Felt Board Jesus Ep. 4

Mark 6:30-44 30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. 35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.” 39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand. This is a story that has been told and retold countless times in churches.  Some in the modern Church have discounted this story as a story about the miracle of sharing.  Motivated by the generosity of the young boy, the people in the crowd began to share the food they had all brought for themselves, but were selfishly keeping to themselves, they say.  But the biblical narrative makes it clear this wasn't a miracle of sharing, this was a miracle of God.  This miraculous event is later referred to by Jesus Himself as evidence that the disciples should believe and trust in Him. But even for those who believe this miracle actually occurred 2,000 years ago we wonder if those types of miracles still occur.  We sometimes wonder because we seldom, if ever, see modern day miracles.  Maybe it was just for back in those days, we think.  Maybe we are doing something wrong, we think.  Maybe God doesn't care enough to act on my behalf, we think. We will be examining this miraculous event in the life of Jesus and the reality of miracles today.