The Compassionate Shepherd

Hello, you are listening to Second City Sermons,

a ministry of Second City Church in Midtown Harrisburg.

It's our hope that these sermons will draw you

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sermon. God Bless. Lord God, we're so grateful

for your word that you give us. God, that is

said to be like the true bread that we're to

feast upon, manna from heaven. God, I pray that

in feasting upon your word, we would find our

satisfaction in you. We find you to be sufficient

and able The great compassionate shepherd that

cares for the sheep. Bless us now Lord. May the

words of my mouth and the meditations of our

hearts be pleasing in your sight. The Lord our

rock and our redeemer. Amen. All right. So yesterday

evening, we returned from a trip and it was a

lovely time to get away as a family. We were

really grateful to get time to play together

and to have time together. As you know, and I

hesitate to say this because it really feels

like rubbing it in. It's been freezing. It's

been utterly freezing around here. So I brought

this sweater on my on this trip that I love.

And when we arrived, we were back in the Delta

Airport yesterday and I went to get this sweater

out of my bag because I was about to venture

out into the cold, which praise the Lord was

not too cold. I thought it was going to be shockingly

cold, but it was actually not too bad. But anyway,

I ventured into my bag to retrieve this sweater

and it was gone. Knew I had it at the airport

that we left from and I knew that I'd looked

for it and I have no clue what happened to it

I was sort of baffled but more than baffled.

I was I was feeling really foolish I Felt just

inadequate to just keep track of like an article

of clothing Like what am I doing? I can't even

keep track of a sweater that I really like Seems

like such a simple task and I felt pretty insufficient

for a simple task. So the two hour ride home,

this was kind of swimming through my mind, all

these thoughts of inadequacy. We get home, we

unload some bags. I drive out to a friend's house

to get our dog Teddy. I come here to church and

work a little while and all the while, this is

just the thoughts going through my head. All

these thoughts of insufficiency and inability.

my inability to control sort of simple things,

let alone like bigger things. And you know, like

mine just swims with all of this. And I truly

think that part of what was going on was that

the enemy was just sort of rubbing it in a little

bit because it didn't just vent, you know, it's,

it wasn't just the sweater. It ventured into

like my ability as a husband and as a father

and as a friend and as a pastor and you know,

all this. And then I went to bed. And unfortunately

it just continued. I laid there for at least

two hours awake, sort of stirring, and the reality

of the insufficiency just kept swirling. I spoke

to our Father in heaven a lot about it. But it

seemed like in between my prayers, it just kept

attacking. It's kept feeling like, I don't even

know what, like, what am I doing? What am I doing?

It really sort of felt like a battle with the

devil in a way, because of course I wasn't just

talking, I wasn't just thinking about this negligence

with regards to an article of clothing. I was

thinking about the work of the church, the good

things that God calls us to do, and our just

insufficiency to do it well, or the good of the

world and all that we are called to do in the

world, healing of the world, blessing of the

world. Our call to to call others to repentance

to faith in Jesus All this is just going on in

my mind I was thinking also of my friend who's

a pastor over in Pittsburgh who I went to seminary

with He has a parishioner who was taken by ice

two months ago He had dropped off his wife at

her work and was on the way to his own work And

he his wife didn't know what happened to him

So a few days later they searched and they found

that he was in the database and he's a he's a

legal immigrant He's been detained for two months.

There's a few lawyers in their church They really

don't know why this has happened Why it's taken

so long to have him released and all this stuff

is just swirling in my mind all this stuff of

like What is we feel so insufficient? To do in

the world Even to do the good of the world I

know I was having That word fly through my mind

so much, insufficiency, because I had been working

on the sermon too. That happened sometimes to

me. The theme of the sermon is just going on

inside of me. I'm like living it. Our insufficiency

is a real thing. And sometimes that seems mundane,

right? I don't even know what happened to this

thing that I was just wanting to wear. How do

I lose stuff like that? But sometimes it hurts

a lot more deeply Because we actually don't know

what to do In our marriages where we feel distant

from our spouses and we don't know how how to

How to retrieve that intimacy and that closeness

And we don't know how to discipline our children

Feel so unable Are we saying the right things?

We're offering something into the world and we're

hoping that it's shaping them in a way that they

love the Lord with all their heart and mind and

soul and strength. Then we go, I don't know what

we are doing. Maybe more positively, we're really

trying to train them in the ways of the Lord,

the admonition of the Lord as we promise in their

baptisms. The holy things of God, right? We're

giving them the holy things of God and we wonder

what is going on. So insufficient for the tasks

set before us. Think of Jesus sent out the twelve

two by two Doing his in a way they were And they

were and Jesus doing then last week we well you

all sat in with Jed And this awful story of John

the Baptist who had done that very work and had

such great success in it, calling people to repentance

and his head there on a platter because of an

angry wife. Where is it going? And now we come

to this story of Jesus' disciples needing rest.

They've been doing the good work and they need

rest. And this other story that is connected

so closely here in the Gospel of Mark of Jesus

feeding this great crowd. And I want you to first

see how this passage talks about our insufficiency,

okay? I think it talks about it in a couple of

ways. The first way I think that it talks about

is insufficiency with regards to time. Um, this

I think will feel a little fuzzier than the next

one, but I think this will make sense. So, um,

look with me down at verses 30 and 31. Okay.

Mark 30, Mark six, 30 and 31. The apostles returned

to Jesus and told him all they had done and taught.

And he said to them, come away by yourselves

to a desolate place and rest awhile. for many

were coming and going, and they had no leisure

even to eat." Now again, part of what you see

here is they're doing good stuff. And we know

actually from other passages that they had some

real success in this good work that they were

doing. But at the end of verse 31, it says, they

had no leisure even to eat. And given at the

beginning of that verse, verse 31 says, He said

to them and then and then he said to them come

away by yourselves It seems as though the day

at the end is probably referenced specifically

to the disciples They had no leisure even to

eat Which just spoke to me there's an there's

an insufficiency with regards to their time We

don't know how to make time do the things that

we want that we need even just simply to live

like eating They don't know how to manage all

the people that are coming to them right if there

are a lot of people coming to them They don't

how do we manage these people in such a way that

we can still live? We have to eat Of all these

people so they can't maybe maybe they won't survive

And think about think about the things that race

through your mind when you think of it in insufficiency

My guess is a lot of them are related to time

a time management or just a lack of it? How do

we have the time to acquire the knowledge that

we need to get the new job? Because the current

job we have is sucking the life out of us. How

do we have the time to keep up with our aging

parents and still parent our young children?

How do we have the time? Seek justice in the

world. How do we have time to build friendships

that we need to live well in the world? How do

we have the time to be a part of a church community,

which done well means being served and being

fed and also serving? How do we have the time

to do the work that God is calling us to do and

still rest, right? Still rest, which is something

we are commanded to do. Just yesterday, My son

James asked me this great question, Dad, if I'm

not supposed to work on Sundays, should I not

do my homework on Sunday? Remember that conversation,

buddy? Yeah. And I said, well, um, yeah, cause,

cause for you, your, your homework is your work.

And that's a really good thing to strive to do

to, to have that done before this day that God

gives us to worship and to rest, to bide and

his finished work on our behalf. But what stood

out to me is that even at his age he knows that

it's an issue. How do you do that? Right, how

do you how do you manage your time in such a

way that you have leisure to eat? Time to rest

It's not just an issue for James not even close

is it No is the answer right no no, okay It's

an issue for Jesus' own disciples too that had

done so much good. They had no leisure even to

eat. And why? Well, in this passage, because

they were doing good things, it said, many were

coming and going. And that word many actually

can be translated multitude. Multitudes were

coming and going. Lots of folk were coming to

them and they were busy and they were busy doing

good things. And busyness can often actually

show, reveal our insufficiency. But I think actually,

even a little bit more clearly, insufficiency

is highlighted in this passage when it talks

about their resources, the resources that they

have. So here's what happens, right? They get

on this boat because Jesus says, let's go to

a desolate place because you need to rest. They

get in the boat and they're making their way

to this other part of the Sea of Galilee. And

all these people, it actually says that they

come from all the different towns and they run

and they get there ahead of them. They get there

ahead of Jesus and his disciples. How annoying.

They must have thought. And actually I think

we know that they thought because verse 35 says

this, right? This is the first thing that they

say, you know, Jesus has all these people coming

and he's teaching them and they say, this is

a desolate place and the hour is late. Right.

Jesus, you said you bring us to a desolate place

that we can rest. It's late. We need to rest.

This is the desolate place. Send them away. Make

them go into the surrounding countryside and

villages and buy themselves something to eat.

And then the next thing they say, actually after

Jesus' response to them, we'll get to that. Shall

we go and buy 200 denarii? Worth of bread and

give it to them to eat Actually one commentator

cb. Cranfield One of the great commentators on

mark says this would actually have been a really

disrespectful response to the rabbi They're just

fed up Exhausted One denarii would have been

a day's wages. So this would have been close

to maybe a year's worth of work You want to spend

all this we don't even have all this hanging

around Think of this again, how often is our

insufficiency related to our resources? It's

not just that we don't have time But we don't

have the money or the mind or the strength To

do the things that we feel we are called to do

How am I supposed to serve on a ministry team

here that you keep talking about Peter? You might

be thinking when I don't have the ability to

play music or the knowledge to help manage resources

for the benevolence team or blah, blah, blah,

blah. You know, I mean, it's true. We don't,

what are our resources? How am I supposed to

work for the healing of the world when my own

body needs healing? How am I supposed to call

people to repentance when I am so inarticulate?

I don't even sometimes know how to repent myself,

let alone call other people to it. How am I supposed

to give to the work of the church when my bank

account carries such a low balance so often?

Our insufficiency is so often connected to our

resources. And Jesus, it seems to me almost as

though Jesus is pressing them on this. He's almost

highlighting it. for them so verse verse 38 and

he said to them how many loads do you have hasn't

he just been whipped up in the boat just go and

see he these are his close buddies he's been

spending time with them he knows he knows their

resources he knows their state Doesn't when they

had found out they said five we got five loaves

Jesus. We have two fish This is a great crowd

Now interestingly in John's gospel We know from

John's gospel. We know that these aren't their

loaves and their fish John's gospel tells us

it was a boys loaves and fish Which is to say

that it seems like they don't have anything at

all They don't have any time. They don't have

any resources for this Now as an aside I think

it's wild that all this great crowd Left their

towns from the area and they ran to follow Jesus

and they they listened to him. They were eager

They were attentive to him. But you know what?

None of them brought any food All these people

they're like, let's go find Jesus listen and

forget to bring our dinner Which is actually

something very lovely it's wonderful they're

so eager for Jesus But what I want you to hear

in all this is that the disciples Really are

not they are actually they are not sufficient

to what Jesus calls them to do they aren't They

don't have it And it seems this It seems to even

say to us that Jesus wanted them to get to that

place. He invited them into the process. So they

have to say, Jesus, all we have is the five loaves

and two fish, and there's 5 ,000 folk right here.

Think of his response to their request for him

to send the crowd away into the town so that

they can buy something for themselves. Jesus

says, You give them something to eat We are tired

we thought you were bringing us to a desolate

place so that we could rest And he knew they

couldn't give him something to eat they were

not able And the fact is is that much of what

we were called to in this life we are not able

to do We aren't we we can't control our time.

Well, I know some of you are thinking I'm not

too bad at it and certainly some of you are better

than others You read the books you make the plans

you keep your schedules You listen to the happiness

lab the Huberman lab Mel Robbins all the rest

and you follow it You budget you listen you learn

from Dave Ramsey Right Maybe listen to optimum

fine finance daily. I Just googled. What are

the top finance podcasts? That's one of them

You consider well your resources, right? But

you come to the end of yourself I know this I

know you do We come to the end of ourselves And

part of what I'm telling you is that you need

to do that. You actually need to do that. We

need to come to the end of ourselves, our own

sufficiency. And why is this? Because in this

passage and in your life, when you come to the

end of your sufficiency, What you find is the

sufficiency of Jesus and is so often only until

you come to that I Really do hate that. I lost

my sweater yesterday I mean, it's a little it's

sort of embarrassing and it really did it still

kind of just fills with all this sense of like

what am I doing? Okay, I just like hold on to

something like that And I sort of hate that it

brings up for me all kinds of feelings of failures

I so desire that this church that each one of

you would grow in your love for Jesus Intimacy

with him and I know that there's ways I fail

you as a pastor And and I'm really tired because

I didn't sleep well I saw like every hour of

the night I just tossed and turning once I finally

fell asleep There's something wonderful and actually

having to say God, please help God, I don't have.

God, I can't. God, it costs this much. We only

have five loaves and two fish. God, I need. Because

what happens in this passage is that Jesus actually

is sufficient for the very place of their need.

He is. I'm gonna highlight two ways. The first

is kind of simple Remember he said in verse 31

he said to them come away by yourselves to a

desolate place and rest a while Look down at

verse 39. He said Then he commanded them all

to sit down in groups on the green grass Why

didn't Mark just say he commanded them to sit

down they're about to eat sit down and eat Because

the image of green grass and scripture is a place

that God leads us to Through the valleys of the

shadow of death into his green pastures He's

leading them there. He doesn't do so until they

come to the end of themselves though Another

way is Is the connections that are made in this

passage with eating? You know, we learned from

the get -go is that He calls them to come to

this desolate place, for many were coming and

going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And

then when they get to the other side, part of

the problem that they find is not just their

own desire to be sustained, but the need for

this whole crowd to be sustained. You know, they

say, Jesus send them away so they can buy themselves

something to eat. Verse 36. Their response So

Jesus response to them was hey you go buy them

something to eat Their response again with Jesus

it's gonna cost us too much to buy all that stuff

the bread specifically say for them to eat But

of course what happens in the story There's something

amazing The only miracle that you can find in

all four Gospels other than the resurrection

itself is this story This story it's the only

one What happens Jesus takes what is sort of

a paltry offering for such a large crowd He takes

it he takes what they have found and what they

offer to him Five loaves, two fish. Jesus takes

what little the disciples can sort of muster

up and scrounge around and get. He takes it and

he multiplies it beyond what anyone could have

imagined. Anyone could have imagined. This is

the only miracle that's in all the Gospels other

than the resurrection. Because Jesus takes our

little Insufficient in a lot of ways offerings

and he says your insufficiency with my all sufficiency

is going to be more than enough Five loaves two

fishes for 5 ,000 men and by the way Matthew

highlights that there were also women and children

there 12 ,000 people John tells us that they

ate as much as they wanted They just got to eat

as much as you wanted And here and elsewhere,

in the other passages, we read that they had

12 baskets left over, which is this number of

fullness, one of the numbers of fullness in the

Bible. Which is to say, so often the place where

Jesus does His most miraculous work in our lives

is at the very place and in the very time when

we come to the end of ourselves. And we have

to rely on Him. When our insufficiency shines,

his sufficiency shines all the brighter. And

think with me, I think Mark actually points to

the ultimate place where Jesus does this, and

I think he does this really clearly. And I think

that might be the reason why the two miracles

that we find in all the gospels are this and

the resurrection. When Jesus' body was broken

and his blood was shed, and yet in him doing

that, we have life through his resurrection.

So look with me down at verse 41. Verse 41 says

this, and taking the five loaves and 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. Jesus takes, he blesses,

he breaks, he gives. They're the very words that

we have at the institution of Lord's Supper.

They're the words that are constantly used when

Jesus takes the bread, which is his body, the

cup, which is his blood. He takes, he blesses,

he breaks, he gives. Same thing he does in the

upper room when he is about to go to his death

for us, when his blood is being shed for us,

when his Body is being broken for us Which is

to say I think that this is passage is not just

calling us to think about our Insufficiency of

time and resources and ability and all the things

that we feel so deeply But I think this passage

has to call us to the insufficiency for us to

deal with our sin our ultimate need That we try

to fix things around us we try to keep everything

in order We try to put on a good face, try to

schedule well all the rest, but Jesus alone is

sufficient. The wrongs of the world to right,

to put our wrongs to right, to put our sin to

death. Our insufficiency to deal with our sins

is met with his sufficiency of his taken blessed,

broken, given body. Jesus leads his disciples

in their state of weariness and in their need

for rest into a deeper rest, into a deeper sense

of, God can do it. He's able. I come to the end

of myself. He is able. To think of how the whole

eating story ends verse 42, please look at that

with me And they all ate and were satisfied I

love that that word isn't full You can be full

and not satisfied Satisfied has this connotation

of rest Complete Okay, cared for, satisfied.

Jesus led his disciples in their place of weariness

to a place of their total insufficiency that

he might teach them that he alone can care for

them. Brothers and sisters, I pray in a way,

and this is a strange prayer, that each one of

you would come to that place. God, I cannot do.

You must do. God, I do not have. I must rely

on you. God, I cannot deal with my sin. Take

it upon yourself. God, I cannot live. Let me

live in you. And I believe But just as this crowd

long ago just as these weary disciples long ago

ate and were satisfied But it's in that place

and it is only in that place Where you will find

rest? Amen For God We're thankful for the beauty

of this passage for Jesus compassion the compassionate

shepherd looking upon the sheep that are wandering

and need to be fed and are unable. God, would

you extend your compassion towards us? And God,

I pray that we would know our deep need of you.

And then we would run to you empty handed Lord,

because nothing in our hands we bring simply

to the cross we cling. And God, we would find

in you the rest and the satisfaction for which

all of our souls are deeply, deeply longing.

Please do this Lord, draw us to the end of ourself

that you, we might be filled. Amen. Thank you

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