Mark 6:21: The Two Banquets, Part I of II

Posted on Wednesday, February 4, 2015 in Bible Commentary | 0 comments

And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;

//Today’s verse tells of the prelude to the death of John the Baptist. King Herod throws a banquet and invites the rich and powerful from all over the province. At the party, a young dancer so enthralls Herod that he offers her anything she would like. After consulting with her mother, the young girl asks for the head of John the Baptist.

The disciples bury John and then tell Jesus what happened. Immediately, Jesus and his disciples go off into a “desert place,” hoping to be alone, but crowds hear of his presence and follow him. This leads to one of the more remarkable comparisons in the Bible.

There in the desert, Jesus teaches and then spreads a banquet capable of feeding 5,000 men. We know this as the miracle of loaves and fishes. But what’s different about King Jesus’s banquet?

As Herod is sharing with the rich and powerful in the palace, Jesus is feeding the poor and needy in the wilderness. More tomorrow about this banquet Jesus spread, so that you can choose which one you prefer.