Sheep, especially when lost and separated from the shepherd, are among the most helpless animals. In Mark 6:30–44 Jesus compared the crowd to sheep without a shepherd.
Jesus gives rest in the wilderness. Jesus leads his disciples to wilderness rest. The twelve returned from their busy mission. They had not only proclaimed the presence of the kingdom and commanded repentance, they had demonstrated the power of the kingdom in the miracles they had performed, Mark 6:12–13. Now they were being overwhelmed by the crowds. Jesus invites, then leads them by boat out into solitary place, verses 31–32. God provides rest for his people in the wilderness. It had been in the wilderness that God held out the hope of rest in the promised land, Deuteronomy 3:20; Joshua 21:44; Psalm 95; and Isaiah 63:14. The rest God gave Old Testament Israel, as well as the respite Jesus provided the disciples, looked forward to the heavenly rest into which God has already entered, and into which he invites us to come by faith, Hebrews 3 and 4. In a new Exodus, God is providing rest and salvation for his people. In the meantime we are a wilderness people.
God provides a shepherd for wandering sheep. Crowds followed on foot, around the lake, to the solitary place where Jesus was with his disciples. The number, 5,000 men is significant. It is a large enough group that it could be a military force. (John describes efforts to force Jesus to become king.) But this group is without leader or purpose. The frantic following of Jesus shows the undirected character of the people. “Sheep without a shepherd” has Old Testament roots. In Numbers 27:17 God provides Joshua for his flock that was about to become leaderless. In Ezekiel 34:5, the flock has been abandoned by false shepherds. The Lord provides “David.” Now God provides the new Joshua, Jesus, born of the line of David. Jesus has compassion. That characteristic is used in Mark’s Gospel both of God the Father and of Jesus. The Good Shepherd has compassion on the sheep. He teaches them. He gives them the leadership they need. This Shepherd continues to have compassion on you. He knows your need, and he meets it abundantly.
“In Ezekiel 34, God lays out a particularly scathing rebuke of the ‘shepherds of Israel’ — a reference to various leaders of the people…. Instead of offering protection and care for the sheep, they provided it for themselves. Instead of giving their own lives as a sacrifice, they sacrificed the lives of the sheep. One might say that they were the quintessential example of spiritual abuse.” “God was going to do something about bad shepherds…. Jesus is declaring that he is the Lord God keeping the promise of Ezekiel 34 to shepherd his people. And he will do the opposite of what the bad shepherds of Israel did. They saved their lives at the expense of the sheep, whereas Jesus will save the sheep at the expense of his own life.”
Michael J. Kruger, Bully Pulpit: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church, pages 45 & 46
The Good Shepherd provides for his sheep, so trust in the Shepherd for your needs. Mere human ability cannot meet your needs. Jesus instructs his disciples to feed the crowd. However, the men number 5,000. A meal would cost 8 to 10 month’s wages. The five loaves and two fish are obviously inadequate. Jesus seem to create a problem situation by his instructions and questions. He is pointing his disciples to the presence of the messianic King, but they fail make a connection between the miracles they had just been performing and this situation. Jesus is teaching you that you are unable to meet your most basic needs. He is summoning you to look to him. Yet Christ feeds his flock. Mark mentions the green grass, verse 39, not something to take for granted in that climate. God makes this wilderness a pasture, a place of blessing. Hear the echo of Psalm 23: “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” These sheep are no longer shepherdless. The Good Shepherd himself has had compassion on them. The arrangement by 100s and 50s recalls the organization of God’s people at the time of the Exodus, Exodus 18:21.
“The primary purpose in Mark’s inclusion of this story [is] the sheer wonder of an ‘impossible’ act, and the testimony which this provides in answer to the growing christological question of this part of the gospel, ‘Who is Jesus?’… In following him this representative group of Israelites, no less than those who followed Moses in the wilderness, will find all their need supernaturally supplied, for God is again at work among his people.”
R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark, NIGTC, p. 263
Not only does God provide, he provides abundantly! As Jesus gives thanks, he recognizes his Father as the provider for all your needs. The meal is abundant. 5,000 men all ate and were satisfied—and 12 baskets of leftovers were picked up. The miracle looks back to the wonderful provision of manna in the wilderness. But even that miracle was not first of all about bread for a meal—the people ate and drank of Christ, 1 Corinthians 10:3, 4. But the feeding of the 5,000, like the Passover meal, and like the fellowship offering (Leviticus 3 and 7) was a meal sealing peace between God and his people, strengthening the latter, and assuring them of God’s forgiveness. These meals all look forward to the great heavenly banquet, Isaiah 25:6–9; Revelation 19:9. Notice the language Mark records Jesus using as he feeds the 5,000, especially the verbs: “taking,” “gave thanks,” “broke,” and “gave.” You find the same language echoed in Mark 14:22: “Jesus took break, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples….” Perhaps the connection would not have been obvious to someone hearing Mark read for the very first time, but upon a second hearing, you can imagine a first century listener making the connection. The miracle is not just about a meal for that small army of 5,000 men–it is about the Savior feeding all who look to him in faith.
Mark 6 tells you that Jesus had compassion on the people who were like sheep without a shepherd. That compassion was not merely an emotion. The compassion of Jesus took the shape of teaching the people, and then providing a meal which anticipated the ultimate provision that the Shepherd would make when he laid down his life for his sheep, when he gave his own body and blood in their place. This is the Shepherd who invites you to trust him, to follow him, to eat the meal he provides.