Spiritual and Social Concern....and Action

This is the second time in a short period of time, in the recounting of the story by Mark, that the reader meets Jesus feeding an incredible number of people. (I would encourage you to re-read 6:30-44. In fact it is well worthwhile to sit down with the two texts and mark out all the similarities.)

However, two issues stand out in this text. First, we saw at the end of chapter seven, that Jesus was in Gentile country. In Mark’s storyline, he will not leave this region until the next paragraph.

The encounter with the Syrophoenician woman (7:24-30) reminds us that God feeds Gentiles without stealing from the Jews. In the region of the Decapolis, he even heals non-Jews. Now he is feeding them spiritually as he spends three days, most probably in teaching. But his words in verse two capture the reader’s attention. Notice how his compassion moves him to action.

Jesus sees life as an integrated whole—the social and spiritual go together. One is never more important than the other. “If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way...” The fact that Jesus took both the spiritual concerns and their physical needs so seriously needs to make us think. Do we keep these two aspects of life together?

Second, the disciples still do not understand. In spite of the similar miracle, they are still stuck on being in a remote place. Their unbelievable lack of short-term memory underscores again that they do not recognize that in Jesus they have enough to feed a crowd.

Respond in Prayer

Lord Jesus, I want to follow you in taking the spiritual and social needs of people around me seriously. I want to move into action today. Yet I realize that at times I can be slow to believe and forgetful like the disciples. Forgive me. Lead me, I ask.

Glenn Smith