Mark 6:34 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.

NIV: When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

NASB: When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.

CSB: When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things.

NLT: 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.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.

Jesus has taken the Twelve away to rest, but a crowd of five thousand men plus women and children (Matthew 14:21) quickly follow. As much as Jesus needs to spend time with His shepherds-in-training, He can't neglect the thousands of lost sheep who so urgently need Him now. "Compassion" is from the Greek root word splagchnizomai, which means "to be moved with love in the deepest part of a person." So Jesus postpones the time of rest to heal (Matthew 14:14) and teach the people.

The Jews in Jesus' time have no lack of religious leaders. The scribes were established after the Babylonian captivity (Ezra 7:6) and made sure the Mosaic Law was copied and interpreted correctly. The Pharisees cajole the people to obey not only the Mosaic Law but also their oral laws, placing a burden God did not intend (Matthew 23:2–4). The priests walk a delicate line, keeping the people beholden to the Law while strategizing how much they can rebel against the Roman occupiers without risking destruction. And local synagogue leaders choose readers from among the men to speculate on the meanings of Old Testament passages. In addition, the people must deal with Herod Antipas, the self-styled king, and Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect of Judea.

Very few of these leaders are also shepherds. They control, and they manipulate, but they don't provide protective, loving leadership. Jesus sees them as "fat sheep" who take from the weak to feed themselves (Ezekiel 34:17–24). Jesus is the fulfillment of Ezekiel 34:23: "And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd." As the shepherd of Israel, Jesus cannot refuse the sheep who come to Him.

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.