GOSPEL OF MARK - Chapter 8
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand People 8:1-10
v1 During that time, another large crowd had gathered. They did not have anything to eat. So Jesus called his disciples to come to him. He said to them, v2 ‘I feel sorry for the people. They have been with me for three days. And now they do not have anything that they can eat. v3 If I send them away to their homes hungry, they will grow weak. Some of them have come a long way.’ v4 The disciples asked Jesus, ‘Where can anyone find enough food to feed them in a desert place like this?’
5 Jesus asked them, ‘How much food have you got?’ They answered, ‘Seven loaves’. v6 Jesus ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and he gave thanks to God. He broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute among the people. v7 They also had a few small fish. Jesus gave thanks for these, too. He told the disciples to share these among the people, too. v8 They all ate and they all had plenty. The disciples picked up seven baskets full of the pieces that were left over. v9 There were about four thousand people there. Jesus sent them away. v10 Immediately, Jesus got into a boat with his disciples. And he went to the district of Dalmanutha.
Commentary
Verse 1
Jesus was in the region of the Ten Towns. He had told the man from Gerasa to go back. He told him to tell his own people how God had cured him (5:18-20). A crowd had gathered. Some people in that crowd may have been there because of what the man had told them. Other people may have been there because they had heard about the healing of the deaf man.
Verses 2-3
Jesus looked after the body as well as the soul. He thought about the difficulty for hungry people if they had to go a long way.
Verse 4
The disciples thought about the practical difficulty. They did not know how they could provide food in such a place. There was no food there. They had forgotten about the five thousand people whom Jesus fed. They still did not trust Jesus.
Although this is a similar story to the one in Mark 6, there are several differences. The crowd had been with Jesus for ‘three’ days. There were ‘seven’ loaves and ‘seven’ baskets. The word for basket (verse 8) is different. In Mark 6:43, ‘kophinos’ described a basket in which a Jew carried his food. In this account, the word ‘sphuris’ means a much larger basket, which Gentiles used. In Mark 6, Jesus was in Galilee, among Jews. Here, Jesus was in the Gentile territory of the Ten Towns.
Mark’s Gentile readers in Rome would have liked this story. Jesus looked after the physical health of Gentiles as well. He did not only look after the health of the Jews.
The Pharisees Demand a Sign 8:11-13
v11 The Pharisees came and they began to ask Jesus questions. They wanted to test him. So they asked him for a sign from heaven. v12 Jesus gave a deep sigh and he said, ‘You people should not keep demanding a sign. I tell you the truth. I will not give the people of this time any sign.’ v13 He left them. He got back into the boat and he crossed to the other side of the lake.
Commentary
Verse 11
Jesus had already given signs that his authority came from God. The Pharisees refused to believe who Jesus was. They said that his power came from Beelzebub (Mark 3:22). They wanted him to perform something astonishing.
Verse 12
Whatever Jesus did would not convince them. He knew that. They could not see the truth, because they had decided not to believe him. They were the same as the Jewish people who left Egypt. They tested God and they refused to obey him. They, too, had seen many miracles before they escaped (Psalm 95:9-10). Jesus gave a ‘deep sigh’. It shows how sad he was. He wanted people to have faith in him.
Spiritually and Physically Blind people 8:14-26
Mark has recorded two incidents about blind people:
---1. The disciples are blind spiritually, verses 14-21.
---2. Jesus cures a man who is physically blind, verses 22-26.
The Disciples 8:14-21
v14 The disciples had forgotten to bring any bread. They had only one loaf with them in the boat. v15 Jesus warned them, ‘Be careful. Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.’ v16 The disciples talked about this with each other. They said, ‘He is probably saying this because we do not have any bread.’ v17 Jesus knew what they were saying. So he said to them, ‘You should not still be talking about not having any bread. You still do not seem to see or understand. Your minds seem to be so unwilling to change. v18 You have eyes but you seem not to see. You have ears but you seem not to hear. Perhaps you have forgotten. v19 When I broke the five loaves for five thousand people, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?’ They said, ‘12’. v20 ‘And when I broke the seven loaves for four thousand people, how many baskets of pieces did you pick up?’ They said, ‘Seven’. v21 Jesus said to them, ‘Then you should understand now.’
Commentary
Verse 15
‘Yeast’ is a substance that people use to make bread rise. The Jews used ‘yeast’ as a sign of something evil. A small amount of yeast makes bread rise. It spreads through all the bread. And the bad things that the Pharisees taught could affect the whole of society. The reference to Herod probably means Herod’s friends, the Herodians. They would do anything to keep Herod Antipas as king. They did not care whether it was right or wrong.
Verse 16
The disciples were like blind people who cannot see something dangerous. The disciples might imitate the bad behavior of the Pharisees and the Herodians. That was the danger that the disciples were in. They were also worried because they had no bread. They could not see that Jesus had the power to help them.
Verses 17-21
Jesus reminded them about the miracles when he fed two great crowds of people. They were still ‘blind’ to the power and love of Jesus, even when they had seen these miracles.
The Blind Man 8:22-26
v22 Jesus and his disciples came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to Jesus. They asked Jesus to touch him. v23 Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. He used liquid from his mouth on the man’s eyes and he laid his hands on him. Jesus asked him, ‘Do you see anything?’ v24 The man looked up and he said, ‘I see men. They look like trees that are walking about.’ v25 Then Jesus laid his hands on the man’s eyes again. The man looked as hard as he could. His sight returned and he saw everything clearly. v26 Jesus sent him home. He told him, ‘Do not even go into the village.’
Commentary
Verse 22
Bethsaida was on the east side of the River Jordan. It was outside Herod’s territory.
Verse 23
Jesus showed the blind man that he would cure him. He took him away from the village so that crowds would not confuse the man. He used liquid from his mouth, as Jewish doctors did. He laid hands on him. That was to show that God’s power was going to cure him.
Verses 24-25
This miracle, which only Mark records, happened in two parts. Usually, Jesus cured people immediately. Perhaps this incident was a sign that the spiritual eyes of the disciples only opened slowly. Perhaps that is why Mark recorded it. Christians do not understand Christ’s love completely at first. They learn his love and power slowly. Christians should not give up easily when they have difficulties. Perhaps that is what Mark wanted to show us.
The Question at Caesarea Philippi 8:27-30
v27 Jesus and his disciples left and they went to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ v28 They answered him, ‘John the Baptist. And other people say that you are Elijah. Other people say that you are one of the prophets.’ v29 And Jesus asked them, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ.’ v30 Jesus gave them strict instructions not to say anything about him to other people.
Verse 27
Caesarea Philippi was in the north, near the source of the River Jordan. Philip, who was the ruler of that area, had built the city. It had the name Caesarea ‘Philippi’. That showed that it was not the same place as Caesarea on the coast. That was in the area that his brother, Herod Antipas, ruled. Caesarea Philippi was a city that was full of temples to the Greek gods, and to the nature god, Pan. The disciples were ‘on the way’ to Jerusalem with Jesus. Jesus described himself as the Way to God (John 14:6). People described early Christians as those who belonged to the Way (Acts 9:2; 19:23).
Commentary
Verse 28
The opinions that Jesus was John the Baptist or Elijah are the same as those in 6:14. The opinion that he was ‘one of the prophets’ rather than ‘like’ one of the prophets (6:14) is different. It referred to a prophet who had come back to life.
Verse 29
Jesus emphasised the word ‘you’. It was not enough for the disciples to know what other people thought. They must decide for themselves. The disciples had asked, ‘Who is this?’ (4:41). Jesus had spoken about the fact that they did not understand (8:17-21). But now Peter spoke for all the disciples. He made the bold statement, ‘You are the Christ.’
This incident comes in the middle of Mark’s Gospel. The first chapters record the works and words of Jesus as he invited people into God’s kingdom. From the time at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus taught that he must suffer. He explained what it means to be a disciple. And he began his journey to Jerusalem.
Verse 30
‘Christ’ is the Greek word for the Hebrew word ‘Messiah’. (See the note on 1:1.) The Jews were expecting a Messiah who would defeat their enemies. This person would lead an army against the Romans and he would gain political freedom for them. Jesus did not want the disciples to encourage that belief. So he did not want them to say that he was the Messiah. The crowds might then stop Jesus from training his disciples. The disciples had to learn the true nature of the Messiah’s work.
Jesus Speaks About His Death 8:31-33
Jesus told his disciples on three different occasions that he would suffer and die (8:31-33; 9:31-32; 10:32-34). This was the first occasion, immediately after Peter’s declaration that Jesus was the Messiah.
v31 Then Jesus began to teach the disciples that the Son of Man must suffer greatly. The chief priests and the scribes and the other leaders would refuse to accept him. They would kill him. He would rise up three days later. v32 He said the word clearly. Peter took him aside and began to protest against such an idea. v33 But Jesus turned round. He saw his disciples, and he spoke very firmly to Peter. He said, ‘Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking in men’s ways, not God’s ways.’
Verse 31
Jesus would suffer on behalf of other people. He would be like the servant of God whom Isaiah described (Isaiah chapter 53). ‘Son of man’ can refer to a picture that Daniel saw in his mind. (See Daniel 7:13-14.) There, someone called a ‘son of man’ would receive authority and power from God. He would receive an eternal kingdom. The name that Jesus used for himself may therefore mean the same as ‘Messiah.’
Jesus said that he ‘must’ suffer. He knew that his pain and death were part of God’s plan. God’s plan was to rescue man from sin.
The chief priests, the scribes and the other leaders were members of the chief Jewish ruling authority. They called it the Sanhedrin.
Matthew (16:21) and Luke (9:22) say ‘on the third day’. Mark says ‘three days later’ because he included the first and the last day in the count.
Verse 32
Mark calls what Jesus said ‘the word’ (Greek ‘logos’). It was a clear message that was part of the gospel. And the gospel was ‘good’ news.
Peter and the other disciples understood what Jesus said. But they did not want to believe that these things would happen to him. For them, talking about suffering was difficult to accept. It was only after Jesus’ death and resurrection that they were able to ‘see’ clearly. Then they understood why Jesus had to suffer.
Verse 33
Satan was tempting Jesus by means of Peter. It was the same temptation to avoid pain and trouble as in Luke 4:5-7. Then Satan was tempting Jesus. ‘Get behind me’ was a command to Satan. He must stop tempting Jesus. It was also a command to Peter and the other disciples. Jesus meant, ‘I do not follow you. You should follow me and my ideas.’ Peter may have spoken because of love for Jesus. But it was not his job to teach Jesus. He must allow Jesus to teach him.
The Disciples of Jesus Must Suffer 8:34-38
v34 Then Jesus called the crowd and the disciples to him. He said to them, ‘If anyone wants to come with me, let him say no to his own wishes and comfort. Let him carry his cross and follow me. v35 Because anyone who wants to save his life will lose it. And anyone who loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. v36 A person might gain the whole world but lose his soul. Even then he would really have gained nothing. v37 There is nothing that he can exchange for his own soul. v38 You might be ashamed of me and my words among these wicked people who have no faith. Then the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes. He will come then in the very bright light from his Father with his holy angels.’
Commentary
Verse 34
Jesus spoke not only to the 12 disciples but also to anyone in the crowd who might follow him. Jesus was honest. Jesus did not offer people an easy life. He did not try to persuade people to follow him like that. A disciple must forget his own wishes if he wants to follow Jesus. The Romans fixed criminals to a cross. That is how they punished them. The criminal had to carry part of his own cross to the place where the soldiers would kill him. Jesus said that those who followed him must be willing for the same shame and suffering as himself.
Verse 35 ‘anyone who wants to save his life will lose it’ has two possible meanings:
---1. A selfish way to live will not give anyone a life on earth of true worth.
---2. Life on earth is of no value if a person loses the life with God after death. Some Christians suffer and die for their faith. Those Christians know that they will gain life with God for all time.
Commentary
Verses 36-37
‘The whole world’ may refer to possessions, power, pleasures, and popularity. But all these are only temporary. What the world offers is nothing compared with the value of the soul. The soul is for all time. It is foolish if a man forgets his eternal soul for pleasures in this world. It is foolish because those pleasures do not last.
Verse 38
Proverbs 29:25 says, ‘The fear of man will be a trap.’ Fear of the opinion or laughter of other people may make a Christian ashamed to declare his faith. Jesus said that he would then be ashamed of them. He referred to the time when he will come again. Then, he will return in the very bright light from his Father.
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