GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 8:4
Wow, Now That’s a Problem
People have always looked at the moon—distant, wonderful, and awe-inspiring. When Hans Lippershey applied for a patent for the telescope in 1608, a new device appeared for mankind to explore the moon. There is a story that someone asked the U.S. Navy Seabees, who are known for their construction skills, if they could build a ladder to the moon, to which they replied, “Yes, we can do that, but it may take a while.”
Speaking to a graduate class at the University of California on June 14, 2014, President Barack Obama emphasized the huge problem they faced in getting a foothold in their new life. “When President Kennedy set us on a course for the moon, there were a number of people who made a serious case that it wouldn’t be worth it; it was going to be too expensive, it was going to be too hard, and it would take too long.” The classic picture of Atlas is that of a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Some graduates expressed the same feeling.
According to Mark, Jesus and his disciples spent several days teaching and ministering to a crowd in the region of the Decapolis. As the days passed, the people in the crowd used the last of their food supplies and grew hungry. Jesus expressed his concern for the crowd and the danger of sending them home weak from lack of food, especially for those who had walked a great distance. The crowd numbered over 4,000. When Jesus expressed a desire to see that they were fed, the disciples considered the size of the problem. “And his disciples answered him, ‘From where will anyone be able to feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?’”
The disciples saw the problem accurately. Mark wasn’t specific about where Jesus spoke to the crowd, except that it was in the region of the Decapolis. There are several possible sites, but for all of them the nearest town would have been 8 to 15 miles away. Jesus was concerned that people might become exhausted along the road if he sent them away hungry. It’s almost possible to hear the disciples say, “Wow, look at this problem!” This is a huge crowd. We are miles away from any town. We’re in a desolate location. Where could a town like Kursi, Hadar, or Hippos get enough food to feed a crowd this size?
The disciples had a good grasp of the situation. The problem looked insurmountable, but problems are only insurmountable by definition.
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