Developing a CHRISTian Worldview The Feeding of the Four Thousand

Posted by Pastor Pat on July 10, 2009

Read Mark 8:1-9

I believe it is important to keep our Lord’s movements in mind when reading the various stories.  Jesus is in the Decapolis and is speaking to a predominately Gentile audience.  It is important to remember the continued conflict with the religious leaders and political authorities.  He has come to His own people first and then begins reaching out to the Gentile world.  In the world in which Jesus lived, everyone who is non-Jewish is Gentile.  Mark shows how Gentiles are included in the story of God.  Mark opens this idea with Jesus addressing the Pharisees on the topic of “clean versus unclean.”  He then heals a Canaanite woman’s daughter of a demon.  He continues His handling of the unclean Gentiles by healing a deaf and mute man.  To show equality among the Jews and Gentiles, He repeats His feeding miracles among a predominately Gentile audience. His actions do not negate Jewish primacy.  Jesus did not forget that it was to the Jew and through the Jew that God’s revelation and divine incarnation would take place.  Such action on His part reflects an impartial worldview.    In fact, His actions always reflect a Christian worldview.  Often I think as Christians we need to be reminded that a Christian worldview is a Christ worldview.  His worldview is to be reflected by and represented in our worldview.  It is not the other way around.  Sometimes I, we, confuse our nationalism, our patriotism, our tribal instinct, our religious experience for a biblical worldview.  What is His worldview?  What is a Christian worldview? WAIT! There is more to read… read on »