NOTHING TO EAT
Mark 6:31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. 32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. 33 And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. 34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. 35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: 36 Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. 41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. 42 And they did all eat, and were filled.
One of the most difficult passages from our Lord for the human mind to comprehend is the following verses. For within it is set forth, not only the mystical union of the believer to Christ, but also the mysterious ‘union’ of the eternal Son with the ever-existing Father! John 6:50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
To begin with, we must understand that the Hebrew word for “soul” in Genesis 2:7 is the same word translated “appetite” in Proverbs 23:2, and in Ecclesiastes 6:7. Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Therefore humankind was made a living appetite. So we understand better by this why the Lord said that spiritual hunger was “blessed.” For it is a very blessed matter to have a spiritual hunger and appetite for God’s imputed righteousness. Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
And we can then better understand the strategy of both the Lord and Satan in the first temptation. For the Lord brought his humanity down to it’s greatest weakness to hunger by a forty days fast. And Satan was determined to test the Holy Humanity in its comprehension of the true source of its sustenance. This was the purpose for the Holy Spirit in leading these two out into the wilderness! Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Satan learned that the true spiritual man would seek first the kingdom matters and God’s righteousness, knowing that all these natural things would then be added unto him. Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
For which is greater, the supply of the eternal, spiritual things, or the provision of the temporal, natural things? Matthew 9:2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7 And he arose, and departed to his house.
Therefore this is that which this chapter in Mark is all about! For in verse twenty-one we read that Herod provides an extravagant birthday supper for his lords, much like Ahasuerus did as recorded in Esther chapter one. And, as then, the gluttony turned into a desire for the sensual. For they wanted the queen to be brought forth wearing her crown, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on. So also young woman dances here to raise the height of the sensual. And then the spiritual man, (John the Baptist) has his head cut off! For giving unrestrained license to the flesh always destroys the spiritual!
And are these not the exact same two activities in which the end-time masses shall be involved? That age shall be as the age of the days of Noah. All shall be only eating without any consciousness of God, and involved in sensual activities! Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
And having digressed to only these two activities, mankind, who was made in the image of God in order to represent Him to the remainder of creation, has then been irrecoverably reduced into only beast like behavior. 2 Peter 2:12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; 14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
Then in both verses thirty-one and thirty-six of our text we read that neither the disciples, nor the people had anything to eat! The Holy Spirit has clearly stamped upon this chapter the matters of dealing with hunger.
And the entire matter changes after that which we read in verse forty-one. For there we read “The Bread of Heaven” Himself, holding the loaves, looks up to heaven and blesses it. John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
But what do you suppose was in his mind as he looks up to heaven, so that such a small supply could feed such a large crowd? Could it have been those same thoughts as he spoke to the disciples concerning the Bread of his body? Matthew 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
For here it was only one loaf and one cup! But he said it was “shed for many.” Therefore knowing that these five small loaves of bread represent him as the Bread come down from heaven, it is of no small wonder that this could be blessed to feed all of these to their full, with twelve baskets full left over. For the offering of his body, once for all, would redeem a number which no man could number for all eternity!
Hebrews 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
But the true church in those last days shall only be identified, not in locations of organizational buildings, but where the individual believers are spiritually feasting off Christ! Matthew 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
Pastor Gene Breed
September 22, 2023