Teaching of Many Things Today

Scripture: 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. Mark 6:34

Observation: The "feeding of the 5,000" occurs after an extended period of teaching by Jesus. In v35, Mark says the teaching continued until it was very late in the day. Other gospels imply this entire event may have occurred over multiple days, which is why everyone had run out of food. Either way, Jesus taught the people ... a lot! And yet, while every gospel records the miracle of the feeding, not one single gospel records a single word of Jesus.

Certainly, Jesus taught these people a great wonderous lessons. Why else would they stay and listen for many hours or even days? The lessons may have been deep with explaining the mysteries of the Lord, and in unpacking the truth about the promised Messiah and (at least implicitly) how those prophesies pointed to him, and in expanding upon the nature of Yahweh himself, and in explaining right behavior and how we might all please and honor the Lord. However, we will never know. All of this is just white space described as "teaching them many things", after they went ashore and before he performed one of the greatest miracles ever.

This white space, however, leaves room for the work of the Holy Spirit today. If every ... single ... word of Jesus had been recorded, there would be no room for a relationship with the Lord today. We could all study God as if he was facts in a textbook. Instead, we get to explore thoughts during our prayer time, or listen to wise teachers who are themselves filled with the messages from and truth of the Lord. 

Application: It is very likely that I have in fact heard and learned what Jesus spoke to this large crowd, but I have heard it much more recently, spoken from the mouths of divinely inspired men and women. While I spend time frustrated by the words and actions of some pastors I know, I need to remember this truth ... they may very well be quoting Jesus and I just don't know it.

Prayer: Lord, please forgive my hard heart when it comes to honoring and trusting your servants. I do know how you work through your Spirit within the hearts and minds of others, and yet I look at their actions and words through my human mind and get frustrated. Again, please forgive me. May I hear Jesus as your Holy Spirit speaks through others. Amen.