I am preparing my sermon for this week, and came across this. It won’t fit in the message, but I had to share it.

Mark 8 (NET)

The Feeding of the Four Thousand

8 In those days there was another large crowd with nothing to eat. So Jesus called his disciples and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have already been here with me three days, and they have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way, and some of them have come from a great distance.” 4 His disciples answered him, “Where can someone get enough bread in this desolate place to satisfy these people?” 5 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven.” 6 Then he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. After he took the seven loaves and gave thanks, he broke them and began giving them to the disciples to serve. So they served the crowd. 7 They also had a few small fish. After giving thanks for these, he told them to serve these as well. 8 Everyone ate and was satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 There were about four thousand who ate. Then he dismissed them. 10 Immediately he got into a boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

The Demand for a Sign

11 Then the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus, asking for a sign from heaven to test him. 12 Sighing deeply in his spirit he said, “Why does this generation look for a sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat, and went to the other side.

What was the sign of the Old Testament? At least one of them was the bread from heaven – manna. And in another gospel, Jesus corrects these religious zealots. He reminds them that God provided the bread from heaven, not Moses.

Well, here we have the “Bread of Life” who has just provided a meal of bread for 4,000+ people.

Then the pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus asking for a sign from heaven.

Jesus, the bread of life – the bread from heaven, had just provided a meal with edible bread from heaven for all these people to eat. And yet, they still didn’t get it.

No wonder Jesus sighed deeply in his spirit when they asked for a sign after having just given everyone who saw the miracle a PRETTY BIG SIGN!!! I’d get back in the boat too.