Holy and Anointed One, Jesus

 

They prepare the table, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink.  Arise, O princes; oil the shield!  --Isaiah 21:5

If you look up the word "anoint" in The Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Easton, 1897), you will see that the expression "anoint the shield" is a related or poetic use of the term, referring to the practice of rubbing oil on the leather of the shield to keep it supple and fit for war.  The practice of anointing a shield predates the anointing of other objects, in that the smearing (Hebrew mashiach) of the shield renewed the leather covering on a wooden shield.  A victorious soldier was elevated on his shield by his comrades after a battle or upon his selection as a new king.  The idea of protection and selection arose from this and was extended to the idea of a "chosen one", thus leading to the modern concept of a Messiah (Hebrew for the one who was anointed.) (wikipedia.org/wiki/Anointing#cite_note-49)

The warning from the prophet Isaiah cited above was to those who were going about life as normal, not realizing that the enemy was at the gate, and that they should be preparing for war.  In our passage today from Mark chapter 8, Jesus gives the same warning to His disciples, especially to Peter, who made a bold confession that led him to the wrong conclusion.

And Jesus went on with His disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi.  And on the way He asked His disciples, "Who do people say that I am?"  And they told Him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  And He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered Him, "You are the Christ."  And He strictly charged them to tell no one about Him.  --Mark 8:27-30

The discussion of I AM as a designation for God is a subject for another time.  In this discussion, Jesus asked the disciples what people were saying about Him.  Given the supernatural nature of His ministry, some were saying that He was the resurrected form of John the Baptist, or of Elijah (one of the major prophets in Jewish history), or perhaps another prophet of old.  In other words, the people knew there was something different about Him, but they had a limited spiritual perception: they thought that He embodied the spirit of some great man, not the Spirit of God.  A similar mindset can be seen today from those who go to mediums and spiritualists to get advice from the dear departed souls of their ancestors.  Unfortunately, this mindset carries over into some mainstream Christian religions, who teach that we should pray to saints instead of praying directly to God, with Jesus as the only mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5).

Jesus focused the discussion further.  "Who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered, "You are the Christ."  In Greek, the word "Christ" literally means "Anointed One."  Let's stop a moment and figure out what that means.  Having grown up a Jew, Simon Peter probably knew that an anointing signified great things.  He likely knew from synagogue school that anointed persons included priests, prophets, and kings.  

Exodus 30:30 says, "You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests."  Therefore, Peter's confession was that Jesus held the office of Priest, one who represents the people to God.  Hebrews 7:17 quotes Psalm 110:4 when it says of Jesus, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

Along those same lines, Peter's confession referenced the anointing of prophets.  He may have remembered 1 Kings 19:16, where Elijah (whom the people said that Jesus was) was told to anoint Elisha to be a prophet in his place.  In calling Jesus the Christ, the Anointed One, Peter was confessing that Jesus was a prophet, one who brought a message from God to the people.

Finally, Peter knew that kings were anointed.  1 Samuel 16:13 says, "Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him (David) in the midst of his brothers.  And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward."  Peter's confession of Jesus as the Christ meant that He was anointed to be the ruler of all people, their political head, their sovereign.  Also, like King David, Jesus was One upon whom the Spirit of the Lord rested.

How deep and how wide the meaning of those few little words, "You are Christ".  The Anointed One.  Prophet, Priest and King.  Matthew's account of this event even evokes the concept of the Trinity, because Matthew 16:16 states that Peter confessed, "You are the Christ," that is one upon whom the Spirit of the Lord rests (see 1 Samuel 16:13), but goes on to say, "the Son of the Living God."  All that theology wrapped up in three simple words.  

So why did Jesus strictly tell them to keep quiet about this fact?  It could be that the world, those who called themselves spiritual but whose only idea of spirituality was of ghosts and reincarnations of famous old preachers, was not ready to make Him their Priest and their King.  Another reason may have been Peter's incomplete theology.  Shakespeare said "A little learning is a dangerous thing."  In the remainder of the passage we see how Peter was not yet ready to preach the whole Gospel.

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.  And He said this plainly.  And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But turning and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan!  For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."  --Mark 8:31-33

Peter's rebuke is recounted in Matthew 16:22.  "Far be it from You, Lord!  This shall never happen to You."  This heresy even had a kernel of scripture to back it up, as both 1 Chronicles 16:22 and Psalm 105:15 say, "Touch not My anointed ones, do my prophets no harm."  Peter had just confessed that Jesus was the Anointed One of God.  Didn't it follow, then, that He had all power and authority over those that sought His life?  Wasn't Jesus to be elevated on their shields as King of Israel?

Jesus heeded the words of Psalm 132:10, "For the sake of your servant David, do not turn away the face of your Anointed One."  He did not heed the words of the disciples, who may have sought to make Him king over Israel and to save them from Roman rule.  Instead, He opened up the Scripture to them and "told them plainly."  Psalm 2:2, "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and His Anointed."  Psalm 22:16-18, "For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet--I can count all my bones--they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots."  Isaiah 53:7, "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is let to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth."

Jesus knew He would be raised from the dead, and told the disciples so.  Isaiah 53:10-11, "Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand."  Daniel 12:2-3, "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.  And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever."  Psalm 16:10, "For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol (the place of the dead), or let your holy one see corruption."

We can be sure that the Anointed One, the Christ, died a substitutionary death for us, and was raised to be our hope forever (1 Corinthians 15:20).  Those without hope will argue that the scriptures spoke of the prophet that was speaking when the book of Psalms or Isaiah was written, and not of the Christ centuries later.  Their eyes are blind, and they cannot see.  Like those whom Isaiah warned, they go about their daily lives, eating and drinking, not concerned that the battle has been won, that death has been defeated, and that those whom God foreordained shall be resurrected with Him, to everlasting glory.

Do you see ANYTHING?

 

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law.  --Psalm 119:18

Have you ever participated in a Progressive Dinner?  Some may call it a Round Robin.  Another name for it might be Safari Supper, named for a children's TV dinner marketed in the United States by Libby's in 1970.  It is a dinner party with successive courses prepared and eaten at the residences of different hosts.  It can be a great way to introduce a new Pastor to the families of the church, or for the Pastor and several prominent families of the church to have new members get acquainted with them in a different way.  Ideally, the host families would live close together to cut down on travel time.  Presumably, it would allow people to mingle and meet different folks at each location, instead of sitting next to the same person for an entire meal.

A Progressive Dinner is less about the food than it is getting to know people more intimately.  When you see someone up close, and spend time with them over an appetizer, a main course, a dessert, or a coffee, you tend to see them in a different light.  When we see people for who they really are, our perceptions about them change, and our eyes are opened toward them--we can more clearly see their dreams, their desires, and their damage so that we can better meet their needs.

In our Bible study today, Mark opens up a new line of thinking about sight, because over the next two chapters it is apparent that the disciples are spiritually blind, unable to see what is right in front of their eyes.  I hope this becomes clearer to you as we go on.  For now, let's look at Mark 8:22-26.

And they came to Bethsaida.  And some people brought to Him a blind man and begged Him to touch him.  And He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when He had spit on his eyes and laid His hands on him, He asked him, "Do you see anything?"  And he looked up and said, "I see people, but they look like trees, walking."  Then Jesus laid His hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.  And He sent him to his home, saying, "Do not even enter the village."

This is the only account of a progressive healing in the Gospels, and it is only found in the book of Mark.  Why is it here, and what does it mean?  Was Jesus having an off day?  Was He unable to completely heal the man the first time?  Or was the man's faith too small?  I don't think any of that is true.  I do believe, however, that it is here for a reason, as God does not reveal anything in Scripture without a purpose.

Come away with Me

This passage ties in with the healing of the man both deaf and mute that we read about in Mark 7:31-37.  In both stories Jesus led the man away from the crowds by themselves.  I think this symbolizes God's dealings with His people throughout Scripture.  The man Abraham was called out and removed from the Chaldees in Genesis 12, so that He could show him great and mighty things, and make of him a new nation, called to be separate and apart.  God called Moses to lead the descendants of Abraham out of slavery and bondage in Egypt in Exodus 3 so that they would no longer be called slaves of Egypt but servants of the most high God.  In the New Testament, Jesus called the 12 disciples away from their homes and careers to focus on His teaching so that through them the entire world would know of Him.

The passage in Mark 8 also parallels the Mark 7 healing of the deaf mute in that Jesus spat at the man.  Whether there was an expelling of saliva or just a puff of air, it symbolizes and involves the very breath of God breathed on these men to deliver them from their sickness.  In this case, it took a second physical touch to seal the deal.  In the same way, Jesus did not waste His breath in teaching the disciples that he would be arrested and tried, be crucified, die and be buried, and three days later would rise from the dead.  Even though they did not understand when He told them (over and over again, as we will see as we study chapters 9 and 10 of Mark), we know that after His resurrection Jesus not only appeared to the disciples, but He touched them, and then their eyes were opened. (see Luke 24:45-49).

It clearly took a progression of events and words for the disciples to finally understand completely, but it all started when they were called to come away with Jesus.  Jesus' calling comes not in a crowd or multitude of people, but intimately, one-on-one, away from the noise of the World.  Only then can we begin to get to know Him.

Not an incomplete revelation, but an imperfect perception

I have always been terribly nearsighted.  Before I started school, when I was around age 4 or 5, my parents took me to an ophthalmologist who put me in glasses.  I remember going outside the optometrist's office after picking up my first pair, and exclaiming, "Look!  The trees have leaves!!"  My perception up to that point had been a blurry image of green supported by a blurry brown trunk.  I knew what leaves were because I had seen them up close before; but now, after being fitted with eyeglasses, I was able to discern each leafy shape from a distance.

When Jesus first spat on the man's eyes, He asked, "Do you see anything?"  The man did not say, "Yes, Lord, I see perfectly."  He knew from prior experience that what he was seeing was not clear--men do not look like trees that can walk.  Instead, he was honest with Jesus, admitting that he could only see shapes and vague outlines.  In our spiritual walk, we should always be willing to humbly admit that what we see may not bee what God sees.  We should not lord it over fellow believers whose spiritual vision may be more or less clear than our own.  Instead, we should do as the Bereans did in Acts 17:11, "they received the Word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were true."

We should not follow any spiritual leader with a "new vision from God" without first examining the Scripture daily to see if it is true.  Similarly, whenever we ourselves believe we have found a new spiritual insight, we should measure it against Scripture to verify it.  This is another reason we should heed Hebrews 10:24-25, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."  Not everyone in your church's small group will be able to see at the same level of clarity, but as iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17), we should be able to help each other discern spiritual truth.  If one of us believes that men look like trees, walking, we should remind ourselves (and them) that this is not indicative of clear sight, and that we should continue to sharpen our focus until that Day when we see Him face to face.

Do not go back

Jesus' final admonition to this man, after He had touched him for the second time and given him a clear vision, was not to go back to the village.  He was told to go home a different way, because he was a different man.  Where before he was known as a blind man, now he could see.  The crowd in the village may have still identified him as a blind man, and may have continued treating him with contempt, or pity, or ignorance.  Unaware of his life-changing experience, they may have continued to throw up roadblocks in his path.  They may have maliciously laughed at him if he stumbled, as that is the way of the world.

When we are called out of a life of sin, the last thing we should do is go back to that life, to those sins.  If we go back to old friends who engage in old habits, we tend to go back and identify with the old friends and take up the old habits out of which we were called, because we are not strong.  We should not follow the crowd, but go out a different way, blazing a new trail of holiness and obedience to Him.  We should find new friends on the new path, those with the same vision, and the same destination.  "Enter by the narrow gate.  For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (Matthew 7:13-14).  Happy is the man who finds one of the few on the narrow way, and makes a companion of him, for "though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him--a threefold cord is not quickly broken." (Lamentations 4:12).

This is the true meaning of progressive Christianity--not the theology of changing the meaning of Scripture to keep up with the times, but for each and every Christian to progress from blindness to perceiving and recognizing the Light, and then to follow that Light until all things come into focus.  Jesus calls us to participate in a Progressive Dinner, of sorts, until at last we dine with Him at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Beware the leavening of the Pharisees

 

Your glorying is not good.  Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?  Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you are truly unleavened.  For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.  --1 Corinthians 5:6-8

I love sourdough bread.  Some of my most cherished memories were when my mother would make homemade sourdough bread when I was growing up.  I remember it was pretty labor intensive, and could not be done without a lot of time, patience, and forethought.  First, you had to have some sourdough starter, which is a live, fermented culture which acts as a leavening agent.  Second, you must make sure that the starter does not die.  It must be "fed" with equal amounts of flour and water daily.  Third, when you use some of it to bake into delicious bread, you must remember not to use all of it.  You must leave some to continue to ferment, and to be fed, until you are ready to bake some more.

When we read about "the leaven of malice and wickedness" in Paul's first letter to the Church of Corinth,  some of the same principles can apply.  Malice is defined as the intent or desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another, either because of a hostile impulse or out of deep seated meanness.  Such wickedness must have a genesis, a starting point; it must be fed daily or it will die; and it must not be culled completely out at any one time, but some must be left for later for it to live on.

As we continue our narrative from Mark chapter 8, we see that the disciples had bread on their minds.  They were still thinking about the two miraculous events they had just witnessed, the feeding of the 5000 and the feeding of the 4000, when Jesus is approached by the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day.

Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.  --Mark 8:11-12

Jesus exercised some magnificent restraint here, I think.  Having just called them "blind leaders of the blind" who were in danger of "falling into a ditch" and their followers with them (Matthew 15:14, a corollary to Mark 7), the Pharisees did not really know what they were talking about.  They certainly did not want Jesus to call down fire sent from heaven to consume them (see Genesis 19, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah; also see 1 Kings 18, the story of Elijah calling down fire from heaven to destroy the prophets of Ba'al.)  This would have been a true sign from God, and probably one they would have recognized as authentic if only the fire had consumed someone else. They were blinded by their own importance, or perhaps by their jealousy of Him.  Had they not seen the signs and miracles of the lame walking, the blind seeing, and the dead brought back to life?  Show us a sign, indeed!

Unfortunately, the disciples were blind, as well.

And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive or understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"  --Mark 8: 13-21

The lesson here was not about bread.  Bread was everywhere--they had so much bread they had to throw away the leftovers.  Jesus is the Bread of Life, yes, and He will supply all their needs, including their daily bread.  But we're not talking bread here, we're talking leaven.

Leaven is defined as an agent, such as yeast, that causes batter or dough to rise, especially by fermentation. It is also an element, influence, or agent that works subtly to lighten, enliven, or modify a whole.  Leaven is spoken of in Scripture to refer to sin.  God is light; there is no need for an outside agent to lighten.  God breathes life into us; there is no other source of enlivenment needed.  God's word is all that is needed; there is no need to modify the Word with human traditions or man's laws. 

There was a Jewish Feast of Unleavened Bread that commemorated the Passover, the deliverance of the Jews from Egypt.  In Exodus 12, God told Moses to instruct the people to roast an unblemished lamb on an open fire, but not to break it's bones or disfigure it in any way--they were not to take the time.  In the same way, they were to make flat bread to go with the lamb, but they were not to put any leavening agent in the bread dough, because they could not give it time to rise.  Any person who put leaven in their bread was being disobedient to God's direct instruction for them to prepare the meal with haste, because the next morning they were to begin their exodus out of Egypt and their march toward the Promised Land.  This Feast was to be an annual commemoration of their obedience to God.

There are different kinds of leavening agents, just as there are different kinds of sin.  I saw a meme this week that said something like, "A Christian who makes just one or two compromises in the name of inclusion soon looks just like the world they were called out of."  Certainly we do not want to compromise with sin, else we may find ourselves in compromising positions.  We are to be in the world, not of the world.  This type of leaven or yeast is easy to see--when pastors and church leaders are caught in sexual sin like adultery, it makes headlines.  

A more pernicious leaven or sin is for church leaders, like the Pharisees, to add to the requirements set forth in Scripture.  This is what Jesus was addressing as leaven to be avoided, as well.  Unfortunately, this sin has been with us from the beginning, and pre-dates the Fall.  In the book of Genesis, God instructed Adam and Even not to eat of the tree of Knowledge; He did not say they could not enjoy its shade.  Yet when the Serpent came to tempt the woman by saying, "Did God really say not to eat it?", Eve added her own addition to the law: "We cannot eat of it, neither can we touch it, lest we die."  There are other examples of people adding to God's word throughout the Bible.

In the book of Job, we see that God allowed Job to suffer, but when his friends came, they spoke to Job as if he were receiving the punishment of God.  Not knowing God's heart at all, they presumed to speak for Him in condemning Job of sin.  When God finally spoke, He rebuked Job's friends and made them offer sacrifices and ask Job to pray for them (Job 42:7-9).

Mark 7, which we studied not long ago (if you have been following this blog series), tells of the Pharisees who had made a sacrament such things as hand washing, accusing those who failed to do so of not just being unclean, but sinful.  Jesus rebuked them, too.

In the 15th chapter of Acts, we see a debate among early Church leaders.  One camp, called Judaizers, wanted people to become Jews and to follow Jewish laws like circumcision before they could be considered true Christians.  The other camp, made up mostly of Gentile Christians, disputed this added requirement, saying that God's grace was sufficient.

When I think of Scripture warning us to stay away from the leaven of sin, I think of avoiding yeast; avoid sinful acts that do not conform to Scripture or glorify God.  But as any good baker knows that yeast is not the only leavening agent.  Sourdough bread is not made with any yeast at all.  When I think of the leavening of sourdough, I think of the requirements that some add to Scripture, to make it more difficult (if not impossible) for men to receive grace.  In order to be completely obedient to God's command, all leaven must be purged from our lives.  Like the sourdough starter, we must let it die--don't feed it, don't water it, and purge it completely out of our lives.  "Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:11).

"For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things that are written in this book." --Revelation 22:18-19.

The more things change, the more He stays the same

 

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.  --Psalm 34:10

I don't have the patience to be a schoolteacher.  It seems like no matter how many times you go over a lesson, some in the class will just not get it.  You can give them the answers over and over again, but the concept eludes them.  Until they understand the concept, students will not be able to apply that knowledge to a similar situation.

I am glad that God is a patient teacher.  Over and over in the Old Testament, His people had to be reminded of God's mercy and provision.  They stood by a pool of bitter water and complained that they had nothing to drink, and God had to remind them that He had delivered them from slavery in Egypt by parting the Red Sea. They stood in a desert and complained that they had no food, and God had to remind them that He had already provided sweet water out of the bitter waters of Marah.  They reached the promised land and complained that it was inhabited by giants who could not be defeated militarily, and God had to remind them that He had provided them manna in the wilderness.

Similarly, the disciples had to be reminded often of the power and provision available through Jesus.  We come to a great example in Mark chapter 8.

In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, He called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with Me now three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way.  And some of them have come from far away."  And the disciples answered Him, "How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?"  And He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  They answered, "Seven."  And He directed the crowd to sit on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, He broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd.  And they had a few small fish.  And having blessed them, He said that these also should be set before them.  And they ate and were satisfied.  And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.  And there were about four thousand people.  And He sent them away.  An immediately He got into the boat with His disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.  --Mark 8:1-10

I am sure that not much time had elapsed since the feeding of the five thousand that we read about in Mark chapter 6.  As a teacher, I'm sure that Jesus was looking for the disciples to step up and start passing out bread until all were satisfied.  There may have been several reasons that they did not.

First, the multitude that had been fed in Capernaum were Jews; this time they were in the region of the Decapolis, and the people were Gentiles.  The Jewish disciples had been taught from their early childhood to remain separate from Gentiles, not to intermarry with them or do business with them or even eat with them.  Yet they had seen with their own eyes that Jesus was preaching the same Gospel to these Gentiles, healing the same diseases, showing them the same love and compassion.  God's mercy knows no boundaries.

Second, I think that the disciples had been embarrassed in Capernaum, being caught without any provisions for themselves.  You remember that when Jesus took stock then, the only food to be found was a young boy who had packed a lunch with five bread rolls and two small fish.  This time, the disciples were prepared: they had with them seven loaves of bread, plenty enough to feed the twelve of them and Jesus.  Why hadn't these crowds here in the region of the Decapolis come prepared?  If they weren't prepared, why hadn't they turned back before now?  The disciples may have had a hoarding mentality, but Jesus saw a need that could be met if they shared their abundance where there was want.  I believe it is not a sin to be rich, but when there is a need, the "haves" must find a way to share with the "have-nots", not to make them dependent but to meet the needs of the moment.  God's blessings are meant to be shared.

Third, it could have been that the disciples were slow learners.  Maybe they thought that the feeding of the five thousand was a one-off, a singular event meant to show that Jesus was the Son of God.  There was no need to repeat the message--everyone there knew this fact, or else why were they following Him?  Maybe they forgot; in all of the hands-on ministry they had been doing, it slipped their mind.  In any case, Instead of following His lead and stepping up to be merciful to the poor (had they not listened to the Sermon on the Mount?), they instead watched again as He blessed the bread, broke it, and shared it with the people, strangers from a strange land.  In the same way, we believe that the Last Supper was not a one-time event, but that Communion should be done frequently, and should be shared with others who were not present at the original event until Jesus comes again.

Jesus, I think, also saw differences between this group and the Jews He had fed at Capernaum.  First, He recognized that this group of Gentile believers was committed.  "I have compassion on the crowd," He said, "because they have been with Me now for three days."  Unlike the group of Jews He fed before, whom He had characterized as "sheep without a shepherd," these Gentile believers were willing to follow Him wherever He went.  Second, He recognized that they had been fasting, and wanted to give them sustenance before sending them away.  Some had not eaten for three days, and Jesus knew, "if I send them away hungry (or fasting--it is the same word in the Greek), they will faint on the way."  There is nothing wrong with fasting in order to draw closer to Jesus, but the lesson here, I think, is that we must eat and drink before trying to minister to others or else we will be ineffective in our ministry.  He did not want them to be weak with hunger as they went home with His message of hope.  Third, Jesus recognized that some had already made great sacrifice to be near Him.  "Some had come from far away," so to send them away empty handed would have been cruel.

We should not be weary in well doing, even to those not like us.  Americans, do not hold back Christian ministry to foreigners.  Republicans, be kind to Democrats in Jesus' Name.  Those who still have an income should be generous for Jesus' sake to those who have lost their jobs.  Be in the world but not of the world, but be present to make a difference in the Name of Jesus.

Psalm 103:2 says, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits."  Remember His mercy, and be merciful; remember His grace, and be gracious.  Apply the lessons He has showed you in the situations He has placed you, because the more things change, the more He stays the same.