1 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, 2 "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 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." (Mark 8:1-3)

Repeat Episode?

If this episode sounds familiar, it's because Jesus has already fed a large crowd of five thousand earlier in Mark (6:30-44). And there are many similarities between this miraculous feeding and the first—a deserted setting, Jesus' compassion on the crowd, the dividing of bread and fish, and leftovers of bread.

But there are also many differences between the two episodes—the number of loaves they started with, the size of the crowd, and the type of people in this crowd. Most regard this to be a Gentile crowd, out in the wilderness area outside the Decapolis, while the first crowd was comprised of Jewish people. So this continues Mark's theme of Jesus ministering to the non-Jewish nations of the world.

4 And his disciples answered him, "How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?" 5 And he asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven." 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down 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. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha. (Mark 8:4-10)

The Disciples' Question

Again, the similarities with the feeding of the five thousand are obvious. There are also subtle differences. But there is one glaring detail—the reaction of the disciples. They responded to Jesus' word of compassion for the crowds by asking, "How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?" (4). What do you mean by "how"? Don't you remember the feeding of the five thousand? How clueless do you have to be?

Even when you account for the passing of time from the first miraculous feeding to this one, and even if we account for this being a Gentile crowd, a new target for Jesus' love, the disciples' density is shocking. Many scholars have even tried to twist this feeding into the first one, saying Mark is merely retelling the story twice. But the differences are too clear, and, in a moment, we will discover Jesus saw these as two separate events.

And should we really be so shocked by the disciples at this point? Don't we often forget the previous manifestations of the power of God in our own lives? Aren't we often capable of displaying the same density? The same fears rile us up time and time again. We bring the same shortcomings and fragilities to Jesus over and over again.

Jesus Approached His Disciples

Let's consider one of the most significant differences between this feeding miracle and the last. When Jesus fed the five thousand, after only one day in the wilderness, the disciples came to Jesus. They told him to send the people away to buy food. The disciples initiated. The disciples were concerned about the crowd.

In this story, Jesus had to approach the disciples, and this was only after the people remained with him for three days (2). The wording of Jesus is telling: "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat" (2). Mark has portrayed the crowds as fickle up to this point, but this Gentile crowd is allegiant. They remained with Jesus. They stuck with him through the thick and thin of the previous three days.

When Jesus saw this, he was moved with compassion for the crowdand told his disciples about his compassion (1-2). When Jesus fed the five thousand, he commanded his disciples to feed them. But for the four thousand, Jesus merely told his disciples about his compassion for the crowd. No directions. No guidance. No impossible command. Instead, all Jesus gave them was a glimpse into his heart.

You see, Jesus wanted them to be shaped by his compassion. It's not hard to imagine how they could have responded to the revelation that Jesus cared for this crowd. They could have recalled how Jesus had compassion on the five thousand because they were like sheep without a shepherd (6:34). They could have remembered how the compassion of Jesus manifested itself through a miraculous feeding. And they could have known how Jesus had used them to help him dispense the food to all the people.

In other words, when the disciples heard Jesus had compassion for this new crowd, they should have said, "If this is how Jesus feels about these people, we should serve these people. Let's get involved with Jesus' work. Let's live out the heart of Jesus."

I find compassionate love for the lost is often a hurdle for believers, partly because of our flesh, but partly because of our love for the truth. Christianity includes a set of doctrines and beliefs. The church, Paul said, is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). The word of truth must be rightly handled (2 Timothy 2:15). "All Scripture is breathed out by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). And because we know the last days will be filled with deceptive teachings, we are often, quite understandably, concerned about any slippage from the truth (1 Timothy 4:1-2, 2 Timothy 4:3).

Jesus is right. The gospel is right. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father by any other means (John 14:6).

So, with sentiments like these as our backdrop, it can sometimes be a hurdle for us to demonstrate the compassion of Christ to people who are wrong about Christ, like this crowd. But the truth, Scripture, the veracity of the gospel, does not need to be endangered by our compassionate love for others. When we obey the prime commandment and love God, we are protected from error when we love our neighbor.

This is what Paul hopes for when he says that Scripture can make God's people "competent, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17). The expectation is that we would learn the truth of God's heart as we look into his word and that his nature would turn us into people who love well.

And, as the disciples watched Jesus, they would have learned that Jesus loved:

• His followers and friends, people like Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.
• Fervent believers like John The Baptist.
• People battling illness, like the woman with the perpetual flow of blood.
• Single mothers slugging it out with the enemy, like the Syro-Phoenician woman.
• Fathers who desperately needed help with their sons and daughters.
• Business people like Zacchaeus and Matthew.
• People who turned to sexual escapades like the woman caught in adultery.
• People battling covetousness, like the rich young ruler.
• Skeptics, men like his own brothers.
• Thieves, like the men on the cross.
• People engaged in witchcraft, like the demoniac in Gadara.
• Political leaders like Pontius Pilate.
• And even Pharisees like Paul, Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea.