50-65 min Contrast the two very different banquets in Mark 6. Identify the relationship between mission and dependence. Connect the feeding and sea stories rather than treating them as unrelated miracles. Mark 6 moves between rejection at home, the sending of the Twelve, Herod's deadly banquet, Jesus' feeding of a crowd, and his walk on the sea. Mission and misunderstanding travel together. The chapter also quietly compares two kinds of kingship: Herod protects his image at the cost of a prophet's life, while Jesus sees hungry people as sheep without a shepherd and gives them bread. Jesus sends ordinary disciples in dependence, provides like a shepherd in the wilderness, and reveals a divine presence his followers are still struggling to recognize. 6:1-6: Familiarity Without Faith Nazareth knows Jesus' family and trade, yet familiarity becomes a reason not to receive him. Mark says Jesus marvels at their unbelief. Long exposure to Jesus' story is not the same as seeing him rightly. 6:7-13: Sent Two by Two The Twelve are sent with authority and surprisingly little equipment. Their dependence on hospitality prevents mission from becoming self-sufficient performance. They preach repentance, confront unclean spirits, and care for the sick. 6:14-29: Herod's Banquet John the Baptist dies in a court shaped by pride, manipulation, and fear of losing face. Herod would rather keep a reckless promise than do what he knows is right. The feast of the powerful ends with a prophet's head on a platter. 6:30-44: Jesus' Banquet in the Wilderness Jesus sees the crowd as sheep without a shepherd, teaches them, and then feeds them. The scene echoes wilderness provision and Israel's shepherd hopes. Unlike Herod's table, Jesus' table gives life rather than taking it. 6:45-52: 'Take Heart; It Is I' Jesus comes to the disciples across the water and tells them not to fear. Mark says they are astonished because they had not understood about the loaves. The feeding was not merely about bread; it was a sign pointing toward who Jesus is. Prophet Without Honor The ancient reality that familiarity often breeds contempt and resistance toward God's messengers. Sheep Without a Shepherd An Old Testament allusion to Israel lacking faithful spiritual leadership, drawing Jesus' pastoral compassion. It Is I (Egō Eimi) Jesus' divine declaration while walking on the sea, echoing Yahweh's covenant name to Moses in Exodus. Do not confuse familiarity with faith; Christian vocabulary can become ordinary enough that wonder disappears. Serve with what Jesus gives rather than waiting until you feel entirely self-sufficient. Compare forms of leadership by what happens to vulnerable people around them: Herod protects status; Jesus feeds sheep. Why might Mark place Herod's banquet beside Jesus' feeding of the crowd? What does traveling lightly teach the Twelve about mission? Why does Mark connect the disciples' failure to understand the sea miracle with the loaves? Put the two meals side by side and ask what each reveals about power. Avoid turning dependence into romanticizing poverty; the point is mission that trusts God and receives hospitality. Keep asking Mark's recurring question: what do these actions reveal about Jesus? James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark, Mark 6. R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark, Mark 6. Adela Yarbro Collins, Mark, on Herod and the feeding narrative. Practice intentional simplicity this week by giving away an unused coat, shoes, or surplus goods, remembering Jesus' instruction to the Twelve to travel light and rely on God's provision. Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd of your people, you look upon crowded multitudes with deep compassion because they are like sheep without a shepherd. Teach us to trust your quiet provision when our resources seem inadequate, and grant us bold faith to recognize you walking toward us through the dark nights of life. Amen. Prophetic Rejection, Apostolic Mission, and Wilderness Provision Write 700 to 900 words analyzing Mark 6. Contrast the familiarity and unbelief in [Nazareth](/bible/explorer/place/nazareth) with the apostolic mission of the Twelve, and evaluate the feeding of the five thousand against Old Testament wilderness traditions. Examine why Jesus' hometown neighbors stumble over his ordinary background and trade as a carpenter. Analyze the instructions given to the Twelve regarding travel, hospitality, and shaking the dust off their feet. Contrast the anxious, murderous banquet of [Herod Antipas](/bible/explorer/person/herod-antipas) with the compassionate, life-giving wilderness feast of Jesus. Examine the christological significance of Jesus walking on the water and the phrase "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." Demonstrates careful exegesis of Mark 6, the typology of Moses/Elijah, and the contrasts between Herod's court and the kingdom of God. Why could Jesus do no mighty work in Nazareth except healing a few sick people? Because of their hardened unbelief, which caused Jesus to marvel at their lack of faith. Why did Herod Antipas arrest and ultimately execute John the Baptist? Because John rebuked Herod for unlawfully marrying Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, leading to John's martyrdom at a banquet. What moved Jesus to feed the multitude in the wilderness? He had deep compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things. Read Mark 6:1 to 56. Read Ezekiel 34:1 to 16 and 1 Kings 19:1 to 18. Hometown Skepticism and the Incarnation The people of Nazareth know Jesus as 'the carpenter, the son of Mary,' illustrating how familiar human origins can blind observers to divine presence. Wilderness Banquet Typology The feeding of the five thousand arranged in hundreds and fifties on the green grass evokes Moses organizing Israel in the wilderness and the shepherd imagery of Psalm 23. Calling Jesus 'the son of Mary' rather than mentioning a father may hint at awareness of unusual birth circumstances or an intended insult. Herod Antipas held the title of tetrarch under Rome, though Mark reflects popular Palestinian usage in referring to him colloquially as 'king'. Joel Marcus, Mark 1-8, exegesis of Mark 6. C. E. B. Cranfield, St Mark, chapter on the feeding miracles.