Mark 6:30 - Meaning and Application

In these verses, we see, first, the apostles return to Christ after he had sent them out (Mark 6:7) to preach and work miracles. They had gone through different parts of the country for a time, and when they had finished the tasks he gave them, they gathered together by agreement and came to Jesus, the center of their unity. They gave him a full report of what they had done under his command, just as a servant who had been sent to invite guests to a feast comes back and tells his master everything that happened. So the apostles told him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.

Ministers are responsible both for what they do and for what they teach. They must watch over their own souls and care for the souls of others, as those who will give an account (Hebrews 13:17). So let them do nothing and teach nothing that they would not be willing to repeat to the Lord Jesus. It is a comfort to faithful ministers when they can appeal to Christ about both their teaching and their way of life, especially if people have misunderstood them. He allows them to be open with him and lay their whole case before him, telling him all things, including what they faced, what succeeded, and what failed.

Second, Christ showed tender care for their rest after their hard labor (Mark 6:31). Seeing that they were nearly worn out and out of breath, he said, “Come by yourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” It seems that John’s disciples brought him the sad news of their master’s death about the same time that Jesus’ own disciples returned with their report. Christ notices the fears of some disciples and the tiredness of others, and he provides help suited to each, rest for the weary and refuge for the frightened.

What kindness and compassion are shown in Christ’s words, “Come, and rest”! Even the most active servants of Christ cannot always keep working without pause. They have bodies that need rest and some breathing room. We will not be able to serve God without ceasing, day and night, until we come to heaven, where the saints never stop praising him (Revelation 4:8). The Lord considers the needs of the body. He not only allows rest, he reminds his people to take it. “Come, my people, enter your rooms” and “Return to your rest” fit this truth well. Those who work faithfully and hard may rest with good conscience, because “the sleep of a laboring man is sweet.”

Notice a few things here. Christ told them to come by themselves, because if others were with them, there would still be talk or work for them to do. If they were to rest, they had to be alone. He did not lead them to some pleasant country house with fine buildings and gardens, but to a desert place with poor comforts, fit for quiet by nature, not by human design. That matched the rest of his life, too. It is no wonder that he, who had only a boat for his preaching place, had only a desert for his resting place.

He called them only to rest awhile. They were not to expect long rest, only enough to catch their breath and then return to work. There is no lasting rest for God’s people until they come to heaven. The reason given was not only that they had been working steadily, but that they were in constant hurry. Many were coming and going, and they had no time even to eat. When each thing has its proper time and order, much work can be done with less strain. But when people are always rushing in and out, and no order is kept, even a small amount of work becomes difficult.

So they withdrew by ship, not crossing over, but making a short coastal trip to the desert of Bethsaida (Mark 6:32). Traveling by water was much less tiring than going by land would have been. They went away privately so they could be alone. Even public people need private time sometimes.

Third, we see how eagerly the people followed him. It was a bit rude to do so when he and his disciples wanted to withdraw for such good reasons, and yet they are not blamed. Instead, they are welcomed. A lack of good manners is easily overlooked in those who follow Christ, if it is made up for by strong love and desire. They followed him willingly, without being summoned. There was no set time, no appointed meeting, and no bell ringing. Yet they came like a cloud, like doves flying to their windows. They followed him out of the cities, leaving homes, shops, work, and business to hear him preach.

They followed on foot even though he had gone by sea. In this way, he seemed to test them and almost shake them off, but they still stayed with him. They ran so fast that they reached the place before the disciples. They came with a hunger for the word of God. They even followed him into a desert place, though it was plain and inconvenient. The presence of Christ can turn a wilderness into a garden.

Fourth, we see how Christ received them (Mark 6:34). When he saw the large crowd, he was not irritated that they had interrupted his private time, as many people, even many good people, would have been. Instead, he was moved with compassion. He looked on them with concern, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. They seemed teachable and manageable, like sheep willing to be led, but they had no shepherd to guide them in the right way or feed them with good teaching. So, in pity for them, he not only healed their sick, as Matthew also says, but taught them many things. We can be sure that everything he taught them was true, good, and useful for them to learn.

Fifth, we see the generous provision he made for them. He made all his hearers his guests and gave them a rich feast, and it was truly a splendid one because it was miraculous. The disciples suggested that the crowd should be sent home. When the day was growing late and night was near, they said, “This is a deserted place, and it is already late. Send them away so they can go buy bread” (Mark 6:35-36). They said this to Jesus, though the crowd does not seem to have asked for it themselves.

The people did not say, “Send us away,” even though they must have been hungry. They valued the words from Christ’s mouth more than their necessary food, and while they listened, they forgot themselves. The disciples thought it would be kind to dismiss them. A willing heart will often do more and endure longer in good things than we might expect. Then Christ ordered that they should all be fed (Mark 6:37), saying, “You give them something to eat.”

Though the crowd pressed in on Jesus and his disciples and kept them from even eating (Mark 6:31), he did not send them away hungry to get even with them. Instead, to teach us to be kind to people who are rude to us, he arranged for food to be provided. The bread Jesus and his disciples had brought into the wilderness for their own quiet meal became food for the crowd as well. In this way, he showed hospitality.

The people had first stayed with him for spiritual food, his teaching, and then he made sure they did not lack ordinary food either. The path of duty is also the path of safety, and it is the path where supply is found. Leave it to God to fill the pools with rain from heaven and to make a well in the valley of Baca for those going on to Zion, from strength to strength (Psalm 84:6, Psalm 84:7). God’s care, when we trust him rightly and do not test him, has never failed any of his faithful servants. He has often given refreshment at just the right time, and in ways no one expected. It has often been seen at the mountain of the Lord, Jehovah-jireh, “the Lord will provide,” for those who wait on him.

The disciples objected because the task seemed impossible: “Should we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give it to them to eat?” In their weak faith, they did not wait for Christ’s directions. Instead, they made the matter harder by coming up with their own plans. They were unsure whether they even had that much money, whether the countryside could suddenly supply so much bread, or whether it would be enough for such a large crowd. Moses had spoken in a similar way when he said, “Shall the flocks and herds be slaughtered for them?” (Numbers 11:22). Christ let them see how foolish it was to plan ahead in their own strength, so they would value his provision more highly.

Christ answered their concern and provided for everyone to their full satisfaction. They had only five loaves with them, brought along for their own use on the boat, and two fish, perhaps caught along the way. That was the whole meal. It was very little for Jesus and his disciples, and yet they had to give it away, like the widow with her two mites, and like the Macedonian church, whose deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity.

We often see Christ eating at other people’s tables, at one friend’s house for dinner and another’s for supper. Here, however, he fed a great crowd at his own cost. This shows that when others supported him from their means, it was not because he could not provide for himself. If he had been hungry, he did not need to ask them for help. Rather, it was part of his humble path, one he was pleased to accept. It also was not the purpose of miracles that he should work them for his own benefit.

Notice first that the food was simple. There were no special dishes or many kinds of food, though Christ could have provided them if he had chosen. He meant to teach us to be content with what is enough for our needs and not to crave luxury. If we have what is necessary, it should not matter that we do not have delicacies or fancy food. In love, God gives food for our hunger, but in judgment he may give people food for their cravings (Psalm 78:18). The promise to those who fear the Lord is that they will surely be fed, not that they will always feast. If Christ and his disciples were satisfied with plain things, surely we can be as well.

Notice next that the guests were well ordered. They sat down on the green grass in groups, by hundreds and by fifties (Mark 6:39, Mark 6:40). This made it easier to give out the food fairly and carefully. God is a God of order, not confusion. In this way, it was made sure that each person got enough, no one was missed, and no one received more than was proper.

Notice also that a blessing was asked over the food. Jesus looked up to heaven and blessed it. He did not ask one of the disciples to say the blessing, but said it himself (Mark 6:41). By that blessing, the bread was multiplied in a remarkable way, and so were the fish. Everyone ate and was satisfied, even though there were five thousand men there (Mark 6:42, Mark 6:44). This miracle carried meaning. It shows that Christ came into the world not only as the great healer, but also as the great feeder. He came not only to restore spiritual life, but also to preserve and nourish it. In him there is enough for everyone who comes to him, enough to fill the soul. No one is sent away empty from Christ except those who come already full of themselves.

Finally, care was taken with what was left over, and they filled twelve baskets with the fragments. Though Christ had unlimited bread at his command, he used this to teach us not to waste any of God’s good gifts. We should remember how many people lack what they need, and we do not know whether we ourselves may one day need the very fragments we now throw away.