(62) Training to Trust the God of the Impossible

The Preface:

What do you consider to be impossible? We all have those things in our lives. We can recite the verses that say, “With God all things are possible,” (Mark 10:27) and yet, for some reason, when we can’t see a way out, or we run into circumstances that just seem impossible, we struggle really believing and resting in that truth! I know that’s true for me. There has been several things over the past several months as my parents have battled cancer, and I have watched the relationships in my family be strained, I want to believe this, but I find myself wrestling, rather than resting.

The Passage: Mark 6:30-44; John 6:1-13

The Process:

John 6:5-6 in John’s account of this story, it clearly states that Jesus already knew what He was going to do, but he gave the command for them to find food, to test them. What lesson was Jesus wanting to teach them?
Mark 6:32-34 What was the nature of the lesson Jesus was teaching?
John 6:7 What was Peter’s solution? What does that show about what he believed?
John 6:8 What about Andrew?
John 6:32-35 How did Jesus respond to what He saw in their lives?

The Purpose:

What was God doing? Why did He have this written down?

The disciples had just returned from their missionary adventure sharing the message of the kingdom to the lost tribe of Isreal (Matt 5:6) As a result of their ministry, and that of Jesus, they were becoming very popular people. Everywhere they went they were drawing a crowd. On this particular occasion, Mark notes that, “there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.” (Mark 6:30) So, Jesus encourages his band of disciples, for all of them to take a break, including himself.

While this does illustrate the importance and need for even God’s workers to take a break for rest and recovery, Jesus had another lesson for them. His lesson, “Ministry is not predictable. Sometimes we need to be able to minister even when we are empty.”

Jesus disciples started this day on empty. They needed down time, a break, rest. But, after trying to get away, they are now faced with a crowd who is also on empty, literally. They have been listening to Jesus all day and they are tired and hungry. In their weakness, in their emptiness, Jesus is asking them to still minister to them. But, the lesson here is, “you can’t do it yourself! You need something outside of yourself. But his disciples miss the point.

Philip’s response (John 6:5) shows he believed the task Jesus gave them to do was impossible.
Andrew’s response (John 6:5) shows he believed the resources they did have were inadequate.

I really like what Ken Gire said in his rendition of this story, “What Philip and Andrew don’t see is that impossible situations are not solved by how much we have in our purses or in our baskets. Not by how adequate our bank account or how abundant our assets. Impossibilities are solved by miracles—pennies from heaven. And Jesus had a pocketful. That is where the disciples were to go to get bread.”

The Plan:

As I ask these questions of myself, I encourage you to ask them too.

What can I learn from this? What is God saying to me and my life from this passage?

Sometimes God asks us to minister even when we are empty. But, whether we are empty or full, the source needs to be “the Bread of Life!”

What do I need become more aware of?

Over the past months I have had more times when I have felt “poor and needy,” I think than ever before. But, in my weakness, I have seen God. And God has shown me that what I thought to be impossible, He can accomplish. But, it is only going to be accomplished by Him, through me. I need to continue growing in this.

How does God want me to engage with this? What does He want me to do because of what He is saying here?

I don’t want to be “poor and needy.” (Ps 70:5) I think I am afraid of it. I ignore it. I minimize it. I often spiritualize my experience, without feeling the pain of it. But, it’s only when I feel the pain of being poor and needy that I find God to be my helper and my savour!

Only when I am poor and needy will I cry out like David did;

Ps 71:3 Be my rock of safety where I can always hide. Give the order to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
Ps 71:4-7 O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood. No wonder I am always praising you! My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection. That is why I can never stop praising you; I declare your glory all day long.

I want what I am going through right now (My mom’s death, my dad’s cancer, the unknowns of what this means for us, the challenges in my family) to have this result in my life! That I won’t just have an intellectual knowledge of God as my refuge and strength, but that I will experience it, and that experience will cause me to never stop praising Him and declaring His glory! That my life will be an example to believers of what God wants to be in our lives and to unbelievers of the hope we have enabling us to face life with joy.

The Power; Implement and Integrate

The power to change is in the implementation and integration of what God is saying to us. We can talk all we want, make lots of plans, but until we do something about it, and develop habits that integrate those truths, we will never change. What is the one thing I need to do as a result of this study today?

My commitment:

Embrace my poverty and neediness. Use it as a tool to acknowledge God’s strength. Then believe God to do what He has said He will.

Commentary:

Verse by verse insights:

Mark 6:30-31 The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.

Application: This is a great reminder that even Jesus recognized the importance of down time, rest, and relief from ministry. I will be the first to admit, I don’t do very well at that.

Mark 6:32-34 So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

While Jesus attempted to get away and to provide some solitude and rest for himself and his disciples, the crowds followed. In fact, somehow they anticipated where he was going and beat him there.

When they got off the boat, Jesus saw the crowd, and how did he respond? Did He face them with antagonism? “How did they get here, this is our time! We need this time! Sorry, but we can’t minister to them right now, we need our rest time.” No, of course not. Mark says, “He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” (Mark 6:34)

The disciples had just come back from ministering to the “lost sheep of Isreal.” And now, these lost sheep are following their shepherd. Jesus knew that their interest was still strong because of the miracles they had seen Him perform. However, the focus was on the physical benefits, not on spiritual appropriation. Even so, Jesus couldn’t abandon them. The shepherds of Isreal had failed them. They had led them astray. But now, a new shepherd was here, and he was leading them to the truth. “So He began teaching them many things. (Mark 6:34)

Mark 6:35-36 Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.”

The purpose of this time was to teach and train the disciples about what real ministry is. This was real stuff. They were tired. They had been away ministering throughout the country. Jesus had suggested and even tried in initiate them getting some down time, but it didn’t happen. instead of having down time, they were inundated with ministry once again. It’s been a long day. It’s getting late. The disciples are tired. So, they suggest to Jesus, “We need to send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.” (Luke 6:36)

As a life lesson / ministry lesson / lesson in faith, Jesus responds to them by saying, “You give them something to eat!” (Luke 6:37a)

Mark 6:36-40 But Jesus said, “You feed them.” “With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!” “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.” They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.” Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred.

Jesus disciples started this day on empty. They needed down time, a break, rest. Now they are faced with a crowd who is also on empty, literally. They have been listening to Jesus all day and they are tired and hungry. In their weakness, in their emptiness, Jesus is asking them to still minister to others. But, the lesson here is, “you can’t do it yourself! You need something outside of yourself. But his disciples miss the point.

John tells the story slightly different. John said, (John 6:5-6) Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” ⁶He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.” Jesus was teaching them the nature of ministry and the need to depend on God.

John goes on to say, “(Jhn 6:7) Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!” The disciples were trying to figure out how to do it in their own strength, with the resources they can manufacture.

Mark 6:41-44 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed.

Fruchenbaum: As previously mentioned, this miracle was intended as a teaching tool for the disciples, andYeshua reminded them of the incident later. It introduced His teaching about the nature of the ministry entrusted to them. At that time, theirs was a physical ministry, but later it would be a spiritual one. The apostles learned at least three lessons. First, they were responsible for feeding the people: Give ye them to eat (Lk. 9:13). At this point, it was a physical feeding; later it would be a spiritual feeding. Second, they had to realize that they were incapable of feeding the multitudes by themselves (Jn. 6:5-9). Third, they were to distribute that which the Messiah provided: he . . . gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes (Mt. 14:19).

Philip saw the problem as something that can’t be done, and impossibility.

Impossibilities? Not to the Word who was in the beginning with God, flinging galaxies into orbit. Not to the Word who was God, coming down from heaven to become flesh and dwell among us.

For Jesus knit the leadership of his church out of the coarse threads of fishermen and tax collectors . . . he got wine from ordinary tap water . . . and he changed a man, covered with leprous spots, and made him clean.

Andrew saw the problem from what little can be done, but what is that among so many?

What Philip and Andrew don’t see is that impossible situations are not solved by how much we have in our purses or in our baskets. Not by how adequate our bank account or how abundant our assets.

Impossibilities are solved by miracles—pennies from heaven. And Jesus had a pocketful. That is where the disciples were to go to get bread.

John 6:35 I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

“Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.”

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry. . . .”

From Ken Gire: Moments with the Savior

When he sees the flock making its way up the hill, foraging for a few tender mercies, Jesus seizes the moment to test Philip’s faith. “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”

The disciple puts a sharp pencil to the problem and is quick to calculate the cost. He concludes that the expenditure is beyond their budget. He puts his pencil down. “Impossible. Can’t be done.”

We all have our own list of impossibilities: You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. . . . You can’t get blood from a turnip. . . . You can’t change a leopard’s spots.

Impossibilities? Not to the Word who was in the beginning with God, flinging galaxies into orbit. Not to the Word who was God, coming down from heaven to become flesh and dwell among us.

Andrew goes to a little more trouble to search for a solution. He doesn’t look at what can’t be done but at the little that can be done. In doing so, he finds a poor boy with five flat loaves of coarsely ground barley bread and a couple of fish in a wicker basket. “But how far will they go among so many?”

What Philip and Andrew don’t see is that impossible situations are not solved by how much we have in our purses or in our baskets. Not by how adequate our bank account or how abundant our assets.

Impossibilities are solved by miracles—pennies from heaven.And Jesus had a pocketful. That is where the disciples were to go to get bread.¹

teach me that you are my daily bread and all the bread I will ever need.

Lord Jesus, I have a friend who has never tasted such bread. Her name is ________. She has sampled from life’s smorgasbord, tasted from all that life has to offer. But she is starved for something more. Starved for love. For acceptance. For forgiveness. For meaning and purpose.

Help me to lead her to you, Jesus. Prepare her heart so that I might be, as someone once said, merely one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. . . .