Mark 6:31-42 KJV  And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.  (32)  And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.  (33)  And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.  (34)  And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.  (35)  And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: (36)
Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.  (37)  he answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?  (38)  He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.  (39)  And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.  (40)  And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. (41) And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.  (42)  And they did all eat, and were filled.

It is often a stressful thing to attend a venue that is unknown to you.

Whether it’s a concert hall or a theater or a restaurant, or even a strange church, you are on guard for the bad seats.

Where are they?

When your hostess seats you, you scan the room looking out for the places that are too close to the kitchen doors, next to screaming kids, blocked by some uncomfortable object, or even without a view.

When you purchase seats online, you pour over the seating charts looking for those undesirable areas. When I look for a place to stay at a resort, the web selection tool gives me the opportunity to secure “Less Desireable Locations” and sometimes these are all that are available.

Yet, if you woke up with Jesus in your life, then there is no such thing as a bad seat. In His house, there are no bad seats.

Jesus tries to get his disciples away from the crowds for a time of rest and nourishment. The people follow them as they depart by sea. They are running around the shore. Jesus begins to exit the boat and sees them. Scripture says He was moved with compassion – because they were as sheep without a shepherd. He then does what He is famously known for – He Teaches.

Finally, the day is about gone and the disciples tell Him to send them away to buy food.  Jesus turns the table on them and tells THEM to feed THEM. With nothing but five loaves and 2 fishes we know the story of how Jesus commanded order from chaos. He organized them into companies of 50 and 100. He takes the food, blesses, brakes it, and distributes them.

Nowhere within this story do we find that anyone did not get their fill of food. In fact, the story says that all were full, and, I imagine, blessed with abundance! It was nothing special to be the first to be served, because the last was given as much as the first.

When Jesus is involved there is nothing like a bad seat at His table!

My mind turns to other stories from scripture and I find the same thing!

  1. The Woman at the Well –As Jesus opened her life, she feasted upon His revelations and a great harvest was the result.
  2. Zaccheus – Climbed a tree to see Jesus and Jesus stops under his tree and invites him to be a part of His Kingdom.
  3. The Mad Man of the Gaderenes – The local town is amazed to find the man sitting fully clothed and in his right mind at the feet of Jesus.
  4. Paul and Silas – They are freed from the prison at midnight while they sang praises!
  5. Peter – He’s freed from his prison and goes to the church to find them still praying for his release!

It matters little where you are in your life. You may be sick, close to death, but with Jesus there is no such thing as a bad seating assignment!

Your finance, family, job – might be on the path of peril, but Jesus has plans for you!

Your mental and emotional state may be way around the bend, but Jesus speaks His peace into your life!

You may have slipped in here today with something bothering you, but you are in His House and there is no bad seat to be found!

Won’t you trust Him today?

By Michael Gurley

Making Sense of Life, One Thought at a Time!