Give Her Something To Eat
Sermon Summary: “Give Her Something to Eat”
Bro. Steven Loo | 27 October 2025 | Mark 5 : 35–42
35 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”
36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” 37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw [a]a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. 39 When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.”
40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. 41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement.
Mark 5 : 35 – 42
The story itself is simple and easily understood, yet it carries layers of spiritual depth.
God performs what man cannot do, but He expects man to do what he can. Jesus raised the girl to life (a miracle beyond human ability), but feeding her was within the parents’ responsibility/ability. This principle runs throughout Scripture.
Examples of Jesus’ Miracles and Their Common Truth
1. In Mark 5:35–43, we read the account of Jairus’ daughter, a twelve-year-old girl who had died. When news of her death reached Jesus, He said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” Upon arriving at the house, He said, “The child is not dead, but sleeping.” Though the people ridiculed Him, Jesus entered the room with the girl’s parents and a few disciples, took her by the hand, and said, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Immediately she arose and walked. Then came a simple but significant instruction — “Give her something to eat.” This act showed Jesus’ compassion, completeness, and attention to physical needs even after a great miracle. His divine power restores life, yet He also invites practical care from those around.
2. In John 9:1–7, Jesus healed a man born blind. The disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus replied, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” He then spat on the ground, made clay with the saliva, and anointed the man’s eyes. He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” The man obeyed — and came back seeing. This miracle highlights Jesus’ power to create and restore, but also the importance of obedience. The man’s healing came not merely from the clay or water, but from trusting and doing as Jesus commanded.
3. In John 11:38–44, at the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus demonstrated His authority over death itself. Lazarus had been dead four days — long enough for Martha to say, “Lord, by this time there is a stench.” Yet Jesus instructed, “Take away the stone.” After praying, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And the dead man came out, bound hand and foot with grave clothes. Jesus then said, “Loose him, and let him go.” Here again, Jesus could have removed the stone or unwrapped the linen Himself, but He chose to involve others. The miracle was divine, but human hands still had a role to play — to move the stone, to free the man, to witness His glory.
Across these three miracles, we see a common thread: the power, glory, and compassion of Jesus Christ, who performs what man cannot do, yet calls man to participate in faith and obedience. He raises the dead, opens blind eyes, and restores life — but He also expects His followers to do their part: to feed, to wash, to move, to act.
God’s divine work is never detached from human responsibility.
Examples from the Old Testament
The principle that God does for man what man cannot do—but expects man to do what he can is seen not only in the New Testament but throughout the Old Testament as well. God’s grace is always accompanied by human responsibility and obedience.
1. In Genesis 6, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Yet that grace came with instruction. God told Noah to build an ark according to exact specifications — its length, width, height, and even the type of wood to be used. Noah could not stop the flood himself, but he could build the ark, and he did so “according to all that God commanded him” (Genesis 6:22). This shows that grace is not a free pass to idleness; rather, with grace comes instruction, and obedience completes faith.
2. In Exodus 14:15, when the Israelites stood trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army, Moses cried out to God for help. But God answered, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” God was ready to part the sea — a miracle only He could perform — but the people had to take the step. They were called to move forward in faith before seeing the waters divide. God could have destroyed the Egyptians like He did Sodom and Gomorrah, yet He chose instead to show His power through faithful obedience leading to deliverance.
3. In Numbers 21:8–9, when fiery serpents plagued the Israelites, God told Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” Moses obeyed, crafting a bronze serpent. Those who looked at it were healed. It was a miraculous provision, but still each person had to look. God provided the means of healing, yet faith required personal response.
4. In Joshua 6, the city of Jericho stood strong and impenetrable. God told Joshua, “See! I have given Jericho into your hand.” But that promise came with a command: they were to march around the city once each day for six days, and seven times on the seventh day, blowing the trumpets as God instructed. Only after doing so did the walls fall. God gave the victory, but His people had to follow His specific instructions faithfully.
5. In 2 Kings 5, Naaman the Syrian sought healing for his leprosy. The prophet Elisha told him to “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you.” At first, Naaman was angry — he wanted instant healing or a more dramatic act. But when he finally humbled himself and obeyed, “his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” The lesson was clear: God’s grace works through obedience.
Across all these examples, the pattern remains the same: God will help us, but we must do our part. Each account demonstrates that grace and faith are never separated from obedience. God’s mercy offers salvation, but our faith must act.
Has God Changed Man’s Role Today?
In the New Testament, the same divine principle continues — God provides grace, but man must respond in faith and obedience. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8–9,
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Salvation is indeed a gift of grace — it cannot be earned through good deeds or human merit. Yet, grace still calls for a response. Faith is active, not passive.
God’s part is to extend the offer of salvation through His Son; man’s part is to accept it through obedient faith. The Bible never separates grace from response — God’s grace saves, but only when we respond in belief and obedience.
Jesus Himself affirmed this in Mark 16:16 :
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
God’s hand is already stretched out; man must reach out in faith to receive it.
Though some argue that Mark 16:16 is not in certain ancient manuscripts, the truth it teaches is consistently affirmed throughout Scripture. In the Book of Acts, every conversion account follows the same pattern: faith expressed through repentance and baptism. Peter declared on the Day of Pentecost, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Saul of Tarsus was told, “Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).
Paul later explained that baptism represents a burial and resurrection with Christ, writing in Romans 6:4 “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
Even Jesus Himself was baptized — not because He needed forgiveness, but to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). Baptism is an act of obedience and faith, symbolizing death to sin and new life in Christ.
Thus, while salvation is by grace, grace does not nullify human responsibility. It invites man to respond — to believe, to obey, to be baptized, and to live faithfully. God has not changed His pattern. From Noah’s ark to the church of Christ, grace has always been paired with instruction, and faith with obedience.
Different Perspectives on Mark 16:16
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)
This verse has been interpreted in various ways across different worldviews and faith traditions. The following summarizes these perspectives — to help readers understand how belief, baptism, and salvation are viewed differently
1. Believe ❌ Baptized ❌ Saved ❌
This includes people or belief systems that do not recognize God or the authority of Christ. Their focus and understanding of salvation differ entirely from the biblical teaching.
2. Believe ❌ Baptized ❌ Saved ✅
This is the universalist view, which holds that God’s love will ultimately save everyone. It highlights God’s mercy but overlooks the necessity of faith and obedience taught in Scripture.
3. Believe ❌ Baptized ✅ Saved ✅
Some traditions baptize infants as an act of faith on behalf of the parents. While it reflects reverence for God’s grace, biblical baptism always involves conscious belief and repentance (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38).
4. Believe ✅ Baptized ❌ Saved ✅
This is the faith-only view, common among some denominations, teaching that faith alone saves. However, Scripture shows baptism as part of faith’s obedient response to God’s grace (Romans 6:4; Acts 22:16).
5. Believe ✅ Baptized ✅ Saved ✅
This follows the New Testament pattern where faith and baptism work together as acts of obedience (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38). Salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), but faith is expressed through obedience.
“Are we a part of the church that Christ built—and are we remaining faithful to it?”
Why do some feel that others may offer something better? The truth is, the church that belongs to Jesus Christ needs no improvement, only faithfulness. It is the church that Jesus built, the church that bears His name, and the church He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
The analogy of a jacket. Imagine commissioning a tailor in Jerusalem to make a jacket according to an exact pattern. Then, asking another tailor in Rome to reproduce it exactly the same. If both follow the pattern faithfully, the result should be identical even across time.
Since the first century, many have changed the “pattern” of the Lord’s church. The question we must ask is: Is the church today still patterned after the original church established by Christ?
We must go back to the biblical model, ensuring that everything we teach and practise in the church of Christ remains faithful to the New Testament example. Only then can we be certain that we belong to the same church that Jesus built — not a denomination of man, but the divine body of Christ.
Faith without works is dead (James 2:26). Just as in all the biblical examples — “Give her something to eat,” “Go and wash,” “Take away the stone,” “Loose him,” “March around Jericho,” “Look at the bronze serpent,” and “Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16) — God’s grace is always accompanied by man’s faithful action.
Grace and mercy — God does for man what man does not deserve.
Faith and works — God will not do for man what man can do for himself.
That is the balance of divine grace and human responsibility.
Our duty is to remain faithful — to God, to Christ, and to His church. We must not be ashamed of belonging to the church of Christ, but rather, live as examples of faith, showing good works and standing firm even in times of persecution.
The church is not merely an institution; it is the most precious thing in God’s eyes, the very center of His plan for salvation. Therefore, every Christian must treasure it, work for it, and uphold its purity.
“If we remain faithful to Christ and His church, one day, we will live with Him forever.”
