They had not gained and insight from the incident of the loaves

Mark 6:30-56  from the daily reading in the One Year Bible (link available on links page)

³⁰ The apostles *gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. ³¹ And He *said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) ³² They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.

Five Thousand Fed

³³ The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. ³⁴ When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. ³⁵ When it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and it is already quite late; ³⁶ send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” ³⁷ But He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” And they *said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” ³⁸ And He *said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they *said, “Five, and two fish.” ³⁹ And He commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ They sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. ⁴¹ And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. ⁴² They all ate and were satisfied, ⁴³ and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish. ⁴⁴ There were five thousand men who ate the loaves.

Jesus Walks on the Water

⁴⁵ Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. ⁴⁶ After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray.

⁴⁷ When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. ⁴⁸ Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He *came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them. ⁴⁹ But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; ⁵⁰ for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and *said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.” ⁵¹ Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, ⁵² for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.

Healing at Gennesaret

⁵³ When they had crossed over they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore. ⁵⁴ When they got out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ⁵⁵ and ran about that whole country and began to carry here and there on their pallets those who were sick, to the place they heard He was. ⁵⁶ Wherever He entered villages, or cities, or countryside, they were laying the sick in the market places, and imploring Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and as many as touched it were being cured.

In yesterday's text, Jesus had sent out the disciples in pairs, giving them authority to heal and cast out demons. It had been a successful time of ministry, many were healed and delivered. That is what the disciples  are returning from, sharing their reports and testimonies with Jesus and each other. Jesus knows how physically, emotionally and spiritually demanding ministry can be and tries to take His disciples to a remote place where they can be refreshed.  The people though, were too hungry and thirsty for the things of the kingdom. There would be no rest at this time. The crowds arrived at the destination before Jesus and the disciples.

The text tells us that,  When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. That was after all what Jesus was here to do. He came to teach and preach the good news of the kingdom of heaven, and He came to die as the sinless sacrifice for all our sins, bringing about the restoration of all things and the possibility for the kingdom of heaven to come to earth. The crowds of people were so spiritually hungry that they had not regarded their need for physical food. So here in this remote, secluded place the disciples urge Jesus to send the people away so they can go somewhere to get food. Jesus response to them:  But He answered them, “You give them something to eat!”   The disciples had just finished their successful ministry experience but they still did not grasp the full realities of the kingdom of heaven. They saw things from the world view, logically. They see what can't be done. Jesus sees what can be done. He takes what they have, 5 loaves and 2 fish, little more than enough to feed themselves let alone the thousands. Jesus takes those fish and loaves though,   and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. ⁴² They all ate and were satisfied,  He took the little of this physical realm and provided enough for everyone from the heavenly realm. Actually it was more than enough,  they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish. There was more left than what they started with.  That's what we are able to walk in and deliver to the world today, through Christ, bringing the realities of heaven to earth. Ephesians 3:20-21 says:

²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ²¹ to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.

It is Christ who works in and through us. The power that works in us is the Holy Spirit. If we will allow ourselves to be used by Christ and the Holy Spirit, the results will be exceedingly abundantly above what we ask or think and Christ will receive the glory. 

Our text continues with Jesus sending the disciples away again in the boat while He remains to go up to the mountain to pray.  The text tells us that later Jesus walks out on the water, His intention was to go on by and get to their destination ahead of them. They saw Him though and were frightened thinking He was a ghost. Jesus assures them and gets in the boat. Here's the part I want us to see. Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, ⁵² for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.    The disciples had just experienced the power and authority of heaven working through them. They had just seen first hand the exceeding abundance of heavens provision of physical food. Yet they were utterly astonished that Jesus has come to them and that the wind stopped. They had gained no insight from the incident of the loaves.

How often do we see or experience God's blessing, His grace, His provision, being touched by the exceeding abundance of God and yet the next time we are faced with a challenge we still see things from a world perspective? We are utterly astonished that God would meet us in our need. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says: For we walk by faith, not by sight.    If we continue to need to see in the physical realm before we grasp the realities of the heavenly realm, then we are not yet there. We need to believe that everything we need  is already complete and available in heaven and we need to loose the realities of heaven to earth. Jesus says:

 “Have faith in God. ²³ For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. ²⁴ Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.(Mark 11:22-24)

There is no limit to what can be accomplished when the kingdom of heaven touches earth. Everything in the natural, physical realm and everything in the spiritual realm is subject to Christ. He says: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."(Matthew 28:18)   All authority means all authority. Philippians 2:9-11 says:  9For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

That's what we need to learn from the incident of the loaves and from every incident and experience we have of the kingdom of heaven touching earth. Everything on earth and in heaven is subject to Jesus Christ.

The text ends today with more evidence that where Jesus is the kingdom is present. When they got out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ⁵⁵ and ran about that whole country and began to carry here and there on their pallets those who were sick, to the place they heard He was...  they were laying the sick in the market places, and imploring Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and as many as touched it were being cured.

Where ever Jesus is, the kingdom is there. What ever touches even the fringe of the kingdom of heaven will be changed. Jesus says: For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”(Matthew 18:20) We should change what we touch in Jesus name. 

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, grant that we may truly believe, that we might learn and know that all things are subject to You and that the kingdom of heaven has come. May we be changed and ones who bring change here on earth. To You be the glory.  Amen