Mark 6:36 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."

NIV: Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."

NASB: send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.'

CSB: Send them away so that they can go into the surrounding countryside and villages to buy themselves something to eat."

NLT: Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat.”

The Twelve have just returned from traveling in pairs, healing people, casting out demons, and preaching repentance (Mark 6:12-–13). They were so busy they had little time to eat (Mark 6:31). What they thought would be a restful trip with Jesus winds up being yet another day of watching Jesus heal and teach. It's possible that the Twelve are thinking of their own hunger and fatigue, but it's also likely that their time spent healing and talking to people directly has softened their hearts to the point that they are sincerely concerned for the great crowd, many of whom followed so quickly they didn't bring food with them (Mark 6:33).

This is a common issue for modern ministry leaders, as well. In the thick of helping others, it can be difficult to determine how much we should consider our own needs. It certainly won't do any good to those we're helping if we collapse from exhaustion. When one has a heart for others, it's hard to resist the urge to go one more hour, take on one more event, or complete one more task that will bless people. It's difficult to know when to pull back, either to let someone else handle things or to give the people a chance to take care of themselves.

On the other hand, as with the Twelve, there are times God wants us to go one step further when we think we're completely spent. The key point to remember is that in those moments, He merely wants to show His power and authority through us. He doesn't expect us to go the distance on our own. He does expect us to come to Him when we are at the end of ourselves. If we're smart, we'll go to Him before we reach that point.

Mark 6:33–44 provides another depiction of Jesus' miraculous feeding of thousands of people. The Twelve have worked so hard on their first missions trip they haven't had time to eat (Mark 6:31), and an attempt to rest is foiled by a demanding crowd. Instead of avoiding the interlopers, Jesus heals (Matthew 14:14) and teaches them. Instead of dismissing them, He feeds them. The Twelve again witness Jesus' great power and authority but don't catch the lesson: Jesus is God and can provide whatever anyone needs. This story is also found in Matthew 14:13–21 and Luke 9:11–17, and it is one of the few miracles mentioned in John (John 6:2–14). This makes it the only miracle referenced in all four Gospels.

Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth, but the people there are faithless and skeptical. As a result, Jesus performs no more than a few minor miracles. He then assigns His twelve apostles to travel in pairs, preaching repentance and healing various conditions. Mark then takes a brief detour to explain the death of John the Baptist, beheaded after Herod Antipas is tricked by his wife. The focus then returns to Jesus, explaining His miraculous feeding of thousands of people, walking on water, and healing people in Gennesaret.

Even as the Twelve are given opportunity to wield some of Jesus' power and authority, they still struggle to understand. They misinterpret who He is, what He has come to do, and how much He will ask of them. They fear Jesus' display of deity, but seem to dismiss the murderous rejection of His hometown and the death of John the Baptist. It's easy to have faith in a prophet who seems poised to rescue Israel from foreign rule. It is still beyond them to understand that He is actually God.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.