Jesus is Enough | Mark 6:30-56

INTRODUCTION

We live in a very uncertain world and every one and then we can face a new challenge or something new that we’re facing. But the problem with us is that we have a forgetful faith. And so we forget all of the things Jesus has done for us in the past. And when a new situation arises, we start getting anxious and stressed. I want to encourage you this morning that no matter we situation we face, Jesus is enough.

Main Idea: Christ is enough, therefore, we can trust Him when our resources are limited, our fears are overwhelming, and our plans change.

Context: In Mark 6 Jesus sent his disciples two by two. And the text tells us in verse 12, they went out and they proclaimed that people should repent. They cast out many demons. They anointed oil with many who were sick and they healed them.

Have you ever had a really exciting moment, and you get home and you’re excited to tell everyone about it. The disciples have been sent out. They cast out demons, people are healed. They come back to Jesus and they’re like, ‘Jesus, you won’t believe what happened.’ Jesus says, “Good job. It’s time for the next test.” and the next test is going to show up and they’re going to have to learn again that Jesus is enough.

Outline:

1. When You Don’t Have Enough — Trust His Provision; Mark 6:30–44

2. When You Are Afraid — Trust His Presence; Mark 6:45–52

3. When Life Goes Off Course — Trust His Mercy; Mark 6:53–56

1. When You Don’t Have Enough — Trust His Provision; Mark 6:30–44

Mark 6:30-34

³⁰The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. ³¹Then, 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.” (Jesus is actually going to a quiet place because they are trying to make him King. His time has not yet come. Yet, there is the importance of rest and recharging. We all need rest. We need to build in margin. We need some downtime.)

³²So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. (wilderness idea, Israel) ³³But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. (You want some rest and there are people around you. What would you do? But look at how Jesus responds to this:) ³⁴When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, (Do you now that Jesus has compassion for you? He cares for you.) because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

Numbers 27:15-17

¹⁵Moses said to the Lord, ¹⁶“May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community ¹⁷to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

In this text Joshua comes and Joshua is the next leader. But this is a key word in here telling us that there is a greater Moses. That there is a greater Joshua. And that greater Moses and greater Joshua is Jesus.

So Jesus is there. And think about all the different aspects. They’re in a desolate place. They’re in a wilderness. There’s a great crowd just like a great crowd of Israel. They’re going to need to be fed just like there was manna that came. All of these indicators are pointing back and he’s saying to us, “This is the son of God. This is the greater Moses.” He’s saying they’re like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them.

Mark 6:35-36

³⁵By 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. ³⁶Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

There were 5000 men plus women and children. There were more people here with Jesus than the people in the surrounding cities. The disciples are asking to Jesus to disperse them.

Mark 6:37-38

³⁷But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” (I can’t. God, you’ve called me to do something. I can’t do it. There is no way I can physically make this happen. I can’t do it. It’s impossible. Friends, Jesus is enough for any task that He gives us.)

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 (loaves) and two fish.”

John tells us that Andrew found a boy who had 5 loaves and 2 fish. There’s a lesson for us there, too. We don’t have enough to do what Jesus has called us to do. But we can take what we do have and we can put it before Jesus and we can let Jesus use it to do what Jesus wants to do because Jesus is enough.

Mark 5:39-40

³⁹Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.

Exodus 18, Moses was dividing the children of Israel into hundreds and 50s. So there’s flashbacks here.

Mark 6:41

⁴¹Taking 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.

Just like in the wilderness, manna fell from heaven and it was provided. He didn’t need the five loaves and the two fish to be able to feed all of these people. But he took what was there, and he blessed it, and he gave thanks and he began to break it. And as he began to break it, it is just multiplying, and they took it and they gave it to everybody sitting there. Everyone ete and there were 12 basketfuls leftover.

Jesus is enough. We don’t understand. I cannot do this. Could we feed this crowd with five loaves and two fish? No. Five clubbed chicken sandwiches and two grilled fish? No.

Here is a Flashback to 2 feasts going on at the same time;

Herod’s Birthday Feast. In Mark 6, they get drunk. They have a dance. They killed John the Baptist.

The Passover Feast: Green grass tells this is Passover time. At the same time there is a Passover Festival going on in Jerusalem.

The Feast that Jesus gives: Here’s a different feast. It’s a feast with Jesus and they were satisfied.

John 6:41-44

⁴²They all ate and were satisfied, ⁴³and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

This was a test. Like Israel failed over and over in the wilderness in Exodus, the disciples failed the test here. Jesus provides the food. Oh, but we want meat. Where’s the water? Where do we trust Jesus time and time again? We see it in Exodus. We see it in our own lives.

When You Don’t Have Enough — Trust His Provision; Mark 6:30–44

2. When You Are Afraid — Trust His Presence; Mark 6:45–52

Mark 6:45

Jesus Walks on the Water

⁴⁵Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.

The disciples were obedient. They got in the boat. They went the direction that they were supposed to go and they get into a storm.

Sometimes Jesus calls us to do something and when we obey, we find out it’s hard. We obey what Jesus said to do and we find out it doesn’t work out exactly like we think it’s going to work out.

And Jesus still called us to do it. And we still have to go.

Mark 6:46

⁴⁶After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

Jesus is going up on the mountain to pray. Emphasis on prayer. We need to pray, time alone with Jesus. We need to have our quiet times.

Mark 6:47-48

⁴⁷Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. ⁴⁸He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them,

He came to them…He didn’t part the waters by raising a staff and walking across on dry ground. He just said, “I don’t need to part the waters. I’m going to walk on them.” And as the waves carried him, he walked on top of the waves and began to walk out to them in the boat. Nobody can walk on water except God. That’s what Job tells us. And Jesus is walking on water. He is the son of God. He created it all.

He was about to pass by them

It alludes back to Exodus 33, where God passed by Moses then he saw him. I think what the indication here is that he was passing by, meaning he was showing them who he was.

But when they saw him walking on the water, what happened?

Mark 6:49-50

⁴⁹but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, ⁵⁰because they all saw him and were terrified.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

I AM. Have you ever heard the words I am before? In a burning bush in Exodus. Who are you? I AM. Who am I supposed to tell them that sent me? I AM. Who is this walking out on the water to the boat? Take heart. I am. Do you not get it yet? Jesus is the son of God. He is the great I AM in flesh. Jesus is enough. Christ is literally all we need in this life.

Mark 6:51-52

⁵¹Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, ⁵²for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

They had a hard heart.

When You Are Afraid — Trust His Presence; Mark 6:45–52

3. When Life Goes Off Course — Trust His Mercy; Mark 6:53–56

Mark 6:53

⁵³When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there.

Wait a minute. In v45, they were headed to Bethsaida but they did not land there because the wind blew them across to Gennesaret.

So then instead of going straight across, they ended up getting blown south. Sometimes the destination we think we’re headed to isn’t the ultimate destination that Christ is going to take us to.

Lord, I want to do this course. You’re not. I’m going overseas to study. Lord I am planning on this kind of job. The Lord may fulfil your dreams if it is His plan. But if the Lord changes the path and the destination, God has a greater plan.

Sometimes Your destination may not be the place that you think it is. It’s okay. Jesus is enough. Just keep following him. And when he redirects your path, you haven’t failed. They didn’t fail to reach their destination. They went to the exact place Jesus wanted them to go.

Mark 6:54-56

⁵⁴As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. ⁵⁵They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. ⁵⁶And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

Life Application:

1. Remember who Jesus is: Jesus is LORD.

2. Bring What you have to Jesus.

3. Remember Yesterday’s Faithfulness in today’s Fear.

4. Do not Confuse a Changed Route with a Failed Life.

5. Jesus is enough