CHAPTER 6

1 And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him.
2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

After raising Jairus' daughter from the dead, Jesus headed back to Nazareth, His home town. There, Jesus taught in the synagogue. It was his "custom" to be in the synagogue on the Sabbath day (See Luke 4:16).

Jesus' teaching exhibited great "wisdom" wherever He went, and astounded many of the scholars and professional priests. They couldn't believe that such wisdom could come from "the carpenter, the son of Mary..."

As a result of their ill-comprehension, these people denounced Jesus as a teacher because they were "offended at Him." They spoke of Jesus in such a manner as to belittle Him before others and discourage anyone from listening to Him.

Jesus spoke directly to these when He said, "A prophet is not without honour, but (except) in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house." It is indeed difficult, to say the least, for a preacher to gain acceptance in his own family, and among his old friends. You see, we tend to view people in association with their past history.

Since few people believed in Him there, Jesus could do "no mighty work!" He did heal a few people who came to Him. But they were few because of the slanderous attacks upon Him by leading religious authorities.

Jesus "marveled at their unbelief" because they could see the wisdom of His teaching and the power of His healing, but they would NOT believe!
I think God marvels, or wonders at unbelief in people. Being faced with the truth, people must hold greater faith in themselves than is normal to disbelieve Jesus!

But Jesus didn't accuse or "revile" them for their unbelief (See 1Peter 2:23). He simply moved on to where people would listen (see verse 6 above).

It is best, when we are slandered because of our belief in Christ, that we move on and not waste time with those who refuse to believe. To argue invokes more slanderous remarks, and others need to hear the Gospel.

7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;
8 And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:
9 But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats.
10 And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.
11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

There is a much lengthier discussion concerning these verses in Matthew, chapter 1 (See Matthew 10), and when you have looked there, just clik the "back" button on your browser to come back to this page).

These disciples were sent. The Greek word for "sent" is apostello (ap-os-tel'-lo). And from that word comes the word used in our New Testament, apostles. These men were commissioned for the purpose of preaching the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Along with their commissioning, they were given special powers, "power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease," (Matthew 10:1)

The commissioning included powers; but it also included stipulative action. They were to carry NO MONEY (vs 8 above). They were to LIVE by the GOSPEL! Those who received Christ through their preaching would PROVIDE for them!

From experience, I can share with you that those who receive Christ, are VERY HAPPY with the joy and wonder of salvation. And they are very willing to "communicate" spiritual and physical blessings upon those from whom they heard the Gospel (See Galatians 6:6).

Though our commissioning today may not include the power to cast out demons and bring healing, we still have a COMMISSION to share the Gospel (See Matthew 28:18-20). And that commission still includes making it the PRIMARY concern of our lives.

Christians are not commissioned to sit, they are commissioned to be sent!

14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.
16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.
17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.
18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.
19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:
20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.
21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;
22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.
23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.
24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.
25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.
26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.
27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,
28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.
29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.

This is indeed a sordid story. But many are such stories in the lives of public and religious authorities today. Some, in authority, refuse to believe. Yet, their guilty consciences cause them great grief.

" This was the case with Herod. Though he was king, and knew the truth John preached, he refused to live accordingly(see vs 20 above). His conscience ate at him everyday! He sought relief in many forms. So, when his illegal wife utilized her daughter in a seductive capacity, Herod was temporarily distracted from his guilty conscience. Then he brashly promised a reward of anything the young lady asked.

Herod was very saddened at her evil request, but he felt was obliged by his position to fulfill his promise. Even in places of public authority, people should never be coerced to fulfill brash and ignorant promises!

OH! How many there are today who "believeth unto righteousness," but never make a "confession with the mouth" and commit to Christ! (See Romans 10:9-10). They hear, but refuse to commit. Thus their guilty consciences eat at them, and they seek relief in various ways: alcohol, drugs, sexual immorality, self-actualization, etc. They could have genuine relief if they would just repent and surrender to Jesus!

John the Baptist's disciples heard that he had been beheaded, and they came to give John's body a decent burial.

30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.
31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.

Now, Jesus' apostles (those commissioned to be sent) returned from their journey. They began to tell Jesus all the wonderful things they had seen God do as they obeyed His commissioning.

The multitudes continually gathering around Jesus presented a hindrance to His listening to and teaching these apostles. So Jesus requested that they draw apart, and in a "desert place" find quietness where He could minister to them.

The company found a ship which would take them where they needed to be.

Sometimes, it is necessary for us to draw apart and be alone with the Lord. We need to get alone with Jesus and study the Scripture to discern what He would have us do.

That's basically what I'm doing now. I sit with a computer Bible open on one page, and a notepad open on another page. As I read and study, I write down what I've learned. And, for future reference, it helps to write notes that are aligned with Bible Scripture passages, then saved. Later, you can share them with others.

Sometimes though, during study, the phone rings. And the "multitude" distracts, as in the following case. It's best then to make the distraction a meaningful experience by ministering to others in the manner which Christ Himself would do.

33 And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.
34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:
36 Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.
37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat.

Now, I'm doing something that I seldom do - splitting a vers. You'll note that verse 37 above is not complete. We'll get to the last part of that verse shortly.

The people following Jesus noticed that He and the disciples were leaving. They must have had an idea of where Jesus was going, because they ran along the shore and were waiting when Jesus and the disciples arrived!

The disciples noted that they day was almost spent, and recommended that Jesus send the crowd away so they would have time to find something to eat.

But Jesus astonished the disciples by saying, "Give YE them to eat!"

Are there times in your life when your desire to be with Jesus keeps you from actually keeps you from eating?
Are there times in your life when you are so busy ministering to others that you fail to eat properly? Are there times in your life when others are so hungry for the Gospel, they fail to eat properly?

Be sure, that at those times, Jesus stands strongly to His responsibility as God. He will see to your needs!
And, sometimes, it is WE who are to help others take proper nourishment!

37 (continued) And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.
39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.
40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.
41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
42 And they did all eat, and were filled.
43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.
44 And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.

This miracle of feeding the 5,000 is recorded in ALL FOUR Gospels (Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:11-17, John 6:1-13, and here in Matthew 14:14-20).

In John 6:4 we are told,just prior to the recording of this miracle, that "passover ... was nigh." This means that thousands of people had come to celebrate Passover, and many of them were following Jesus.

"And when it was evening," actually refers to 3PM. The "evening" of verse 23 would refer to sundown.

It was too late for the crowd to go to town and purchase food. Jesus told the disciples to feed the multitude. They complained that they had only found 5 biscuits and 2 small fish.

What is ENOUGH? Do you have ENOUGH? With Jesus ANYTHING is ENOUGH! Jesus told the disciples to bring the biscuits and fish to Him. He prayed God's blessings upon the food, and then gave it back to the disciples. When the disciples began passing it out to the multitude, it was MORE THAN ENOUGH!

About 5,000 MEN ate, PLUS women and children!!

And yet, they had LEFTOVERS (see verse 20)!!

What a miracle God we have!!

Several times I have organized a mission trip solely on what I felt was God's command. It seemed I NEVER had enough funds! But I would ask for God's blessings upon His own instructions, and ENOUGH would come!

Remember, when God instructs you to do something, and you think you don't have ENOUGH; just ask Him to BLESS it!!

45 And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.
46 And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.
47 And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land.
48 And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.
49 But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:
50 For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.
51 And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.
52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.

It was close to sundown. EVERYONE knew that the little sea had storms in the evening. Jesus had been with His disciples once (we have read about that in Matthew 8) when a storm came up. But this time, He instructed them to go and He would stay.

Obviously Jesus taught the "multitude" some more (verse 23), then he went up to a mountain to pray. He KNEW what the disciples were facing!

Will Jesus send you into a "storm?" YES! Especially if it will encourage and strengthen you in faith, and bring glory to His Name.

During the night, while the disciples rowed, fighting the winds, Jesus PRAYED! He "..ever liveth to make intercession for" those who trust Him (See Heb 7:25).

Then, in "the fourth watch" (between 3AM and 6AM), Jesus began walking across the sea to the disciples who were in trouble. They were exhausted from rowing, and about to lose the little ship.

When they first saw Him, the disciples thought Jesus was an apparition!

But Jesus SPOKE to them, and assured them it was He.

Whenever you are in a "storm," rely upon God's PRESENCE!
He is certainly there, and knows all about the problem you face. And He is the MASTER OF THE SEA!

As soon as Jesus and Peter entered the ship, the storm CEASED. God's presence is all we need to have "PEACE IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM!"

All those disciples in the ship were encouraged by this incident. They were POSITIVE now that Jesus was "the Son of God!"

Sometimes we must experience a trial of our faith in order for us to grow to the point where we KNOW Jesus can handle ALL our problems! That's probably because we don't remember properly. You see, the disciples didn't recall the POWER that was displayed by Jesus in making the 5 loaves and 2 fishes ENOUGH!

53 And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore.
54 And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him,
55 And ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was.
56 And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.

Some of my favorite stories in the Bible are those that have sequels. This passage of Scripture is actually a sequel to Mark 5:1-20.

Jesus had healed the demon-possessed man, and told him: "Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee." The man had done EXACTLY THAT!!

And, now, when Jesus returned the people THRONGED Him!! Everywhere Jesus went, crowds gathered!

They KNEW that Jesus was the One Who had healed the demon-possessed man!
They KNEW because he had TOLD them!

Can you imagine that great day when Jesus appears in the clouds with glory?
Can you imagine throngs of people being gathered to Him?
Can you imagine those whom YOU have TOLD as they go to Jesus?

It is by GRACE we are saved!
It is by FAITH given to us by God that we serve!
It is by POWER we are commissioned to tell others!
And, it is by VOLITION that we obey our Lord!
PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US IN BIBLE STUDY TOMORROW.