Amen. Today's message is from Mark 6:30-44. We will read Mark 6:41 together as our main text. Let's begin. "Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all." Amen. Before we start, let’s greet the person next to us. "Let’s live a life of sharing." "Let’s live a life of sharing." "One more time. Let’s live a life of sharing." Yes, everyone. You will understand why I suddenly asked for this greeting as you listen to the sermon. Today, the message we are sharing is about the miracle of the five loaves and two fish. It is a passage we often hear and are familiar with. It is a message frequently addressed in church and is so important that it is recorded in all four Gospels. Today, I would like to look at this familiar passage from a slightly different perspective. We only read verse 41 today. Focusing on verse 41, we see that Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. I want to deeply reflect on the meaning of this series of actions. In this familiar scene that we might overlook, we can deeply examine who Jesus is and what grace he gives us. I pray that this will be a time to experience the abundant love of Jesus, who supplies everything and ultimately gave himself without reservation.
Gratitude That Begins in the Lord's Hands
First, let’s start with the scene where Jesus takes the loaves and looks up to heaven to give thanks. This scene teaches us that everything we enjoy comes from Jesus. Therefore, as believers, we must receive with gratitude. Since everything comes from Jesus, we must be thankful. Verse 41 records that Jesus took the five loaves and two fish. According to the Gospel of John, these loaves and fish were brought by a young boy. On the surface, the loaves and fish that the boy had are now in Jesus' hands. They were transferred from the boy's hands to Jesus' hands. Think about it for a moment. That young boy must have received those loaves and fish from someone. And the person who prepared the loaves and the person who prepared the fish must have received the necessary ingredients from someone as well. Now, let’s consider how a piece of bread came into our child's hands. A seed is sown in the ground. Then rain falls and sunlight shines. It grows into grain. Someone harvests it, grinds it into flour, kneads it, and bakes it into bread. The same goes for the fish. When God created the heavens and the earth, he created the seas of this earth. And he gave life within them. Someone catches the fish, prepares it, cooks it, and eventually it reaches the hands of the young boy. Therefore, if we trace everything we call "mine," we realize that it was received from someone before it became ours. However, we tend to take this process for granted as we go through life. We take rain for granted and assume that seeds sown will bear fruit. But the Bible tells us that these things are not to be taken for granted. Psalm 104 states, "He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate." Here, "He" refers to God. God makes it grow, brings food from the earth, and gives wine that gladdens human hearts and oil that makes their faces shine, and food that sustains their hearts. It is given by God. Also, Psalm 145 says, "The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time." Through these verses, we see that it is God who gives us food and everything we have. God is not a distant creator who made the world and left it; he still holds the world he created. For example, he makes it rain, causes food to grow from the earth, and through processes we do not understand, he feeds and clothes us. Without God's work, we can have nothing. God still holds all the natural laws that we take for granted. Thus, we live receiving God's grace. So, whose loaves and fish were those in the hands of the young boy? They were God's. Do you acknowledge this? Yes, they originally belonged to God. That is why David confesses in 1 Chronicles 29, "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." David confesses that we have received because the Lord has given, and we return it with a thankful heart. Beloved saints, we often make such confessions to God in our lives. "God, I give you my time. God, I give you my resources. God, I give you my talents and my life." We pray that he will gladly receive them. But we must think deeply. We say what we give is ours, but before it became ours, whose was it? It belonged to God. God has gladly entrusted his own to us. So how should we respond to these things? We should be thankful.
The Importance of a Life of Sharing
Now, looking at this perspective, the miracle of the five loaves and two fish can be seen a bit differently. Usually, we focus on the miracle of five loaves and two fish feeding 5,000 people, the multiplication of the loaves and fish, and the compassion of Jesus who performed the miracle. We often concentrate on these aspects. However, upon reflection, God feeds us even in our daily lives. In some ways, this is a miraculous daily occurrence that we enjoy but have become too accustomed to overlook. Is it natural that a seed falls to the ground and takes root? We think it is natural according to the laws of nature. But strictly speaking, it is not natural. God must send the rain. When I first came to Dallas, people always told me that I had to experience the hot Dallas summer. And now my summer has passed. So they asked me, "Have you experienced a hot Dallas summer where it hardly rained for two months and the temperature went over 100 degrees?" Yes, I have experienced it. But look, it hardly rained for two months. When it does not rain like this, don't we feel the preciousness of rain? What do we feel when it does not rain? Don't we realize that it is not natural for rain to fall on this land? God must open the heavens for rain to fall on this land. And it is not natural for grain to grow. But God accomplishes that. I believe that every process from human labor to the making and consumption of bread is grace given to us by God. Even in moments we do not realize, God is feeding and clothing us through various processes in our daily lives. However, the wilderness in today's text is a bit different. Usually, supply that takes a long time and many processes is accomplished immediately in the hands of Jesus. This is the important point. While we see the feeding of 5,000 as a miracle, from God's perspective, what is accomplished immediately through Jesus' hands is what he has always done over a long period. Jesus is now performing the work he has always done to feed God's people with his own hands. Therefore, when we look at this miracle, we should not simply ask how the bread was multiplied. It is not important how the bread fed so many people. What is more important is who is providing this bread now. Who is the one who took the bread from the hands of the young boy and fed the multitude? It is Jesus. Therefore, this miracle shows that Jesus, as the Creator and Sovereign, supplies what his people need and uses what he has made according to his will. He is not merely giving bread. The Jesus who gives bread is the Creator of heaven and earth. And he is still the Sovereign who rules over heaven and earth today. He is showing us that truth. That is why it is recorded that Jesus took the bread. He took the bread. In the Old Testament, it is expressed that he "took." The first thing we should consider in this verse is Jesus' sovereignty before the boy's dedication. He took what the Lord had given and brought it back into his hands to fulfill his will, and then he generously gave it back. However, looking at the text, we see that after Jesus took the bread in his hands, he did not immediately give it away. What does he do? Yes, let’s read together. "Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and gave thanks." It is recorded that he looked up to heaven and gave thanks. Here, there is something we should pay attention to. In our Korean Bible, all four Gospels express it as "gave thanks" or "blessed." It is translated as "to bless" or "to give thanks," but in the original language, the Gospel of John records it slightly differently. In the Gospel of Mark that we are reading, the word "blessed" is used. He blessed it. While using that word, the Gospel of John translates it as "gave thanks," and in English as "gave thanks," but in the original language, the act of looking up to heaven and giving thanks is specifically described with the word "to thank." The act of blessing that Jesus performed while holding the bread carries a deep meaning of praising and thanking God who gave the bread. Now, this naturally connects to what we examined earlier. For those who believe and follow God, everything comes from him, and we must receive what we have with gratitude, not taking it for granted. Jesus looked at the bread in his hands and gave thanks to God who gave it. In the wilderness, Jesus holds what God has given and gives thanks. Seeing this scene, we can naturally recall another wilderness in the Old Testament. That is Exodus 16. In Exodus 16, the people of Israel come out of Egypt by God's grace. And they enter the wilderness. However, when they arrive in the wilderness, there is nothing to eat. So when they become hungry, the people begin to complain to Moses and Aaron. Despite God rescuing them from captivity, they cannot wait and complain about the lack of food. How did they complain? The Israelites said, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." Wait a minute, what was their condition in Egypt? Were they not slaves? What delicious food could a slave eat? Was there bread or meat that a slave could eat to their fill? Humans seem to be creatures that easily forget. They forget the past and focus on the difficulties of the present, leading to complaints and grievances. The Israelites poured out their complaints and dissatisfaction, forgetting the grace of God's salvation that had just occurred. Yet, despite this, God did not abandon them and sent manna from heaven. In the midst of that desolate wilderness, God sent manna every day to feed them. When you think about it, isn't this an amazing event? Just the day before, it was a barren wilderness with nothing, but in the morning, that barren land was covered with abundant manna to eat. It was not just for one day or two days. God continued to feed them for 40 years while they were in the wilderness. The miracle of God became their daily life. However, we see how fickle the human heart can be. Over time, their hearts began to change. Initially, the grateful provision that fed them in the desolate wilderness became something they no longer found amazing as they saw the manna falling every day. In Numbers 11, they complain, "We have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!" What do you think of their attitude? How do you feel about their complaints while witnessing the miracle of God sending manna? They became accustomed to the grace that sustained their lives, and at some point, it became merely an object of complaint. Humans seem to be truly strange beings. When we do not have something, we pray, "God, please give me that." "I will be so grateful if you give me that." "I won't ask for anything more." But when we actually receive it, we take it for granted and say, "God, this is not it." "Please give me something else." There is no gratitude for what has been given. Before getting a job, what do we do? We say, "God, if you give me a job, I will serve diligently." But once we get the job, what happens? In the morning, we wake up and say, "God, this is too hard." "Why did you give me such a difficult job?" "Why is our company so tough?" Complaining like this is the nature of our hearts. Before marriage, we pray, "Please let me meet a good spouse." I expected an "Amen" from the second floor, but no one said "Amen." Yes, anyway, before marriage, we pray to meet a good spouse, but what happens after marriage? What happens? Currently, we are running a marriage school, and you are diligently learning and getting to know each other, but what about after marriage? >> Is it good? >> Yes. I will stop here. We— you and I, no, humanity— seem to have a bad habit of taking God's grace for granted or letting it pass quickly. However, in another wilderness, the appearance of our Jesus is completely different. He holds the bread in his hands and looks up to God in heaven to give thanks. He receives what the Father has given, relies on the Father, and uses it to fulfill God's will. He begins with gratitude. Therefore, Jesus' prayer of blessing is not merely an expression of thanks; it includes deep trust, reliance, and obedience to God the Father. In a situation of lack, Jesus receives what the Father has given with gratitude, expects and trusts that the Father will provide, and obeys God's will. Beloved saints, how often do we take God's grace for granted as we live on this earth? Is it natural to open our eyes today? Is it natural to have food? Do we only realize it when we lack it? When there is no food, do we say, "Ah, that was God's grace back then"? Is it natural to have a loving family by our side? No. No matter how much the person next to you may trouble you, the fact that they are by your side is not something to be taken for granted. Being able to work, to worship, and that you are here— in some ways, nothing is natural from the beginning. I believe that everything I have is received from God. I believe that everything is God's grace. >> Amen. >> When we know that everything we have comes from the Lord we believe in, and we receive it with gratitude without taking it for granted, grace begins to govern our lives. I pray in the name of the Lord that we may always be thankful for the Lord's grace and live under God's governance. >> Amen.
