KEY SCRIPTURE Mark 6:33-34 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
RELEVANCE This scene was just prior to the feeding of the five thousand. A multitude saw Jesus and the disciples leaving the shore to have a private talk. They knew He was the Saviour. As He sailed off, they estimated the destination. What did they do then? THEY RAN! They didn't shuffle or jog. Mark said, they RAN. I know running can mean different things, but the fact is Mark meant that they they didn't walk, skip, or dawdle. How eager are you for Jesus? Are you hungry to be nourished by the Word? If you were with them, would you have run or walked? Considering the distance of a few kilometres, would you have sought him at all or waited until He returned? In Matthew 24:19, Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." I wonder if this was a reason why? Because they would run to Him. If we don't have Jesus, we have no shepherd. Without a shepherd we are lost. Do we love Him enough? Is he our everything? Or is He just a raincoat to wear during inclement times? When Jesus went ashore, He found them as sheep without a shepherd. But they were hungry and faithful. This is the degree of need Jesus wants from us. That we will run the race of faith towards His Kingdom. That we will run the race of faith towards Him, hungry for nourishment, for food of knowledge and understanding, for a more loving heart, and more gracious words. The Apostle Paul, upon his conversion, ran. We can run. When we think about it, we don't have much to hinder us except reasons. PRAYER Dear Lord, I have used many excuses not to run as hard as I could. I seem to be able to pull the next excuse or reason out of my pocket like a gunslinger. Then I get embarrassed when I read of these sheep without a shepherd yearning so deeply to be with Jesus that they ran the rocky shore terrain for kilometres just to hear His voice. Please help me desire Your Son as much as they did.
Photo by Josh Gordon