Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 Commentary

At first, these verse selections seem odd; why leave out the feeding of the five thousand-plus? If you’ve looked ahead at the lectionary then you know that the loaves and fishes miracle is next week as we transition to John 6, so what do these handful of verses bring to the fore?

There are some contrasts between the sets of verses, beginning with the settings. In verses 30-34, they were likely in Bethsaida, and verses 53-56 take place in Gennesaret. Whereas in the earlier incident Jesus is busy teaching the crowd, in the second he is healing them. In fact, it is the crowds that seem like the connector here.

One of the themes that we’ve noticed in these opening chapters of Mark is the way the crowds keep on coming for Jesus. That urgency is on full display in these verses. The people recognized Jesus and his crew as they were trying to go to a deserted place, so the crowd hurried… ahead of them (v 33). Back on the other side of the lake, another group of people at once recognized Jesus and rushed about from all over in order to bring the sick wherever they heard he was (v 54-55). Wherever Jesus went, people begged him for the slightest contact in order to be healed.

Jesus and the disciples have a rather effective “attraction” model. Their works of healing, in particular, have made the gossip circuit, reaching every household farm, village, town and city and those in need of physical good news urgently cling to even a rumour about where he might be next. And when they are spotted, there is nowhere for Jesus and the disciples to hide—even when Jesus is trying to gift his disciples with some much needed rest.

The crowds are drawn to Jesus and his disciples because of what they are doing and for whom they do it. Thus far in the gospel of Mark we’ve seen that anyone and everyone is welcomed in for Jesus’s healing—if they are open to it. That those who are able to be honest about their needs and to seek God’s help are met with the gift of life and restoration. That those who urgently seek out healing find out that they had a foothold of hope that served like a beacon inside of them leading them urgently to Jesus.

And whenever and wherever they find him, they meet a God filled with compassion for them. One who chooses to be their shepherd, providing, protecting, preserving them as part of his ever-growing flock.

We get a hint of that diversity in the two different activities Jesus takes up with the crowds on each side of the lake. In the first instance, Jesus teaches the masses then feeds them with a miracle, whereas in the second he spends his time healing. Jesus’s care is all-encompassing and holistic; his words have the power to heal just as much as his touch—and in more ways than one.

That Jesus’s words heal not just our physical selves but our most inmost parts is a good word for us today. It might make us more urgently seek him and his words as we gather for worship together, seek professional help and support, turn to the Scriptures and in prayer on our own. Are we looking for God with the same sort of urgency that the people back then were? Do we scoff or do we wonder about the stories we hear of what God is doing? Do we seek him out? Do we know that a compassionate shepherd is who we will find because he has already found us?

Textual Point

Did you notice how Mark calls the disciples “apostles” here? He only uses the descriptor twice—here and in Mark 3.14 (depending on what you do with the translator’s note in 3.14). In 3.14, Jesus appoints the twelve “to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message…” And here in 6.30, these two tasks come together again as Jesus tells the twelve to come away with him after they return from their mission work.

Illustration Ideas

Do you remember the biggest story surrounding Super Bowl LVIII (2024)? It wasn’t the half-time show (sorry Usher!) or even directly related to the two teams playing in it. No, the biggest story had to do with whether Taylor Swift would make it from her concert in Tokyo to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. The Japanese Embassy even put out a statement explaining the time difference and calculations explaining how she’d be able to fly between the two cities! When her jet was sighted at LAX, it was all over social media. And it wasn’t just the Super Bowl, fans had been finding ways to track her whereabouts before the big game. Dare we say that the crowds looking for Jesus were just as dedicated as modern Swifties?

My husband Chris and I have been on parental leave caring and bonding with our newborn daughter Phoebe. Chris is headed back to work soon, but we have gotten into the routine of watching The Price is Right each weekday morning. Much of that show involves rushing about—whether it be out of excitement or out of urgency due to the type of game slated to be played. The only thing more palpable than the urgency is the excitement—in fact, the urgency is built by the exuberance of being selected, of winning, and even the possibility of winning. The urgency that drives us to God can be brought about by positive as much as negative circumstances. What’s more concerning is when either extremes—our despair or our luck—drives us away rather than towards God.