Jesus in the Wilderness
Mark 8:1-9
July 26, 2020 anno Domini – Redeemer
The disciples forgot to pack a lunch. Just a day or so after the great miracle of the text the disciples were in a boat with Jesus and they had only one loaf of bread. Probably enough for a sandwich. Jesus was with them in the boat. He was trying to teach them about the false doctrine of the Pharisees, but what is false doctrine compared to an empty stomach? Someone forgot to grab the seven baskets of leftovers from that last miracle. Who was supposed to do that? Mark? Peter, were you in charge? James? Thomas?
In Mark 6 Jesus fed 5000 men with five loaves of bread and two fish and there were 12 baskets of leftovers. In Mark 8 Jesus fed 4000 men with seven loaves, a few fish, and there were 7 baskets of leftovers. Days later the disciples are in a boat with Jesus and they have one loaf of bread and they’re worried about their next meal. Do you think there’s a connection? Any guess why Jesus rebukes the disciples saying, “Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?”
The feeding of the 5000 and the 4000 are absolutely true. One witness to their truth is that John Mark (who wrote down this Gospel) did not apply pious makeup to the disciples to make them look better.
If you’re telling a story desiring to impress and convince people you portray yourself in a favorable light. You cover your warts with foundation and shade the truth in your favor. If we strip away the makeup we’re liars and we lie for our advantage.
The disciples, on the other hand, rarely look like great men of faith in the Gospels. They don’t know where they’ll get bread for the 5000, or the 4000, or even for 12. And the whole time Jesus is right in their midst. This is the truth about sinful men. We shouldn’t be surprised at their behavior because we act the same way. Don’t even begin to think, “if I was there, if I had witnessed those miracles I would believe.” No you wouldn’t because every sinner think a sign will lead to greater faith. Sorry, Scripture makes it clear that hardly anyone believes in Jesus as their Savior from the miracles. Jesus gives us one sign – the sign of Jonah – three days dead and then alive again.
Why do you think the Lord commands us to come to the Lord’s house one time per week? Because we have eyes that don’t see and ears that don’t hear. Because we don’t understand the Gospel. We’re slow to believe Jesus and quick to believe our eyes seeing some shortage or our ears hearing of some evil.
I can receive complete freedom from my sins, from death, and from the power of the devil and within 24 hours become livid because the city council or governor forces me to wear a mask. I can be guaranteed life everlasting, the resurrection of my body by Christ’s forgiveness and then be downcast because my arthritis flairs up or my hearing gets worse or my back aches. I can be ushered into the courts of heaven every Lord’s day to receive gifts from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and then fear some earthly ruler or tremble at an upcoming election.
The Lord Jesus must lead me and you into the wilderness so that we lose our trust in the world and put our faith in Him alone. (On a side note this crowd in Mark 8 is quite a crowd. I would transfer them all into Redeemer. They got so caught up in the Word of Jesus that they stopped thinking about food. Either they ate up all the food from their coolers or they actually went three days without food because they were listening to God’s Word. Either way they were in the middle of Nebraska and there wasn’t a Nelson Brother’s truck stop in sight. There was only Jesus.
This is why the Lord leads us into the wilderness. He allows us to feel our sin. He lets us see that we aren’t in paradise anymore. He allows a child to suffer or die. He lets our daily bread become meager. He doesn’t make perfect rulers but let’s narcissism and greed infect those in power. This wilderness trek can happen in mysterious ways – everything can be going your way and yet you’re not satisfied, you’re angry, you’re empty. Anyone looking in would say your life is great and you see it as a wasteland. Jesus has taken you there, so that you ask,” What’s wrong?” or as the Disciples said, “How can one feed these people with bread in this desolate place?”
Where am I going to find health when I am sick? Where am I going to find forgiveness when I’m guilty of sin? Where will I find love when I am angry? Life when I am dying? Hope when I despair?
In Christ’s hands. Faith is not easy. It requires the wilderness of repentance and the compassionate hands of Jesus. This is the good news. Every miracle proclaims loudly and clearly that Jesus is true God – the God who created everything out of nothing. He puts the best catering business to shame as He makes 7 loaves a feast for 4000 men. He is not merely almighty God, but He is the God of compassion.
He uses His power for the crowds. He uses His hands to take their meager rations, to bless them, break them, multiply them and feed them. That’s why the Son of God has hands so that you can receive His compassion. Those hands kept the Law for you. He cleaned his plate at Mary’s table with those hands. He picked up his underwear and put them in the drawer with his hands. He defended his brothers and sisters when they were bullied with those hands. He always loved, always gave, always did what was best for His neighbor.
Then those perfectly obedient hands took your sins and were nailed to the cross. Those hands clenched in suffering and then went cold and stiff in death. Three days later those scarred and living hands tried to hold off Mary Magdalene’s hug and were shown to the disciples. Thomas got to probe those scars to help Him believe. By the hands of Jesus your sins are forgiven. You’re delivered from this wilderness of sin and evil. By the hands of His men you were baptized into His death and resurrection, absolved of your sins, and fed the bread of heaven.
This week you’ll go once again into the wilderness. The world will try to cover itself with makeup and bright colors to masquerade as paradise. It isn’t and it won’t be for you – Jesus promises. But take heart, Christ is here, every week with His Word and His gifts and the hands of His man giving you what you need. This past week in my morning devotions I prayed one of my favorite collects from the hymnal. It’s a great prayer for this sermon. Lord God, You have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us. In the name of Jesus. Amen.