The Gospel of Mark, Chapter 6
You can listen to Mark 6 with us below. You can also read the passage in the New Living Translation here.
“The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.
So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.”
But Jesus said, “You feed them.”
“With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!”
“How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.”
They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”
Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred.
Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed.”
Thank you for joining us in listening to Mark 6! You can also find a written copy of Mark 6 in the NLT here.
Below are some questions that made us think. Feel free to journal your answers to one or all of them!
Discussion Questions
1. When Jesus returned to His hometown, Nazareth, the people who had known Him for years were offended by Him and refused to believe Him. The text says that Jesus was "amazed by their unbelief."
-If Jesus came to your town or your ship, what do you think He would be amazed by (good and bad)?
-What is it like to be a Christian in your hometown?
-What does it look like to believe Jesus?
2. Jesus sent the 12 disciples out to preach and heal. The only thing they were told to bring with them was a walking stick— no food, no bag, no money, no change of clothes. What an act of faith! They were asked to leave behind the supplies they would normally use to take care of themselves. Perhaps Jesus asked them to do this because He wanted them to rely on God to take care of them. Perhaps He wanted them to know that the "success" or "failure" of their mission would not rely on their physical preparation, but HIS power and provision.
- What does it look like to trust God with our possessions?
- When are you tempted to rely more on yourself than on God?
- Tell about a time God provided for you while you were serving others.
3. Some people thought Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead, some people thought He was Elijah, some thought He was a new prophet.
-Who do you believe Jesus is?
-Why do or don't you believe He is more than a prophet?
4. Twice in this passage, Jesus pursues rest. The first time, a huge crowd (of over 5,000 people) interrupts His plan. He has compassion on them and teaches them...and then miraculously feeds them. However, after He feeds them, He says goodbye and goes to the hills alone to pray.
Jesus sacrificially loved people AND took initiative in pursuing rest. I bet that a few of those 5,000 people He fed wanted to be with Him after meal time was over, but He said goodbye, sent His disciples across a lake, and went to be alone with God.
- How can you/do you purposefully rest with God?
- What keeps you from resting with God?
-What difference does resting with God make in your life?
-What is your attitude when your plans are interrupted?
5. Jesus and His disciples fed well over 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Initially, the disciples assumed that whatever resources were available to them would not be enough. However, the little they could find became more than enough in Jesus' hands.
- Do you ever feel like you don't have enough? What resources do you have? Write them down! How might God be asking you to use your resources and trust Him with the outcome?
-Is there something God is asking you to do that seems impossible with what you have? What would it look like to step forward in faith?
-Tell about a time God did more than you thought was possible!
