Chapter # 6 Paragraph # 5 Study # 1
February 1, 2022
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
(Download Audio)

⁽²⁸¹⁾

Thesis:   The reason for Jesus' sense of urgency after feeding 5,000 men was the reality of the damage that is always done when men are motivated by their own misguided appetite for authority over others.

Introduction:   In our studies of the previous paragraph, we were shown the true issues of the Truth of Jesus' identity as a "shepherd" Who saw the people as "sheep without a shepherd". We saw that, as the "Good Shepherd", He insisted upon addressing the real "needs" of others at the expense of personal "wants" (John 10:11/Psalm 22): this was the first aspect of the picture Mark presented in his words. We also saw that, as the "Chief Shepherd", He was focused upon the reward that is in His hand that is to be given to faithful "under-shepherds" (1 Peter 5:4/Psalm 24): this is the second aspect of the picture Mark presented as He deals with misguided disciples who can never be faithful under-shepherds unless they, like Him, are moved by "compassion" to make the sacrifices that are necessary because of the "needs" of God's sheep. And we saw that, as the "Great Shepherd", He was insistent upon revealing the methodology that would turn "disciples" into "faithful under-shepherds" (Hebrews 13:20/Psalm 23): this is the third aspect of Mark's picture of Jesus as He sets an impossible task before The Twelve and then goes through the process of showing them how He will provide the ability to "under-shepherds/apostles" so that they may actually "do" what will qualify them to be rewarded by Him in the Day Of Judgment to come. Mark's particular focus was upon this last aspect of Jesus as "The Shepherd of The Sheep" as his "details" are mostly concerned with miraculously providing the loaves and fish that The Twelve, then, distributed among the thousands in fulfillment of His command, "You give something to them to eat". This is the major task of every shepherd: to "feed" the sheep. It is both "impossible to men" to do, but also "impossible for men" to sidestep. By His provision, under-shepherds can do His will and, by that, be qualified for His reward when He comes as "The Chief Shepherd".

Now, as we turn to the next paragraph, we are immediately confronted by Mark's record of Jesus' intensity in regard to His compelling The Twelve to leave the area and in regard to His sending the crowd away. For our study this evening, we are going to consider what was at the root of these two actions.

• I. "The Twelve" And "The Five Thousand".
  • A. The number "twelve" is significant by reason of how numbers were used in the first century because of how they were used in the centuries before Jesus' coming.
    • 1. "Twelve" is used throughout the Bible to refer to the ideas contained in the multiples of those numbers that end up as "twelve".
      • a. The numbers "2" and "6", when multiplied together, result in "twelve".
        • 1) "Two" in the Bible typically represents "compatible helpers".
          • a) This began with God's creation of "two" to make "one" humanity; male and female.
          • b) It, then, was a "number" that referred primarily to a task that would be extremely difficult if not impossible for "one" but that became "do able" by two (the first reference to "two" in the Bible is Genesis 1:16 and it refers to the creation of "two" lights which had the task of maintaining the presence of "light" in the creation, and the reference in Genesis 6:19 continues this focus with sets of "two" for the task of perpetuating the presence of the essence of the "two" in the creation).
        • 2) "Six" in the Bible typically represents "two multiplied by three" which signals the reality that "compatible helpers" multiplied by "three" means that everything about the task in its requirements is met by "sets of three" expanded by "two".
          • a) "Three" in the Bible signals "the necessary basic elements" that make a thing what it is: "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" are a "threesome" in "oneness" that signals the essence called "God"; "Body, Soul, and Spirit" are a threesome in "oneness that signals the essence called "man".
          • b) Thus, when "two" (as compatible contributors to the task) are expanded by "three", the entire task is made possible.
          • c) Thus, "six" signals "a possible solution to the demands of a task".
        • 3) Thus, when "two" (as helpers) are expanded by three (as basic components) and, then, that is expanded again by "two" we have a "doubled potential for accomplishment"; i. e. "twelve".
      • b. The numbers "three" and "four", when multiplied together, result in "twelve".
        • 1) The use of "three" is somewhat altered when "four" is the multiple.
        • 2) "Four" is two sets of "two": the implication is that when one has "two" sets of "two" as compatible helpers, one has double the potential for accomplishing the task (this means that "four" represents "an adequate representation of the means to the accomplishment of a task).
        • 3) Thus, when "four" (as a doubled capacity to address a task) is expanded by "three" (as the basic essentials that make a thing what it is), the "three/four" combination signals a completely sufficient capacity; i.e., a complete representation.
        • 4) Thus, "twelve" tribes completely represent the one nation by which God will accomplish His great task of introducing "Life" to the world, and "twelve" apostles represent the one original group that will be God's instrument to apply His accomplishment of the task to the "world".
    • 2. Thus, "twelve" apostles accomplish the impossible task set before them by Jesus with "twelve" baskets of over-abundance left over.
      • a. The apostles were "tasked" with the impossible task of representing Jesus after His departure.
      • b. The presence of twelve baskets of over-abundance shows what happens when Jesus makes provision for the task of "The Twelve".
  • B. The number "five thousand" is, likewise, a signal that puts "five" together with "thousands".
    • 1. "Five" is a number of "inadequacy"; it represents "a less than adequate reality".
    • 2. "Thousands" signals "an impressive expansion.
    • 3. "Five thousands" signals pretty much "a hopeless, delusional" reality (men who focus upon thousands that are infected with "inadequacy" will hope to overcome the inadequacy because of the "thousands" -- it will take far more than 5,000 men to overcome Rome -- so that 5,000 signals a "hopeless delusion") and "Legion" pretty much proved that in regard to the hopeless rebellion of the dark kingdom.
• II. The "Immediate Compulsion" To Go To Bethsaida".
  • A. Mark interjects "an immediate compulsion" into his text at this point.
    • 1. Because there were [only] "five thousand men" who participated in the miraculous meal, Jesus became "compelling".
    • 2. Mark's use of "made" is his use of "anagkazo", a verb that is only used in 9 texts of the New Testament and always means "to force someone to do something" (as in Acts 26:11 and Galatians 2:3).
    • 3. This use of "compulsion" means that Jesus was seriously intentional in getting The Twelve away from the vast crowd that lent itself to a "delusional hope".
      • a. What does Jesus' compulsion mean?
      • b. Most likely, it means that The Twelve are being dangerously exposed to a temptation to embrace a "delusion".
      • c. And that raises the question of the nature of the "delusion".
        • 1) At issue is the crowd's desire to establish Jesus as "The Great Hope" (for free food for the sustenance of a futile "life").
        • 2) This "issue", then, is man's penchant for exalting "delusion" over reality (in this case, thinking "life" is the result of "food" and "the ability to enforce one's "reality" over everyone else's.
  • B. The issue of the mention of "Bethsaida".
    • 1. The name of the town is "House of Fish".
    • 2. Mark's use of his reference to this town is revealed in 8:22 where he brings Jesus' efforts to develop His "adequate representatives" so that they might be legitimate "under-shepherds" to "critical mass": "blindness" must be dealt with effectively.
      • a. The disciples' grasp of the "identity" of Jesus must be corrected.
      • b. The disciples' grasp of the "objective" of Jesus must be corrected.
      • c. The disciples' grasp of the "methods" of Jesus must be settled.
• III. The "Sending Away" Of The Crowd.
  • A. This is a statement of Jesus' refusal to adapt to the crowd's seriously flawed grasp of the issues of "Life", "The Christ", and "The Method".
  • B. He could have done this early on (as the disciples wanted Him to), but He waited until He had "taught them many things" before He did this.
• IV. The "Ascent Into The Mountain To Pray".
  • A. This is another element of Mark's emphasis upon "compulsion".
  • B. This is not the first time Jesus' reaction to "popularity" was "prayer" (1:35-36).
  • C. Mark's focus upon Jesus' "prayers" is summarized in 14:38: this is the only way to escape the power of the temptation to follow a delusional hope.

(return to the top of the article)


This is article #282.
If you wish, you may contact Darrel as darrelcline at this site.