Proper 11
Mark 6:30-34
July 19, 2015
It's more than enough
One of life’s major mistakes is being the last member of the
family to get the flu – After all the compassion has run out. It is often true.
That a lot of our compassion is wasted on ourselves. Or, that we are compassionate. As long as it
costs us nothing. In our Gospel lesson, we learn of someone who is not like us.
We see Christ who has a passion for compassion.
Jesus - His heart goes out to us. He is compassionate.
Because He knows all your needs.
Your Lord knows His sheep.
You are His. You are a sheep of His fold. A lamb of His flock. A sinner
of His own redeeming. He knows your physical needs. He knows what you need. And
how you need it.
Jesus said, “Do not
be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about
your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more
than clothing? Look at the birds of the
air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by
being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,
yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of
these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and
tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of
little faith? Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What
shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these
things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first
the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to
you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious
for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” –
He knows you personally.
David prays, “Search my O God, You know my heart.”
O LORD,
you have searched me and known me!
You know
when I sit down and when I rise up;
You
discern my thoughts from afar.
You
search out my path and my lying down
And
are acquainted with all my ways.
Even
before a word is on my tongue,
Behold,
O LORD, you know it altogether.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
In your book were written, every one of them,
The days that were formed for me,
When as yet there was none of them.
Jesus knew His disciples were tired. He directed them to go
to a desolate place where they could be alone and rest. He was looking out for them. Giving them
rest. So they could continue to minister to the world.
While wondering in the desert the Father provided manna. He
gave them water that flowed from the rocks to His chosen people the Israelites,
so they would not parish in the desert.
In the Garden of Eden He provided Adam and Eve with a garden full of
food.
These blessing do not stop. We live in this modern world.
True, we no longer have bread falling from the sky. God our Creator has given us the ability to
harvest the very earth to produce food that will nourish and sustain us. Many
of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen by trade. They lived off what the sea
provide them. We have been endowed with
the ability to manipulate our surrounding environment to best suit our
needs. This is the world of our Great
Creator. Jesus had such compassion that he feed them all. 5,000 men. Plus women
and children. With leftovers to spare.
It was more than enough. He fills their stomachs. He nourished their souls. (vv.31, 35-44)
When He saw the crowd, He felt compassion. He saw them as
lost sheep. In need of a Shepherd. His
heart went out to them. This compassion moves Him to action.
He shepherds His flock.
Then, He saw the crowds who were seeking him. He taught them. They needed Him and His teaching. He revealed Himself as their true Shepherd by
proclaiming Good News. By leading with
His Word, “He began to teach them many things” (v. 34)
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays
down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not
own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs
away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away
because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good
shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” —
It’s more than enough. He saves you. By going to the cross. Bearing your sin.
Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Redemption by
crucifixion is the Savior’s supreme act of compassion – for you.
Christ’s forgiveness – purchased and won for you at the
cross – this is Christ’s compassion for you. The forgiving king cancelled the
liability of his debt. And out of pity
for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. Matthew 18:27. The waiting father, had
compassion on his son – But while he was still a long way off, his father saw
him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. Luke 15:20
Compassion. What a beautiful description of Christ’s
attitude toward you. To sheep who are prone to wander and often find themselves
lost and hurt, it is good news that we have a Shepherd who pours out His heart
to us and who poured out His blood for us.
Words –1,035
Passive Sentences
–7%
Readability –86.1
Reading Level – 3.7
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