Mark 8:1-26
Key verse 8:15
1. [1-5] When and where
did a large crowd gather to follow Jesus (8:1; 7:31)? How long had they followed Jesus (Ref. 2; Cf. 6:33,35)?
What did Jesus say to his disciples and
why? (2-3) What was the disciples’ answer? (4) What did Jesus ask them? (5a) What
was their reply? (5b)
The previous story ended with the healing of a deaf and mute man
in Decapolis (7:31-37). ‘During those days’ meant the days when Jesus
was in Decapolis. There another crowd followed Jesus. This was a totally different
crowd from the one in Galilee. They were mostly gentiles who did not know the Law
and did not follow the Law. Actually, they did not believe in the God of
Israel. Instead, they had their own gods, like Baal or Chemosh (god of Moab). Nevertheless,
after seeing the healing of the deaf and mute man, they found in Jesus the
mighty power of God. They began to follow him for they were in a great need of
such lord or savior. When such a large
crowd in need followed Jesus, he could not reject them. He taught and taught
from morning till late in the evening. But there was no sign of tiredness. The heavenly
truth that Jesus taught was so good and so refreshing and so powerful. They were
totally absorbed into the truth of Jesus and would not leave Jesus. This was the
first day. On the second day, they all the more stuck with Jesus and followed
him all day. In this way, even the number of followers grew. On the third day, as
soon as Jesus woke up, even a larger crowd gathered around Jesus and was waiting
to hear Jesus’ teaching. What do the three days of following Jesus reveal
about this crowd?
As we learned, the five thousand crowds in Galilee followed Jesus
to a remote place to hear the word of Jesus. This indicated that that crowd was
different from the crowd that came to him in Galilee for they were in great
need of Jesus and followed him a long distance. It was a crowd purified in
their commitment to Jesus teaching, having no casual and half-hearted visitors
or spectators, like Pharisees and teachers of the Law.
Here in Decapolis, the first day was the day of testing out Jesus’
teaching—their belief in paganism against Jesus’ heavenly truth. The second day
would be the day they went into the depth of Jesus’ teaching. The third day was the
day when they made a commitment to Jesus and his teaching against all other beliefs
of the region. In other words, their spending three days with Jesus speaks of their
full allegiance to the truth and life that Jesus offered to them.
Can you imagine that you listen to someone for three straight
days, all day long? This was what this crowd did and Jesus didn’t mind teaching
them more. It looked as if Jesus taught them the entire teaching that he taught
for three years in Galilee in three days in Decapolis. As the third day was
getting late in the afternoon, Jesus said to his disciples.
2 "I feel compassion for the multitude because they have
remained with Me now three days, and have nothing to eat; 3 and if I send them
away hungry to their home, they will faint on the way; and some of them have
come from a distance."
Jesus had compassion for the crowd and wanted to feed them for
they were hungry. Most of the time, we do not feel hungry for we have plenty
of food and that food is within our reach. In such abundance, seldom we feel we
are in need. In this regard, material affluence poses a great danger to our
spiritual wellbeing as Jesus said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter
the kingdom of God!" (Mar 10:23 NIV). Even with material abundance, when
our lives are in danger, we feel a great need, a need of life, of truth, and of
a savior. This crowd was in that need. Jesus had compassion on them and wanted
to feed them. But in this desolate place, there was nothing to feed them. Remembering
what Jesus did with five loaves of bread and two fishes, the disciples raised
this question:
"Where will anyone be able to find enough to satisfy these
men with bread here in a desolate place?"
Previously their question was focused on the place where they
could find food enough for the crowd and money that was needed to buy food (6:36,
36b). But this time the disciples’ question was focused on finding a person who
could find such food. By saying so, they were suggesting that Jesus was the only
one who could find such a large amount of food. It was a great advance in their
faith.
But they had seven loaves of bread.
2. [6-9a] What did Jesus
do with the seven loaves and a few small fish? (6-7) How many people ate and
how much was left? (8-9a) How was this incident similar to and different from
the previous incident (6:30-44)?
They found seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. Jesus
blessed them and the disciples distributed them to the crowd. Four thousand people
ate to their full and seven large basketfuls of food were left. This event was
almost the same as the feeding of five thousand men in a remote place near
Galilee. Yet there were quite a number of differences between these two miracles.
What are the similarities?
First, Jesus had compassion on those who followed him with full-hearted
heart
in their
great need. Jesus rejected the righteousness of the teachers of the Law and
Pharisees. But he had compassion for those who followed him because in him they
felt their needs were met. He did feed the Jews ( five thousand men) and did
the same thing for the gentiles ( the four thousand) as well though they had no
understanding of the God of Israel or the Law. By feeding the four thousand, Jesus
pictured himself as the shepherd for the gentiles as well. In addition, he
showed his willingness to accept and bless the gentiles regardless of their
past association with all kinds of pagan gods.
This could have posed a serious question on the mind of Jesus’ disciples.
The fact that Jesus rejected and condemned the teachers of the Law and Pharisees
while welcoming and caring for the gentile that had no associated with the God
of Israel posed a conflict with their belief on what the Messiah would do for
the nation Israel.
Second, Jesus fed a great multitude of people with just a few loaves of
bread and a small number of fishes. In both, Jesus did this miracle after long
teaching of the truth of God. In this way, Jesus fed them the truth for life as
well as food for the body. In these ways Jesus proved himself to be the source of
life in its entirety. Simply Jesus revealed himself to be the life for men
whoever they were.
Third, the miraculous feedings resulted in a large amount of left-overs
for others; one for 12 baskets full and the other seven ‘large’ basketfuls.
The word “basket” (kophinos: small rigid wicker, 6:43; 8:19) in feeding the five
thousand was different from the word “basket” (spyris: large woven basket, 8:8,
20) in feeding the four thousand. So it seems to signify that the leftovers of
the first were for the Jews as a whole and the leftovers after the feeding of
four thousand were for the gentiles as a whole. This also amply suggest Jesus’
vision to feed not only the rest of the Jews but also the rest of the people of
the entire world.
Fourth, in both, Jesus led his disciples to cater to the food to the people. They saw how the
food was multiplied and they picked up that food and catered the crowd. In this
way, Jesus wanted them now only to know who Jesus was and what he would like to
do, but also expected them to feed the rest of Israel and the rest of the
people of the world.
Whenever a thing is repeated twice, it is important and no one
should fail to notice. The teachings in these two events carried enormous
importance to understand Jesus’ will and his purpose for his disciples.
3. [9b-13] Where did
Jesus go? (9b-10) Who began to question Jesus, and what did they ask Jesus for
and why? (11) What was Jesus’ response? (12) Why? Where did he go then? (13)
Jesus left the region of Decapolis and went to Dalmanutha. The
exact location of this place is unknown. But it is somewhere on the west side
of Lake Galilee. There the Pharisees came out with a clear purpose to
challenge what Jesus stood for. So, they began arguing with Jesus. They demanded
a sign from heaven. If Jesus could not display a sign from heaven, then they thought
that they could discredit Jesus as a man sent from God. But Jesus’ response was somewhat surprising:
12 And sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, "Why does
this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign shall be given to
this generation."
Actually, Jesus himself was a sign from heaven; his teaching,
his healing power, and his power to drive out demonic forces. If they looked at these
things with a sincere heart, they could be able to discern that Jesus was from
God. When one relies on his or her own self-righteous understanding, he/she
cannot see the truth from God. At the same token, if they truly believed the
word of the LORD(OT), they would have believed Jesus, the Son of God. The
invisible God cannot be proven by what they can see. He is to be believed and
then he will come to know His commanding presence.
God taught Moses that even if one performs a miraculous sign, if
his word is not fulfilled, then he is a liar and has no truth, not a prophet of
the LORD (Deut 13:10-3). When one rejects the revelation from the LORD, he is
under darkness. He might try many things or search for many other avenues to find
the truth. But he cannot find the truth and walks around in the darkness. It is
pitiful and even pathetic. How can such rebelliousness be turned around? Jesus
had a deep sigh seeing the predicament that the Pharisees fell into was so
pitiful and helpless. Nevertheless, Jesus' answer was emphatically no! Jesus let
them chew on what they did. Jesus himself
was the final answer. They blew the last and final opportunity.
4. [14-21] What did Jesus
warn the disciples about? (15) What was the yeast of the Pharisees and that of
Herod? (cf. 11-12; 7:6-8) How did the disciples interpret Jesus’ word and why?
(14,16) What did Jesus rebuke them for and why? (17-18) What did he remind them
of? (19-21) What was he implying by that?
Though Jesus fended off and smashed the request of the teachers of
the Law and Pharisees, there still remains the seed of doubt that these people
planted in the hearts of many. His disciples were not exempt from this influence.
He told his disciples this:
15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the
yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”
The yeast of the Pharisees is obvious; it is something related to
their demand for a sign from heaven. In their mind, Jesus had to prove firmly of
his connection with God the father and that could be solidly proven through a
sign from heaven. If not, then whether Jesus was from the LORD was left unanswered
and leaving it to men’s guessing or personal conjecture. Simply Jesus could not
be trusted fully as the Messiah. This
doubt would tear apart the faith of Jesus’ disciples. So far the disciples witness
the truth from Jesus and consistency in fulfilling what he said and taught. Whenever
he asked the Father, the power of the Father was with him invariably and
consistently. There wasn’t even a single failure of Jesus’ word. Simply
trustworthiness of his word, particularly in regard to God’s truth, and God’s
power, was well proven and created in them a solid rock on which they could
entrust their lives. This must be protected from the faith relied on visual and
physical senses that never goes beyond human intellectual faculties.
Then, what was the yeast of Herod? Herod was the king of the
country and exercised his authority by killing John, the Baptist. So, the yeast
of Herod was military and political power that no one dares to challenge. If Jesus
was to be the Savior of the nation Israel, then, these two, political and military
power, were must-haves as far as they could understand. Among the five thousand
men who ate to their full with five loves of bread and two fishes, came a
strong consensus and desire to make Jesus as their king, the King of Israel (John
6:15). In order to prevent such influence, Jesus sent his disciples immediately
after feeding the five thousand (Mark 6:45). Simply speaking both, the demand
of the Pharisees and Herod’s inexorable power posed a great temptation. These
two are not actually two different ideas. They were one and the same in its
root, ‘the power’ to control, to destroy and to rule, though they might mean to
exercise such power in a godly way. As we see in the next passage, these two
worked as the antithetical force to the kind of power that Jesus wanted to
exercise.
Even now, almost all people in the world are looking for such
power. They thought that such power could be found in a godly king, like David.
They shoot for totalitarian government.
But as it was well proven in the history of Israel—all kings after David failed
to support their people, all human kings failed to nurture that hope. Instead,
many suffered under dictators of iron fists and feisty kings.
Jesus’ disciples must see the Savior in Jesus the true Savior.
But they were too naïve to discern the wrongs of the influence of
the Pharisees and that of Herod. These influences were so natural to them that
they did not see anything different. They only thought about bread. But Jesus
reminded them of what Jesus did in feeding 5k and then feeding 4k. In these two
feedings, Jesus earned the respect and honor from the people; that honor was
the honor as the Savior. In this miracle was the power from God and it was
immense and as great as that of Moses. But that power was not of force to
control, to dictate or to subdue, but to serve and to give for the purpose of
supporting the lives of many. In other words, the setting or periscope of these two
feedings spoke of the characteristic of how Jesus could be the king for the
nation or how he would save Israel. These two feedings made the best revelation
of the true picture of the Savior. In this way, Jesus wanted to open their eyes
that were blinded by desires of the power of this world that the Pharisees and King
Herod embodied. To open their eyes, or
to peel off the blind shield, Jesus fed such a large crowd twice, and twice
Jesus helped them to serve the crowd with the food that God the Father created for
the people.
But did the disciples understand this?
17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are
you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your
hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to
hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five
thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they
replied. 20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how
many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.”
5. [22-26] Where did
Jesus go and what did some people beg Jesus to do? (22) How did Jesus heal the
blind man? (23-25; cf. 10:51-52) Why was it done in two stages? What directions
did Jesus give the man? (26) Why? (cf. 23a; 11-12)
Jesus went to Bethsaida and there a blind man was brought to Jesus
for his healing. There were quite a number of healing of the blind in Jesus’
ministry (Matt 9:27-30;21:14; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 7:21). More
often these healings of the blind were taken as the sign of messianic ministry
(Mat 11:5; Luke 7:21-22). But in Mark,
healing of the blind was not included in the signs of the works of Messiah
(Mark 1:32-34). Instead of opening of the eyes of the blind in Mark (8:24-26;
10:46-52) were mentioned not as one of messianic works of the undoing of physical ailment
but used to enlighten Jesus’ ability to open spiritual blindness (Luke 4:18-quote
of Isaiah 61:1-2).
Jesus led the man outside of the village. This was very
intentional with a clear purpose as was with the healing of the daughter of Jairus.
When Jesus led him outside of the village, the large crowd that was with
him fell away and only a number of people followed Jesus. This included the
disciples and some of the enthusiastic followers of Jesus. While they surrounded
Jesus and the blind man, Jesus demonstrated something that even the disciples
hadn’t seen. First, he spat on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him. And
then Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”
24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like
trees walking around.” The man answered
First, Jesus put his hands on him. ‘put’ is a participle and it
indicates an on-going action. But on the second time (v25), it was aorist tense—a
finished action. While Jesus’ hands were on his eyes, he looked up. He also,
the word ‘look up’ is unique. This word was used in various occasions when
Jesus looked up to heaven calling for God’s power (Mk 6:41; 7:34). We do not
know how exactly this happened, it seems that this man was looking up to heaven,
i.e. alluding to an idea that he was looking toward God. While
Jesus' hands were on his eyes, he was looking up to the LORD. Then he began to
see something, people walking around like trees. While Jesus was working on his
eyes while his hands were still on, then God the father opened his vision and
he began to see. In some sense, Jesus was asking God the father to open this man’s
sight and wanted to confirm Father’s work in his eyes when he asked the
question.
Second, Jesus put his hands on this man’s eyes once more (here ‘put’
is present perfect tense--aorist). Then, his eyes were opened. His sight was
restored and he saw everything clearly. Using three different verbs, the fact
that his eyes were able to see was denoted: ‘opened’ ‘restored’, and ‘see everything
clearly’.
Just before this, the disciples were rebuked of their spiritual
blindness.
18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to
hear? And don’t you remember?
“We are missing something important. But What are we missing?” While this question was left unanswered, these
disciples saw what Jesus was doing for this blind man. It was strange to ask
him if he could see while his hands were on them. Then how could he begin to
see people while he was looking up to heaven? In what they saw, there was a
strong indication that the man was looking up to the LORD for what He would and
could do. Then, Jesus touched his eyes again, and then his eyes
were opened. His sight was restored and could see everything
clearly.
This challenged them greatly because they were not able to see a thing so clearly. What were the eyes that could see things so clearly? What were
they missing? The answer was in the two feedings. After reminding them of the
result of the two feedings, Jesus asked them again, 21 He said to them, “Do you
still not understand?”
6. What is the yeast of
the Pharisees, which we should watch out for in this generation?
The most distinctive characteristic of yeast is its ubiquitous presence
invisibly in all the bread we eat. We add this to our food for it gives us only
beneficial to our taste. This makes the bread more chewable and palatable to our
taste. It seems that it is almost impossible to live without it. Or there is
nothing wrong to use and to eat the bread that has yeast in it. Likewise, the
yeast of Herod and that of Pharisees are desired by all men. For we like to
have a free ride with those powers—the kind of power that Herod enjoyed and the
power that the Pharisees demanded of Jesus. These are utterly of men or men’s
desire. All concerns are for our wellbeing, our easiness, and our comfort. There
is little concern for the LORD of holiness and His will. As long as their eyes were blinded and unable
to discern the ineffectiveness of these yeasts for our true wellbeing, then they
would have a hard time seeing the power of God that the Messiah wanted to impart
to them. Now, did Jesus’ hand touch to open the eyes of these disciples? This will be discussed in our study in the
next passage.
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