The Bread of Life for All Who Would Believe

In one paragraph

Monday night at First Baptist Jackson, Pastor Carl walked the group through Mark 8:1-26, a passage covering the feeding of the 4,000, the Pharisees demanding a sign, Jesus' warning about yeast, and the healing of a blind man. Two themes ran through everything: spiritual blindness, and Jesus' patience and persistence with people who are slow to understand. The feeding of the 4,000 deliberately...

Read together

1. Ephesians 2:8-9 quoted to illustrate that salvation by grace through faith is a gift from God, not our own doing
2. Ephesians 2:10 quoted to remind the congregation that they are God's workmanship, created in Christ for good works prepared in advance
3. John 6:35 Jesus says He is the bread of life and whoever comes to Him will never be hungry or thirsty, used to connect the feeding miracles to spiritual nourishment
4. Mark 8:1-26 the primary passage studied: feeding of the 4,000, Pharisees demanding a sign, warning about yeast, and healing of the blind man
5. James 4:6 quoted as 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble' in contrast to the Pharisees' demanding attitude versus humble faith
6. Luke 24:30-31 the Emmaus road story where the disciples' eyes were opened when Jesus broke bread, used to show the disciples eventually understood
7. Psalm 16:11 quoted at the close: 'You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasure of living with you forever'

Talk about it

1. Pastor Carl pointed out that when the disciples faced a hungry crowd, they kept asking 'how are we supposed to do this?' as if it all depended on them. When have you caught yourself doing the same thing, focusing on what you can or can't provide instead of what God can do?
2. Pastor Carl contrasted the way Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood came to Jesus in humility and faith with the way the Pharisees came demanding proof. How do you think pride or the need for control shapes the way we approach God when we need something from Him?
3. Jesus warned the disciples to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod, meaning hard hearts, right after they had just watched Him multiply bread a second time. What do you think causes a person's heart to harden even when they have seen God work?
4. Pastor Carl noted that when Jesus healed the blind man, the man's sight was restored in two stages, not all at once, and he drew a parallel to the disciples not understanding everything right away either. Has there been a time in your own life when you only saw what God was doing in hindsight? What did that feel like in the middle of it?
5. The sermon closed with the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus finally recognizing Jesus when He broke the bread. Pastor Carl asked if we could have those 'oh yeah' moments with Jesus. What do you think helps us stay open to recognizing God at work rather than missing Him the way the disciples so often did?