December 9, 2015 (Wednesday)
This evening at Bethel Baptist Church, Ingleside, we will study Mark 6:30-56, which tells of Jesus feeding 5,000 and later, walking on the water. Mark is the gospel of action. He shows that Jesus is the promised Savior by telling us what he did. He performed miracle after miracle.
All the gospels include the feeding of 5,000 people. It was definitely a miracle. A survey of the crowd that had come to hear Jesus was made, and it found 5 loaves and 3 fish. Jesus thanked the Father for the small amount of food, and then fed it to more than 5,000 people. Afterwards, 12 basketfuls of leftovers were collected.
Later, Jesus sent his disciples ahead of him in a boat, but before dawn saw them struggling against a strong wind, and he went out to them, walking on the lake. They called to him, and he responded by saying, “Take courage. It is I. Be not afraid.” Then he climbed into the boat with them.
“When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And 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” (Mark 6:53-56 NIV).
Jesus mission to save the world was undergirded by miracles that not only helped people, but proved that He was the promised Messiah.
Much later, on the night he was betrayed, meeting with his disciples on the eve of His crucifixion, he declared, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6). Today, millions of people around the world claim Him as their Savior. Today He offers salvation to everyone who will believe in Him. When He returns, He will come as Judge. This is His promise, and He keeps His word.