how little they understand what

  384. on Earth is going on. Have a look at verse 16.

  385. After Jesus says that powerful stuff.

  386. They discuss this with one another and said, it's because

  387. we've got no bread. instead of getting the parable instead of

  388. seeing what Jesus is saying, they argue about lunch, They're

  389. panicking because I've only got one loaf between 13 of them on a

  390. boat. And again, how stupid can you be

  391. disciples like was just happened like a two days ago and most

  392. they miss the point though, only with twelve loaves in total

  393. Jesus is very recently fed over 9,000 people.

  394. So what if there's only one loaf of bread in your boat, don't you

  395. remember? Who's in the boat with you

  396. disciples? But instead, they're so

  397. distracted by their own mistakes, that they forget about

  398. the power and the care of Jesus. The disciples are so distracted.

  399. By this own mistake, whether it's mistake, they've made that

  400. they forget about the power and the care of Jesus.

  401. And so they start to bicker among themselves.

  402. It seems like while they think Jesus isn't listening.

  403. But he is listening. And so he really gently far more

  404. gently than I think I would have been questions.

  405. I'm to try and wake them up. Why are you talking about having

  406. no bread? You still not see or understand

  407. but your hearts hardened by Jesus is trying to teach them,

  408. actually, they're worried about the not going to have enough

  409. food. They don't think that Jesus is

  410. going to care for their physical needs.

  411. They don't think Jesus really cares about them.

  412. And so Jesus reminds them of everything.

  413. They've seen him do in just the last few weeks.

  414. Just think for a second. He says about your lunch Panic.

  415. Do you think it's really the problem?

  416. You feel like it is Am I going to let you starve?

  417. And that question, are your hearts hardened?

  418. Well, the truth is Mark has already told us that they are

  419. back in chapter 6. There is something stopping

  420. these disciples seeing and understanding who Jesus is for

  421. them. and they're unclean sin filled heart that Jesus talked

  422. about in chapter 7, if blinded them Spiritually.

  423. These guys are blind. They can't see the truth.

  424. That is right in front of their eyes.

  425. They don't get it. Everything they've seen Jesus do

  426. so far. Should have meant that their

  427. hearts were full of faith. That even with one loaf

  428. everything we've got enough bread because we've got Jesus.

  429. But instead, their hearts are hardened, they can't see the

  430. Messiah for the Miracles. It's ready to rebuke of them.

  431. Jesus quotes. Jeremiah chapter 5 verse 21,

    Jeremiah 5:21

  432. then Verse 18, that's where Jesus quotes Jeremiah 5:21 and

    Jeremiah 5:21

  433. he reminds them that they shouldn't be worried about the

  434. bread. All by that shouldn't be a

  435. thing. They're worried about instead,

  436. they should now have seen and heard enough to know they're in

  437. a boat in a relationship with the God who created the entire

  438. universe. Jesus is saying, haven't I shown

  439. you in so many ways. My love, and my care and my

  440. power for you disciples, you can trust me.

  441. And to do that a bit more. He reminds them of the, to

  442. feeding Miracles. Yes.

  443. Jesus fed the crowds till they were satisfied with.

  444. Read that twice in the two accounts, but there was more

  445. than enough left over for the disciples to eat too.

  446. How many leftovers did you get? Jesus asks He does that to

  447. remind them, that his care. And his power weren't just for

  448. the crowds but for the disciples as well.

  449. Not just for the needy people around them for these needy

  450. disciples to, they thought that Jesus had come to minister to

  451. others, he come to minister to them.

  452. And they need his divine power and divine compassion just as

  453. much and they have it in basketfuls.

  454. He's trying to teach them an equation that I know I need to

  455. remember. I found some maths in Chris to

  456. try and think of all people in the room says gluten,

  457. intolerant, people and mathematicians all covered.

  458. But this is an equation I think we all need to remember because

  459. it's so easy to forget this. The try and keep it as simple as

  460. possible and it picks up again from what Pete reminded us of.

  461. Last week that Jesus cares for everybody.

  462. He has Divine God, like compassion but he also has

  463. divine power over everything. and when you add that together,

  464. divine power plus Divine compassion equals everything we

  465. need, Everything we need. That's what he's been.

  466. Minding, his disciples divine power plus.

  467. Divine compassion means we have everything we need.

  468. And I need to be reminded of this so often.

  469. Because we also easily forget these truths.

  470. Don't we? And we doubt God's power or we

  471. doubt his care for us. And we forget that Jesus cares

  472. about everyone and has power over everything and that that

  473. affects so much of our lives. So we have everything we need

  474. and whatever circumstance worrying.

  475. So one example of how forgetting that affects me, maybe it

  476. affects you as well. When I forget either one of

  477. these two things just don't pray.

  478. I don't pray about situations instead, I try and sort out my

  479. own bread level situations by myself rather than trusting in

  480. the bread of life. The one who has provided and

  481. will provide everything we need primarily through his death and

  482. Resurrection, but who loves to provide for everything we need

  483. physically too. We forget that divine power

  484. plus, Divine, compassion equals everything we need and we are

  485. far more like the disciples than we like to admit.

  486. And that is what Jesus is reminding his disciples of in

  487. this boat trip but they don't get it, they don't get it at

  488. all. And Jesus says, in verse 18 that

  489. they don't get it because spiritually they're blind.

  490. Like Jesus has already performed incredible Miracles and provided

  491. for them and cared for them so much again.

  492. And again, already saving them from deadly storms and deadly

  493. hunger, they can't see it. They're not able to put two and

  494. two together and get for Jesus is saying they're spiritually

  495. death, and they're spiritually blind.

  496. They can't make themselves here and they can't make themselves.

  497. See, and understand, they need help.

  498. Disciples. Just don't get it at all.

  499. Yet. That is good news.

  500. Because that is why, Mark tells us this story.

  501. The exactly this moment in his gospel. because in chapter 7

  502. last week who was Jesus able to heal, You're allowed to answer

  503. that. The guy was deaf and if you look

  504. ahead to just after this passage in Mark chapter 8 who is Jesus

    Mark 8 chapter mention

  505. able to heal, spoiler alert for next week.

  506. Sorry Richard a blind guy. And if these are all spiritual

  507. signs, pointing to spiritual truths, and the disciples are

  508. deaf and blind. What is it?

  509. They need, they need someone to heal their blindness and their

  510. deafness. Thankfully, that persons in the

  511. boat with him. Jesus came to open their ears

  512. and their eyes to understand the truth of who he is, and what

  513. he's like, and how much he cares for them.

  514. Jesus is willing and able, he came to heal the Blind and the

  515. deaf and he's going to do that for the disciples.

  516. They don't get it at all yet, but as John's flagged up, they

  517. will soon. And Jesus still at work, he's

  518. not finished with them. That's good news, isn't it?

  519. Because Jesus still has Divine compassion and divine power,

  520. even now. And so we can all be confident.

  521. He will provide everything we need.

  522. And therefore, we can be confident that we can go to him

  523. in prayer about big things, and small things, and no matter what

  524. those things are, we can come to him, we can go to him in prayer

  525. for those people who that, we know and love, who are still so

  526. blind. And he refused to see or can't

  527. see the truth of Who Jesus is because he is able to open the

  528. eyes of the blind to see the truth of who he is.

  529. And we know that because he did it for these disciples.

  530. We've done it for us so we can be confident that he can and

  531. will do it for others, too. I said earlier when we doubt and

  532. forget these things affects our prayer life.

  533. And I was asked this week, if Jesus was to give me everything,

  534. I prayed for in the last week, how many people would be saved?

  535. It's Jesus was to say, down and answer every prayer with

  536. positive answer. You've asked for, in the last

  537. week, how many people would be saved?

  538. Not really challenge me. Because the truth is, I don't

  539. pray about things, I don't think God either got power over it or

  540. that he cares about it. How is our prayer life?

  541. For those who don't know. Jesus, have we forgotten that

  542. he's both got power and Care over all things.

  543. Are you more like me and out too?

  544. Often his power and his care, and his desire to save because

  545. we all risk being like the disciples, panicking over, what

  546. we can do with the bread, we have, when we should just turn

  547. them, ask for help. I'm the one who can feed

  548. thousands, through God's power working in him.

  549. That's what we want. Quality Bible club, right?

  550. We want children to come along, who are spiritually blind and

  551. have their eyes open to see the truth of who Jesus is and then

  552. families and Karen and part to be changed as a result of that.

  553. We need to be praying for it. But even more brilliantly if we

  554. have messed up again. When we forget to pray or refuse

  555. to pray, we can still be confident of Jesus, divine

  556. compassion for us again. He's so patient with his

  557. disciples, right? I'd be tempted to check them

  558. out. The boat at this point.

  559. That's not what Jesus Does. His compassion.

  560. It's not just for the crowds around and about it's also for

  561. the disciples ice, also, for you and me.

  562. It's so easy to trust. Jesus is Love and his patience

  563. and his care and his compassion and his forgiveness for other

  564. people. But then forget that is equally

  565. true of you and me too. So imagine that his patients

  566. with us is actually wearing pretty thin by now actually he's

  567. very disappointed in us to forget him what he's like again

  568. and trying to sort out our own lives on our own again and

  569. failing to resist temptation again.

  570. Forgetting to pray about things again.

  571. We all prone to suspect sometimes that he's just getting

  572. irritated by us. and we imagine that instead of his loving

  573. compassionate, gentle questioning We got one of his

  574. disappointed size. But that isn't how Jesus works

  575. for people who are desperate to follow him, just look at the

  576. disciples. They don't get it at all, they

  577. don't understand but despite their constant not getting it

  578. nurse. Jesus is so patient and bears

  579. with them right. He continues to teach them and

  580. show them what they need to see about what he's like.

  581. And then we'll see again. Further, spoiler alert.

  582. We'll see after the cross. That he sends these slow

  583. disappointing man out and then changes the world through.

  584. The truth is Jesus is not looking for self-reliant Heroes.

  585. He's after helpless week bread eaters.

  586. We'll get in a boat with him. Jesus isn't looking for

  587. self-reliant Heroes, he just want helpless weak, bready, as

  588. who are willing to get in the boat with him, no matter what,

  589. people who know they're blind, but it cling to Jesus anyway,

  590. because he is the bread of life and he will never ever turn away

  591. anyone who comes to him asking him to help them, no matter how

  592. Daft. They might seem.

  593. Jesus is the very image of God in human form and he's showing

  594. us what. God the father is like to God is

  595. gracious and compassionate. Passionate he is slow to anger

  596. and rich in loving kindness. God is not quick to anger and

  597. slow to love. Slow to anger, and quick to

  598. love, and Jesus shows that again and again.

  599. This morning. Whether we're a Daft disciple or

  600. a greedy, Gentile, or stubborn Pharisee, we all need the same

  601. thing. We need a powerful savior, a

  602. savior with divine power, and divine compassion, who can open

  603. blind eyes, and unblock deaf ears, and it provides for all of

  604. our needs, and who loves to open blind eyes.

  605. If they'll just come to him and admit their need, because not

  606. even sinful. Stubborn Hearts is a problem.

  607. Jesus can't defeat And that's good news in them.

  608. It's good news for us. It's good news for the people.

  609. We love, it's good news for the world around us, so let's be

  610. people who are praying for that. Our mission hasn't changed and

  611. Jesus hasn't changed either. He still has divine power and

  612. divine compassion and he will provide all that we need.

  613. So let's trust in him. A seek out ways to be reminding

  614. each other of those truths and we forget them because as

  615. disciple making disciples, we forget that so often and we need

  616. help. Don't lie.

  617. Our mission hasn't changed and Jesus hasn't changed either.

  618. He still has divine power and divine compassion and he will

  619. provide all that we need. So let's trust in him.

  620. A seek out ways to be reminding each other of those truths and

  621. we forget them because as disciple making disciples, we

  622. forget that so often and we need help.

  623. Don't lie.