Prelude to Feeding of the Five Thousand

In this part of the sermon: Martin details the apostles' return from their first mission, emphasizing their enthusiastic and detailed report to Jesus about 'all things whatsoever they had done and taught.'…

The disciples' excitement in reporting their deeds is compared to kids on Christmas morning with new toys, illustrating their unbridled enthusiasm and detailed accounts.

confusion one can picture the Lord Jesus seeing the first group of two come and they're full of enthusiasm and excitement and they say oh master let us tell you and notice where the emphasis falls what we did they were still taking up with the first time they had laid hands upon sick people without jesus present and they were healed and they spoke the word of exorcism and demons fled so they're all full of excitement like kids on christmas morning with their new toys and they're telling the lord what they did and they didn't give him a summary or specimens they told him all things whatsoever t...

15:50 - 17:16 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details the apostles' return from their first mission, emphasizing their enthusiastic and detailed report to Jesus about 'all things whatsoever they had done and taught.'…

Martin recounts his own experience of giving a condensed report of three weeks of preaching in an hour, to illustrate the immense detail the twelve apostles must have given Jesus and His patient listening.

what the scene was like in the lord jesus trying to quiet them down and saying now fellas let's just remember now we have six groups of two there'll be time enough for all of you well if you just sort of read between the lines what must have happened for the lord jesus patiently to listen to all things whatsoever all of them had both done and said and it is that emphasis that comes through very clearly and powerfully in the original that there was great and extensive detail in the report as it focused upon deeds and upon words those of you who were here last sunday night will remember that i a...

17:16 - 18:35 Read in full sermon

Driving home: For when he heard all that they had done and all that they had taught, as one who himself knew what it was to be poured out in ministry, he knew that their frail humanity was drained and weary. And in the sympathy that o…

The word 'rest' is explained as refreshment, using the contemporary military term 'R&R' (rest and recuperation) and the rich fool's desire to 'take thine ease' to illustrate the concept of spiritual and physical refreshment.

that you might rest a while. Now that word rest does not necessarily mean sleep but it means to have refreshment the most contemporary the most contemporary the most contemporary the most contemporary synonym I know a period of R&R it's the word that that poor rich fool uses who says I'll tear down my barns and build greater and say to my soul soul take thine ease that's the word take your rest it's used in 2 Corinthians 7.13 in terms of the inner refreshment of the spirit so the Lord Jesus received him and he's able to read the Bible the very first chapter from Matthew 2.2 when John gives the...

21:21 - 22:36 Read in full sermon

Driving home: For when he heard all that they had done and all that they had taught, as one who himself knew what it was to be poured out in ministry, he knew that their frail humanity was drained and weary. And in the sympathy that o…

Martin reminds the congregation of an earlier incident (Mark 3:20-21) where Jesus's relatives thought He was 'beside himself' due to His relentless ministry, showing a parallel to the disciples' current exhaustion.

And no sooner do they make their retreat for business or for the care of personal needs than another group comes and they keep looking for a lunch break and they can't find it. Well, you remember it was that very set of circumstances. That earlier caused his own relatives to think that our Lord was losing his mind. I remind you of the reference to this in chapter 3, verses 20 and 21.

23:05 - 23:32 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This crucial section describes Jesus's response to the intruding multitude, despite His own and His disciples' weariness. Martin emphasizes that Jesus 'had compassion on them…

Martin describes the 'emotional and physical backlash' after intense ministry, comparing the euphoria of reflection to being 'dashed upon the deck' and vulnerable to dejection, like a 'lead blanket,' to help the audience understand the disciples' weariness.

Now as we come to the fifth part of this introduction to the miracle, we come to the most crucial part in the whole prelude of this miracle. Get the picture. A band of weary disciples who having, as it were, relived all of the excitement of the things they had done and said, having seen and received their Lord's sympathetic hearing, were in the midst of that emotional and physical backlash that comes from a period of intense and wonderfully Godly God-blessed ministry. And take my word for it, though you may never know what that is, those of us who have ministered and have at any time known som...

32:11 - 33:37 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Because they were they were not that they saw themselves in this state but He saw them for what they really were. They were as sheep not having and in that oriental context that is the most pathetic of all conditions to …

Martin contrasts the modern image of a 'cool communicator' (like a news anchor who reports tragedy without emotion) with Jesus, who was deeply moved and engaged with His whole humanity when He preached and healed, emphasizing Jesus's passionate and sacrificial ministry.

virtue has gone out of me it cost our Lord to preach to teach to heal He entered in with heart and soul and mind and body the entirety of His sanctified humanity was wholly engaged with men both when He healed them and when He taught them Jesus was no off the cuff cool communicator you know what I mean by that? that's the model in our day the man who leans over his news desk and simply slickly and nicely parrots what he's either half memorized or sees on the teleprompter and it cost him nothing there's no pouring out of his soul he can talk about the death toll is now three thousand in Mexico ...

41:53 - 43:18 Read in full sermon

The point: Learn to feel at ease pouring out your full heart in great detail to Jesus in prayer, convinced He will patiently listen.

Martin uses a lighthearted analogy from marital counseling, comparing the disciples' detailed report to a 'feminine' style of communication, where all the 'sweet little details' are included, to illustrate Jesus's patient listening to every detail important to them.

many things well that's the prelude to the feeding of the five thousand now then as we draw the message to a conclusion what does that say to us what is there in that prelude that comes over the two thousand years and is the word of God to this congregation this morning well I have but two points of application first of all its message to us is this it is a wonderful revelation of the heart of our Savior this prelude is a wonderful revelation of the heart of our Savior first of all to His own and also to sinners in general what does it say about His heart to His own it tells us that He has a p...

44:46 - 46:14 Read in full sermon

The point: Pour out the complaints that grow out of your frail humanity to your Savior, knowing He has a patient heart to listen and a sensitive heart to respond to all your needs.

Martin contrasts some physicians' callousness towards suffering with Jesus's deep empathy, noting that while some callousness might be necessary for doctors, Jesus's compassion was total, even to the point of personal cost.

of our infirmities as I've already intimated he knew what it cost to preach really to preach what it cost to heal to look upon human suffering not like some physicians we've gone to you wonder if indeed there's any heart in the men they can face the most intense human suffering with such callousness now I know they must develop some degree of a callous or they would be emotionally crippled I knew one of the best physicians we've ever known family physicians in another state years ago who eventually had a nervous breakdown and I believe one of the reasons what he was so compassionate and so ent...

49:12 - 50:40 Read in full sermon

The point: Trust that Jesus exercises gracious authority over all things to meet your needs, even when plans for rest are interrupted, and His grace is sufficient.

Martin illustrates the interruption of planned rest with a scenario where a child recovers from illness, leading to anticipation of rest, only for another child to fall ill, demonstrating how God orders circumstances and provides sufficient grace.

over all things to meet our needs he gives the command to come apart he provides the means the boat and though there is a temporary suspension of the season of R&R according to verse 45 it came later he orders and disposes all things to meet our needs and so if there is a time when you hear what seems to be his words speaking by his providence that a season of coming apart and resting is right around the corner and every wave as it were that beats upon your ship as you're making your way brings you excitement and a sense of release yes come apart and rest come apart and rest and lo and behold ...

52:07 - 53:35 Read in full sermon