GOSPEL OF MARK - CHAPTER 6
The People in Nazareth Refuse to Accept Jesus 6:1-6
v1 Jesus went away from there and he came to his own hometown called Nazareth. His disciples went with him. v2 On God’s rest day, he began to teach in the Jewish meeting place. Many people who heard him were astonished. They asked, ‘Where did this man get all of this from? What is this wisdom that he has received? What miracles he does! v3 He is only the carpenter. He is Mary’s son, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon. His sisters live here among us.’ They were offended and they refused to believe him. v4 Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet receives honor everywhere except in his own town, among his own relatives, or in his own home!’ v5 Jesus could not do any miracles there. He was only able to lay his hands on a few sick people and cure them. v6 Jesus was astonished by their lack of faith. Then Jesus went out from village to village and he was teaching the people.
Commentary
Verse 1
Jesus went from Capernaum to his hometown, Nazareth. He was not just on a private visit to his family. His disciples were with him. So he went in order to teach.
Verses 2-3
The people in Nazareth recognized that he was wise. And they recognized that he could perform miracles. But they could not believe that he came with God’s message. He was only the carpenter. The word that we have translated ‘carpenter’ is the Greek word ‘tekton’. It means more than someone who worked with wood. A ‘tekton’ was a skilled man. A ‘tekton’ could build or repair anything. God, when he came to earth, became a real human person. He worked with his hands, as most people did. But Jesus had worked among them. So the people thought that he could not be anyone special.
The people in Nazareth also knew Jesus’ family. They called Jesus ‘Mary’s son’. They do not refer to Joseph, so he had probably already died. There is a note about Jesus’ brothers and sisters after Mark 3:31. James began to believe in Jesus after the resurrection. He became a leader of the Christians in Jerusalem.
The people may have been jealous of Jesus. They also thought that God could not work in a special way by means of someone like him. That was because they knew him.
Verse 4
People did not respect the prophets who lived among them. Jesus reminded them about that. Even now, it may be difficult to accept as important someone who is familiar.
Verse 5
Jesus could not do any miracles there. This does not mean that he had no power. But not even Jesus could help people who were not willing to trust and obey him.
Verse 6
The people refused to believe that Jesus came from God. Jesus was astonished about that. Jesus was inviting them to enter his kingdom. Their prejudice prevented them from accepting his invitation.
Jesus Sends Out the 12 Disciples 6:7-13
v7 Jesus called the 12 men to him. He began to send them out in pairs. He gave them authority over evil spirits. v8 He ordered them to take nothing for the journey except a stick to help them walk. They must not take any food, a traveler’s bag, or any money in their belts. v9 He told them to wear shoes but not to take an extra shirt. v10 He said, ‘When you enter a house, stay there. Stay there until you leave the place. v11 Some places may not give you a welcome or listen to you. Then, when you leave, shake the dust from your feet. That will be evidence against them.’ v12 So they went out. And they preached that people should repent. v13 They threw out many evil spirits. They put oil on many sick people’s bodies and cured them.
Commentary
Verse 7
‘Began to’ means that Jesus sent out the 12 disciples on more than one occasion. Because they went in pairs, the disciples could encourage each other (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). They could help each other, especially when people would not listen to them.
Verse 8
They had to trust God for all that they needed. The traveler’s bag might be a bag in which to take food for a few days. It might mean a bag to collect money in. The disciples were going to give people good news. They should not ask for people’s money. They should not take any money with them. People made a pocket by pulling up their clothing over their belts. And they kept their money in that.
Verse 10
It was a duty for people to invite strangers into their homes. So the disciples would receive a place to stay. But they must not waste time by moving from house to house. They must give all their attention to the people in the place where they were guests. They must not move to a place where there might be better food or more comfort.
Verse 11
They must not waste their time on people who would not give them a welcome. Jews who returned from a Gentile town or country would shake the dust from their feet. This was a custom to show that they separated themselves from Gentile ideas. The disciples must do this. They were separating themselves from anyone who refused to believe God’s message. The disciples were responsible to give people the opportunity to believe the good news. It was not their fault if anyone refused to believe their message.
Verse 12
The disciples urged people to turn away from wrong behaviour and to come into God’s kingdom.
Verse 13
They also helped people to become well in mind and body. They gave people freedom from fear when they sent evil spirits out of them. People used oil to cure an injury. The disciples put oil on sick people in order to cure them. James tells the leaders of a Christian church to pray for a sick person. He tells them to put oil on the person (James 5:13-14).
Herod and John the Baptist 6:14-29
v14 King Herod heard about this, because Jesus’ name was now well-known. Some people were saying, ‘John the Baptist has come back from death. That is why Jesus has the power to do miracles.’ v15 But other people said, ‘It is Elijah.’ Other people said, ‘He is a prophet. He is like one of the prophets of a long time ago.’ v16 But when Herod heard about all this, he said, ‘I cut John’s head off. He has come back from death.’ v17 Herod had given orders to arrest John. He made his soldiers tie John up. And they put John in prison. Herod did this because he had married Herodias. She was the wife of his brother Philip. v18 And John had said, ‘It is against the law for you to have your brother’s wife.’ v19 Herodias was still angry with John and she wanted to kill him. But she could not succeed, v20 because Herod was afraid of John. He knew that John was a holy man. And John did what was right. So Herod kept him safe. When Herod heard him, he was very confused. But he liked to listen to John.
v21 But the opportunity for Herodias came when Herod gave a big party on his birthday. He invited his officials, army leaders and the important men in Galilee. v22 Herodias’s daughter came in and she danced. She pleased Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for anything that you would like. And I will give it to you.’ v23 And he made a very serious promise, ‘I will give you whatever you ask me for. I will give you up to half of my kingdom!’ v24 She went out and she said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’ She answered, ‘The head of John the Baptist.’ v25 At once the girl rushed back to ask the king. She said, ‘I want you to give me immediately the head of John the Baptist on a plate.’ v26 The king was very sorry. But because of his serious promise in front of his guests, he did not like to refuse her. v27 So the king sent a palace guard with orders to bring John’s head. The soldier went to the prison and he cut off John’s head. v28 He brought John’s head back on a plate and he gave it to the girl. She gave it to her mother. v29 John’s disciples heard what had happened. So they came and they took his body. They laid it in a special cave, called a tomb.
Commentary
Verse 14
Herod was Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great. He ruled Galilee and Perea. Although Mark calls him ‘king’, the Romans would not let Herod use that word about himself.
Verse 15
People believed that Elijah would come to announce the arrival of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5). Some people believed that Jesus was a prophet. He spoke with authority. He was therefore like the Old Testament prophets.
Verse 16
Public opinion had confused Herod. He also had a guilty conscience. He had ordered the death of John. He worried that Jesus might be John, alive again. Later he had an opportunity to see Jesus. Pilate had to decide whether Jesus was guilty. He sent Jesus to Herod so that he could help him to decide (Luke 23:6-12).
Verses 17-19
Herod had first married the daughter of king Aretas, who ruled a country in Arabia (2 Corinthians 11:32). But he left her and he married Herodias. She was the wife of his half-brother Philip. They were both sons of Herod the Great but they had different mothers. Salome was the daughter of Herodias. John had said that Herod was wrong to marry Herodias. She could not forgive John for that. She wanted Herod to kill John. She persuaded Herod to put John in prison at the castle of Machaerus near the Dead Sea.
Verse 20
Herod was afraid of John, but he respected him. He recognized that John was a good man. He hated John’s message, but he could not stop listening to John. He tried to protect him from the anger of Herodias.
Verses 21-22
Herodias encouraged Salome to dance alone in front of Herod and his guests. It is possible that he had drunk too much wine. He promised Salome anything that she asked for. He did not think about what she might ask.
Verse 23
He could not give Salome ‘half his kingdom’, because he only ruled with the authority of the Romans. But he made his promise sound very serious.
Verses 24-25
Herodias now had her opportunity to murder John. The girl asked for John’s head ‘immediately’. She wanted it at once. She did not want Herod to have time to change his mind.
Verse 26
Usually, it is right to keep a promise. But Herod’s promise had been a foolish one. So it would have been right not to do it. But he was afraid that his guests would laugh at him. So he was too proud to refuse. And so he made his soldiers kill John.
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand Men 6:30-44
v30 The apostles returned to Jesus. They told him all that they had done. And they told him all that they had taught. v31 Jesus said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place. Then you can have a rest.’ Many people were coming and going. That is why he said that. Jesus and the disciples did not even have a chance to eat. v32 So they went away in the boat to a quiet place. v33 But many people saw them leave and they recognized them. They ran from all the towns and they arrived there before Jesus and the disciples. v34 When Jesus came to the shore, he saw a great crowd. They were like sheep without anyone to look after them. So he felt a great pity for them. So he began to teach them many things. v35 When it was late in the day, his disciples came to Jesus. They said, ‘This is a lonely place. It is already very late. v36 Send the people away so that they can buy something to eat in the country and the villages round here.’ v37 But Jesus answered his disciples, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to Jesus, ‘Shall we go and spend six months’ pay on bread for them?’ v38 Jesus said, ‘How many loaves have you? Go and see.’ When they had found out, they said, ‘Five loaves and two fish’. v39 Then Jesus ordered them to make the people sit down on the green grass.
v40 So they sat down in groups of 100 and groups of 50. v41 Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up to heaven and he gave thanks for them. He broke the loaves into pieces. And he gave them to the disciples to give to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. v42 Everyone ate until they had enough. v43 The disciples collected 12 baskets full of the broken pieces of bread and fish that remained. v44 The number of men who had eaten was five thousand.
Commentary
Verse 30
Mark calls the 12 men ‘apostles’ for the first time here.
Verses 30-31
he disciples were tired. And they wanted to tell Jesus all that had happened to them on their journey. But the crowds of people prevented them. They did not even have time for a meal. Jesus suggested that they should cross the lake by boat. They would then have some quiet and rest.
Verse 33
To cross the lake by boat might take a long time. It might take more time than to run round to the other side. So the people arrived before Jesus and the disciples.
Verse 34
Sheep without anyone to look after them soon wander away from the right path. These people did not have a leader to stop them wandering away from God. They needed someone to teach them the right way to live. A man who looks after sheep is called a ‘shepherd’. The religious leaders were like those leaders that Ezekiel described. They were like bad shepherds who did not take care of their sheep (Ezekiel 34:4-6). But Jesus is the good shepherd who cares about his sheep (John 10:11). So Jesus had great pity for the crowd. They had stopped his plan for a rest. But he was willing to teach them.
Verse 37
The disciples were astonished that Jesus should ask them to provide food for the hungry crowd. Someone calculated that they would need more than two hundred days wages for that. Mark does not tell us who calculated that. John records that it was Philip (John 6:7).
Verse 38
It was Andrew who found the food. John also tells us that. A boy had five loaves and two fish (John 6:9). Jesus broke the fish (Luke 9:16). So we think that they may have been dried fish.
Verse 39
Jesus gave them a command. That command would make it easy for the disciples to give out the food. The people had to sit in groups on the ‘green’ grass. The only time that the grass was green would be in the spring, in April. John said that this event happened near the time of the Jewish Passover. The Passover feast was in the spring (John 6:4-14).
Verse 40
The Greek word that we have translated as ‘groups’ described rows of vegetables in a garden. Peter probably told Mark his memory of what the people looked like on the ‘green’ grass.
Verse 41
Jesus gave thanks to God for the food. Jews always thanked God before a meal for providing the food.
Verses 42-43
The very small amount of food became enough for the crowd of over five thousand people to have plenty to eat. There were even 12 baskets of pieces left over. There was enough for each of the 12 disciples to fill one basket each.
This event is in all four Gospels. The writers believed that it was important. Some people try to deny that Jesus created more food by a miracle. They say that one boy offered his small supply. And then, all the people began to share their food. But everyone had plenty to eat and there were 12 baskets left over. Every year, God supplies the harvest. What happened here was the harvest miracle in a short time. God’s provision of food is plentiful. But often some people are hungry because some other people are greedy.
The Jews believed that the Messiah would feed them with ‘bread from heaven’. In Moses’ time, God had fed the Jewish people in the desert. Then, they were on their way to the country that he had promised to them (Exodus 16:14-18). Jesus had fed the crowd in a desert place. So, they believed that he was the Messiah. He was bringing the ‘promised country’ of a kingdom where they would share in the Messiah’s splendid dinner. So they tried to make Jesus king (John 6:14-15).
At the Last Supper, Jesus ‘broke the bread’ as he had broken the loaves on this occasion (verse 41). The Christian Church has always remembered what Jesus did at the Last Supper. Different churches call it different names, for example: the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, Holy Communion, the Breaking of Bread. It is called ‘the breaking of bread’ in Acts (2:42; 20:7) and in Paul’s letter (1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:24). At such times, Christians remember that Christ himself is the ‘Bread’. He gives spiritual life. He helps that spiritual life to become stronger, as bread helps us to grow in a physical way.
Jesus Walks on the Water 6:45-52
v45 Immediately, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat. He made them go on ahead of him to Bethsaida while he sent the crowd away. v46 When he had left his disciples, he went up into the hills. He went into the hills in order to pray. v47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake. Jesus was alone on land. v48 It was very difficult for the disciples to use their oars. Jesus saw that. This was because the wind was blowing against them. About the fourth period in the night, Jesus came to them. He was walking on the lake. He intended to pass by them. v49 But the disciples saw Jesus as he was walking on the lake. And they thought that it was a spirit. They cried out. v50 They were all very frightened when they saw him. But at once Jesus said to them, ‘Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.’ v51 He got into the boat with them. The wind stopped. They were completely astonished. v52 This was because they had not understood the miracle of the loaves. They had not learned anything when Jesus fed the 5000 men. They could not understand who Jesus was.
Commentary
Verse 45
Jesus saw that the crowd was preparing to make him king. He did not want his disciples to share in a popular effort to lead the nation against the Romans. So he sent them away.
Jesus needed to pray. He had many problems. The religious leaders opposed him. Herod Antipas was a cruel man who was afraid of Jesus. Now there were the people who wanted to make him a national leader. Again Jesus had to refuse the temptation to choose power rather than love. He did not want the crowds to stop him from giving people freedom from sin.
Verse 48
The Jewish night had four periods. They began at six o’clock in the evening. They were three hours each. Jesus came in the fourth period, about three o’clock in the early morning. It was near the time of Passover, when the whole of the moon would be shining. So there was probably some light from the moon on the lake. Jesus could therefore see that the disciples were struggling against a strong wind to reach the other side.
Verse 50
The Greek words that we have translated ‘It is I’ mean ‘I am’. It is possible that Mark used the name of God here (Exodus 3:14). He was reminding his readers that Jesus has the same power as God. God ‘walks on the waves of the sea’ (Job 9:8).
Verses 51-52
The disciples were no longer afraid when Jesus came into the boat. But they were confused. They had not understood from the miracle of the loaves who Jesus was. They were not able to recognize that his power over nature was the power of God.
This incident encourages Christians who are in any kind of trouble. They may believe, like the disciples in the boat, that they are struggling alone. But Jesus came to the disciples in their difficulty. Christians should remember that Jesus is with them. Then Jesus will give peace to them too.
The Crowds Want Jesus to Help Them 6:53-56
v53 They crossed over the lake and they landed at Gennesaret. They tied up the boat. v54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. v55 They rushed round the whole of that area and they began to carry sick people to him on their mats. People were telling them where Jesus was. And they brought the sick people to that place. v56 Jesus went into villages, towns and the country. Wherever he went, people laid their sick friends in the marketplaces. They kept asking Jesus to let them touch just the edge of his clothing. All the people who touched it became well again.
Commentary
Verse 53
Gennesaret was a small plain on the west side of the lake. It was south of Capernaum. So the wind had probably made the disciples land away from their usual landing place.
Verse 56
Jesus cured a sick woman (5:25-34). He knew that power had gone from him. She had touched the edge of his clothing. Here many other people did the same.
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