Devotions
Rev Gav
Green
Mark 6.34–44
As Jesus went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.’ But Jesus answered them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ‘Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?’ And he said to them, ‘How many loaves have you? Go and see.’ When they had found out, they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’ Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And all ate and were filled; and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.
Reflect
Unless you are a recent convert to Christianity, you will no doubt be familiar with the ‘feeding of the five thousand’ (although it was likely at least double or triple that number). I have certainly written about it many times including a daily devotion based on the story in Matthew.
The story is rich in symbolism with Jesus feeding the crowds in the desert, calling to mind the feeding of the Israelites in the wilderness, linking Jesus to Moses. Then there is the superabundance of the event, with the symbolic twelve baskets left over. And there is also a foreshadowing of Jesus breaking bread, again at passover, symbolising his body as spiritual food for all. However, reading the story from Mark’s gospel, something jumped out that I had never previously noticed.
The grass was green.
Mark noted that Jesus had the people sit down in groups on the green grass. Sure, it is accepted that the event took place shortly before Passover, therefore it would have been spring, and yes, it could simply be an eyewitness detail; however, knowing that details are often included for a reason, it made me wonder why Mark mentioned it.
There is one very significant mention in scripture where people ‘lie down in green pastures’ and that is Psalm 23. This psalm is possibly the most famous of all, and Mark’s readers would have been familiar with it. Psalm 23 speaks about God being a shepherd and I think Mark included the ‘green’ grass as a wink and a nod to the identity and divinity of Jesus.
Like the crowds on that memorable day, we have to trust that God will feed us too. We may well find ourselves in a desert place — a wilderness — hungry and unable to provide for our own needs. The desert places in our own lives can be, for example, from illness, relationship breakdown, the actions of others, work pressures, job insecurities, or family crises. The story of the feeding of the five thousand is a reminder that God has not forgotten you, and that you are never alone.
Pray
Holy God
Thank you that
you have not forgotten me
and that I am not alone.
Feed me with all
I need for this day.
Please bring my body,
my emotions,
and my thoughts
to complete healing
and wholeness
in and through
Jesus' name.
and then