Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Bobby's sermon from Mark 8:1-10.
Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Bobby's sermon from Mark 8:1-10.
Bobby: Welcome to the Midweek Checkup. My name is Bobby Gilles, and I’m joined by Lindsey Blair.
Lindsey: Remember what you did this past Sunday?
Bobby: I preached!
Lindsey: you preached from Mark eight, versus eight through ten. Bobby said, “The Holy Spirit wants to produce within you a love so stunning, so brazen, so unconventional … a love that changed the world, and can change it again.” But for anyone who missed the sermon or needs help remembering, it’s time for the Midweek Checkup.
Bobby: We began by noting that Jesus feeds thousands of people with a miraculous amount of bread and fish, just like he did in Mark Six. One reason for this second feeding miracle might be to show us how dull the disciples were. And, if we’re honest enough in our own self-assessments, we might realize that we’re often this dull, too. The message here might be that Jesus is patient and kind, coming through for us in spite of our lack of faith. That’s a good message. But something deeper might be going on.
Lindsey: Another reason to tell this second story is to continue the theme that Jesus is rerunning the story of Israel in his life. He will become “faithful Israel,” fulfilling their end of the covenant with God. And he is God, fulfilling God’s end. There were two stories of a miraculous feeding in the wilderness during Israel’s exodus from slavery. And now Jesus has performed two feeding miracles.
Bobby: But the deeper reason is that Jesus is now in Gentile territory - an area called The Decapolis, which means the Ten Cities. This miracle occurs right after Jesus healed a man in gentile territory who could not hear or speak, and a gentile woman whose daughter was possessed. Now we have the third miracle to reinforce the theme that Jesus brings good news to Jew and gentile alike.
Lindsey: He does this in spite of the fact that his people, the Jews, are a conquered people, ruled by the gentile nation of Rome. When Jesus was a toddler, Rome had burned much of Galilee, killing many people and crucifying two thousand of those who survived, while also taking slaves. This is the kind of environment Jesus grew up in. He might be expected to dislike gentiles, but instead he wants to feed them because they are hungry.
Bobby: No matter what your name is, what color your skin is, how much money you’ve got, what your sex or nationality is, or even what you’ve done, Jesus welcomes you. And we get to welcome others, too. We have the Holy Spirit so we can bear fruit that looks like the life of Christ.
Lindsey: So the next time you’re somewhere: maybe in line at a grocery store or gas station, or some other public event, and you see someone who reminds you of “those people” – whoever are the kind of people that you’ve never had a great opinion of – ask God to give you compassion without condescension. This is just one small thing you can do. It won’t change the world, but it might begin to change you. And if you do it enough, you may start to find that your heart feels a bit lighter.
Bobby: Join us this Sunday for the beginning of Advent season. That’s right - we’ll sing carols, we’ll remember the first coming of Christ as a baby in a manger, and we’ll watch and wait for Christ’s return. We hope to see you at Bible Fellowship, as well, as we discuss Isaiah 64, an Advent-themed text where the prophet Isaiah asks for God to come down and help the people.