In our journey with Mark through Jesus’ ministry, we now see Jesus, busy as always, interacting with people in the northern country. These are the packed days at the peak of Jesus’ ministry.
His own people rejected Jesus — who were they?
As we follow Jesus, we arrive in Nazareth. Jesus returned to His hometown several times, even though they had rejected Him as Messiah. Because of that, He had moved His headquarters to Capernaum, but He returned to visit because He wanted to reach His hometown people with the Gospel.
As a good Jew, it was the Lord’s custom to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath Day wherever He was. He both needed to worship God, and it was the place to reach out to the most people. His words, His works, and His wonders all amazed the people who knew Him. His teaching prompted their questions. But they did not believe Nazareth could produce anyone like Jesus. They could not put their trust in one of their own, because they had no faith in themselves.
Why did Jesus send His disciples out to preach the Good News?
Next, Jesus organised His disciples and sent them out two by two, equipped with the same message of repentance He had been preaching, and given authority over unclean spirits. They were told to travel light - no bread, no bag, no money in their belts - trusting God to provide for them through the hospitality of the towns they entered. When people refused to receive them, they were to leave and, in Jesus’ own words, “shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them.”
How was John the Baptist a courageous man who feared God alone?
John told Herod plainly, “It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife,” because Herod had taken Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for his own. This enraged Herodias, who then plotted to kill John. When the opportunity presented itself, she put her plan into action. Herod threw a birthday party and invited all the most important men in Galilee. Herodias told her daughter to dance for the guests, because she knew exactly how to appeal to him in front of his guests - and it worked. Herod, delighted, promised the girl anything she wanted, up to half his kingdom. Prompted by her mother, the girl asked for John the Baptist’s head on a platter. That sobered Herod up fast, but afraid of what his guests would think if he went back on his word, he granted her wish and committed cold-blooded murder. In an instant, John the Baptist’s life on earth was over.
Feeding of the Five Thousand (Mark 6:30-44)
In addition to helping the people who sat under Him as a teacher, Jesus saw this as an opportunity to teach the disciples. Faced with a hungry crowd, He told them, “Give ye them to eat.” The disciples had to learn, as we do too, that Jesus often commands the impossible - because He intends to do the work Himself. All the disciples had to work with was five small loaves of bread and two small fish. Jesus directed the people to sit down on the grass in groups of hundreds and fifties. Then He thanked His Father in heaven and kept passing the disciples the food - enough for everyone to be fed, with twelve baskets of leftovers besides.
Another lesson we learn here concerns the unnamed boy who supplied the bread and fish (John 6:9). His mother may well have packed it for his own lunch. He was generous enough to give it away, even at the cost of going hungry himself.
Jesus Walked on the Water
After the miracle, Jesus sent the people home and told the disciples to get into the boat, cross to the other side, and meet Him in Bethsaida. Jesus wanted time alone to pray. What should have taken them no time at all took the disciples hours; a wind had kicked up, and they fought the waves all night, straining at the oars and fearing they would sink.
Well into the night - in the fourth watch, the hours between three and six in the morning - Jesus saw them straining against the storm, so He went out to them, walking on the water. Read that again: He saw them straining at the oars, and then He walked out to them.
What do we learn from this account of Jesus walking on the turbulent water?
Do you ever feel like you are sitting alone in a corner of darkness? Are you facing temptations and problems too great to bear? Do you feel like you are out on a stormy sea and your boat is about to go under? Here is good news for you, Christian: Jesus sees you before you even cry out to Him. In times of darkness, commit your way to Him.
Jesus got into the boat with them, and they were “sore amazed in themselves beyond measure.” The wind ceased.
When they came to land, the crowds were waiting for Jesus. People brought their sick on stretchers for Him to heal. Everywhere He went, people begged for His help; they reached out to touch Him, even grasping at His clothes. Whoever touched Him was healed. His healing was real - which is why not even Jesus’ enemies ever denied that He performed healing miracles.
How did Jesus deal with the hypocrites?
We all know hypocrites, and, if we are honest, we have all been hypocrites - going through religious motions without engaging our hearts. The Pharisees followed the law without their hearts; they substituted man’s traditions for the Word of God, and their worship became empty. Too many churches today do the same, replacing the Word of God with their own words, thoughts, and rituals.
Jesus went into detail about how they had substituted external rules for what matters internally. He pointed out what is real. The way our Lord defended Himself is itself clear proof of His deity; on another occasion, even one of His enemies admitted, “Never man spake like this man” (John 7:46). The Pharisees could not counter Him.
You do not have to look any further than today’s news to see it: evil thoughts, sexual immorality, murder, theft, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. Jesus taught that all of these come from within, out of the heart - not from failing to follow a list of external rules.
This is why the Lord Jesus tells us, “Ye must be born again.”
BELIEVE IN HIM TODAY
What was the true mission of Jesus?
Is the Lord Jesus able to save us completely, for eternity? Yes - and we will see this now as He reveals Himself as God’s Servant. As we follow Jesus around the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, keep in mind that we are now roughly six months before He goes to the Cross for us.
Jesus was still attracting thousands of people - not all of them His followers; some were critics, and others simply hoped to see miracles. Just weeks before, Jesus had fed thousands on a hillside with nothing but a boy’s lunch. Now we find Him in the Decapolis, a region of Gentile cities, with an engaged crowd that had listened to Him teach for three days.
Before we are too hard on that crowd, do we not often have the same experience? God does something gracious and good for us, and we soon forget it. When a new difficulty arises, the crisis feels brand new all over again, as though His past faithfulness never happened.
Why is leaven, or yeast, mentioned in the Bible?
Whenever leaven is mentioned in the Bible, it represents wrong or corrupting teaching. When bread is made, leaven is added to make it rise and taste good. In the same way, a great deal of “Bible” teaching today tries to make God’s Word more palatable, even to those who do not know the Lord, by mixing wrong teaching in with the truth of the Gospel - just as the Pharisees did. The Word of God is the Bread of Life, because the Word of God reveals Jesus. Fill yourself up on the truth of God’s Word, and stay on guard to recognise false teaching.
Jesus heals the blind man (I call him a blind man with 20/20 vision)
There has to be some special reason why this particular healing was singled out by Mark. Let’s see what that might be. We read several times in the Gospels about Jesus opening the eyes of the blind, and each time He used a different method. When He healed blind Bartimaeus, Jesus spoke the miracle from a distance (Mark 10:46-52). On another occasion, Jesus told a man born blind to wash in the pool of Siloam, and he was healed (John 9:1-7). Now in Mark 8, Jesus is in Bethsaida, a town that had already witnessed many miracles. A crowd brought a blind man to Jesus. First, Jesus spat on the man’s eyes and laid His hands on him; the man looked up and said, “I see men as trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid His hands on his eyes again, and the man was restored, and saw every man clearly.
Never miss a chance to be touched by Jesus.
The spiritual lesson here begins when we can say, with the man born blind, “One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25). When Jesus saves us, we regain partial sight - even now we “see through a glass, darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12). But someday, when we come into Jesus’ presence, we will see with perfect clarity. That is when our vision will be complete. When the Lord finished with this blind man, He had healed him perfectly; someday that will be our story too. Though this man could not see Jesus coming toward him, he did not miss his chance to be touched and healed by Him. We should not miss our chance to run to Jesus when we are in trouble.
Jesus reveals His plans
Now that the disciples had walked closely with Jesus for some time, He judged it was time to reveal to them who He truly was. He took them on a retreat far from the crowds, to Caesarea Philippi, a Gentile city at the foot of Mount Hermon, roughly twenty-five miles north of the Sea of Galilee. There He asked them, “Whom do men say that I am?”
“John the Baptist,” they answered, “but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.” (Elias is the King James Version’s rendering of the name Elijah.)
People were confused about who Jesus was. Most thought highly of Him but fell far short of the truth. Jesus then asked His men directly, “But whom say ye that I am?” And that, friends, is the question you must answer too. Who do you think He is? Being united to Him, joined to Him as your Saviour, is the one thing that matters. Are you in a right relationship with Jesus Christ?
Peter answered for all of us: “Thou art the Christ” - the Messiah, the Anointed One. This is the finest thing he ever said.
“Jesus” is His personal name; “Christ” is a title - the Greek rendering of the Hebrew word for “Messiah,” meaning “Anointed One.” This title, Jesus Christ, gathers up all the rich meaning of the Old Testament promises. Jesus came to reveal God in the flesh. (A few of the many Old Testament references to the Messiah include Micah 5:2, Isaiah 7:14, Psalm 2:2, Psalm 45:6-7, and Malachi 3:1.)
Jesus praised Peter and the rest of the disciples for grasping this truth about Him, but told them to wait until the Gospel story was complete before speaking of it publicly. Then, for the first time, He told them plainly what lay ahead: “The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”
Jesus only revealed Himself as Messiah once He had explained His purpose of redemption. Our salvation depends on who He is and what He did.
This was the first time the disciples had heard about the Cross, and they were unprepared for it. Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him, essentially telling Him this must never happen.
This is the worst thing Peter ever said. But Jesus knew exactly where it was coming from - the enemy of our souls. He rebuked Peter in return: “Get thee behind me, Satan.” Satan denies the value of Jesus’ death.
Do you acknowledge Him as Lord today? Do you serve Him and want to glorify Him? Ask yourself this important question.
FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION
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Of everything Jesus did across these three chapters - feeding thousands, walking on water, healing the sick, confronting the Pharisees - which moment stands out most to you, and why does it strike you personally?
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Even in the busiest season of His ministry, Jesus made time to withdraw alone and pray (Mark 6:31, 46). What does that tell you about the place of rest and quiet prayer in a full life? Where could you make more room for that in your own routine?
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“He saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea” (Mark 6:48). Think about that - especially if you are in a hard spot right now. Do you ever feel like you are out on a stormy sea with your boat about to go under? What difference does it make to know that Jesus sees you before you even cry out to Him?
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Jesus asked His disciples, “But whom say ye that I am?” (Mark 8:29). If someone asked you that same question today, how would you answer in your own words - not the answer you think you are supposed to give, but what you actually believe?
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Jesus taught that it is what comes from inside a person’s heart, not outward rule-keeping, that truly defiles them (Mark 7:20-23). Where are you most tempted to focus on looking religious on the outside rather than letting God change you on the inside?
— End of Lesson 4 —