Three gifts for satisfied living
by Pastor Matt Bishop
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They all ate and were satisfied (Mark 6:42).
Read Mark 6:30–46
In this next section of Mark, the disciples return from their mission trip to tell Jesus all they have done and taught in his name. The debrief occurs in the shadow of John the Baptist’s martyrdom. The mood is one of excitement mixed with heaviness. Tiring stuff.
In the following verses, Jesus gives three gifts essential for sustainable living and discipleship.
The first is rest. Jesus invites the disciples, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest’ (verse 31b). The rest of mind, body and soul were built into our bodies as a recovery mechanism by our creator. Getting enough rest? This episode of Australia’s leading Christian podcast Undeceptions by John Dickson is all about rest. It’s a beauty.
The second gift is teaching about God. When Jesus sees the crowds, he is moved with compassion (literally ‘kicked in the guts’). His response? To teach. Not anything else but to teach. And not just a little but ‘a great many things’ (verse 34). I see lots of things that make me wonder if the church is still teachable. People also report being tired and worn out in the faith. A good question to keep in front of ourselves is, ‘Am I still teachable by Jesus?’ It might help alleviate that sense of pushing it all uphill.
The third gift is a good feed. Jesus doesn’t send the crowd away hungry. He draws his disciples into his work of feeding the crowd, just as he had with teaching the villagers and inviting the disciples to learn about rest. Jesus still continues providing earthly nourishment for us and, at the same time, drawing us into his work of feeding.
Thank God for his very earthly human understanding of what we need. Rest. Teaching. Food. Are you making the most of them?
Thank you, Heavenly Father, that you made me and all creatures. You richly and daily provide me with all I need to support this body and life. All this you do out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For this, it is my duty (and joy) to thank and praise, serve and obey you. Amen.
(Based on the Explanation to the First Article of the Apostle’s Creed in Luther’s Small Catechism; accessible at http://catechism.cph.org/en/creed.html)
Pastor Matt Bishop serves the St Paul Lutheran Church and co-located primary school at Blair Athol in Adelaide. He delights in his wife Mel, three young adult daughters and, soon, a son-in-law. He would like to spend more time fishing but loves being a pastor and sharing the gospel with everyone God puts in his path, not least the nomads, prodigals, exiles and sceptics of the Christian faith.
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