Mark 8
Feeding of Over 4,000 (Mark 8:1-9)
Once again, Jesus felt compassion for the large crowd gathered in the remote area to see him. They had been with him for three days and now had nothing to eat, and he did not want to send them away hungry.
The circumstances are very similar to the feeding of over five thousand just outside of Bethsaida. It is a wonder that the disciples protested similarly about being unable to feed the crowd. Before, they feared they did not have the funds to buy enough to feed the crowd, but here, they protested because the area is so remote that there is nowhere to purchase the food in enough quantity.
Jesus asked how much food was available, and the disciples came up with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. Jesus had everyone seated. He blessed the bread and the fish and divided them among his disciples, who in turn divided them among the people.
Everyone ate until they were full, and when the scraps were gathered, they found seven baskets of food remaining after feeding over four thousand people.
Jesus then sent the people away and took a boat to the region of Dulmanutha. Interestingly, the people of Decapolis do not begin to chase Jesus in hopes of gaining additional free food.
Demand for a Sign (Mark 8:10-13)
After leaving Decapolis, Jesus traveled across the Sea of Galilee to the region of Dulmanutha. There, Pharisees and Sadducees confront him, asking for a sign from heaven as a test. Paul noted this trait of the Jews in I Corinthians 1:21-24. The fact that signs have been done is never enough. Because they do not want to believe the message, they look for some way to discount the messenger. They weren’t looking for any old sign. They wanted a sign from heaven; that is, a sign like those found in the Old Testament where the sun stood still (Joshua 10:13), or moved back ten degrees (Isaiah 38:8), or lightening striking from the sky (I Kings 18:38). They demanded a big, showy sign that would be readily attributed to God – which they believed Jesus could not produce.
Jesus sighs. They refused to see the signs that had already been given. It is useless to give additional signs to people who refuse to see signs. They would not get the sign they were demanding. Jesus would not perform for them.
Returning to the boat, Jesus and the disciples returned to the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee.
Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees (Mark 8:14-21)
Somewhere in the journey, the disciples realized that they had forgotten to bring food with them, which was unfortunate since they had left seven baskets of food back in Decapolis. All they could find was one loaf of bread.
Jesus uses this discussion as an opportunity to teach. “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod” (Mark 8:15).
Puzzling over Jesus’ words, the disciples decided that he was referring to the fact that they had no food. But Jesus scolds them for that conclusion. That conclusion showed how little they understood and how little faith they had in Jesus. When there were over 5,000 people to be fed, Jesus could produce enough food to feed everyone and still have twelve baskets of leftovers. When there were over 4,000 people to be fed, Jesus again produced enough food to feed everyone and had seven baskets of leftovers. Why would Jesus be concerned about the lack of food? And why would they think this, given what they had seen what Jesus could do? How sad they quickly forgot the miracles they had seen (Psalm 78:11; Deuteronomy 4:9).
Healing of a Blind Man in Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26)
Jesus and his disciples now enter Bethsaida, where a blind man is brought to him. The man begs for Jesus to touch him, implying that he had heard of Jesus’ earlier miracles where people were healed at his touch. Evidently, the man was not born blind because he later describes seeing men who look like trees (Mark 8:24).
The events in this healing have led to many questions because they do not follow how other healings were recorded. Jesus led the man out of Bethsaida, spit upon his eyes, laid his hands on him, and then asked if he saw anything. The man states that he sees men who look like trees walking about; that is, the men and trees looked alike to the man, but he could tell which were men because they moved. Jesus then puts his hands on the man’s eyes again. Depending on your translation, Jesus either had the man look up, that is, to look again, or Jesus looked at the man intently. The variance is due to variations in the Greek copies. Though somewhat similar in spelling, two different words are used in different copies. The resulting variation deals with who did the looking. After this second time, the man’s eyesight was completely restored, and he could see clearly.
The difference in methods Jesus used to heal tells us that healing did not come about by the method but by the power of the Lord. Other people imitating Christ's methods should not expect the same results (see Acts 19:13-17).
Others note that Jesus’ method, in this case, would require some faith on the blind man’s part. The man had to accept being led out of town and endure having someone spit into his face. He was first given only partial sight and had to trust that Jesus’ touch again would give him full sight. The patience with which this man endured this treatment hints at his faith in Jesus.
Jesus sent him home and told him not to go into the town or tell anyone. Once again, we see that Jesus is not doing these miraculous works for the publicity they might generate. Instead, he sought to keep it quiet, perhaps to keep crowds from following him and demanding his time.
Who is Jesus? (Mark 8:27-30)
Jesus continued avoiding the region ruled by Herod by going north from Bethsaida to Caesarea Philippi. This Caesarea should not be confused with the Caesarea built on the coast by Herod the Great. Caesarea Philippi was once known as the city of Dan, but Philip the Tetrarch refurbished the city and renamed it. It was named to honor Tiberius Caesar, but because there was already a Caesarea in Palestine, it became known as Philip’s Caesarea.
As they approached Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples who people thought he was. From the answers, we see that people had a strong belief that people returned to life over and over again. The answer of John the Baptist is distinctly odd since Jesus is only six months younger than John and had begun his ministry before John’s death. However, he was strongly connected with John and the other famous prophets because his teachings were of the same forceful nature. Notice, too, that popular opinion did not see Jesus as the Messiah but just as a powerful prophet.
These speculations were interesting, but Jesus pressed further by asking, “Who do you say I am?” It was Peter who spoke for the rest: “You are the Christ.” Peter does not express a speculation but an assured fact.
Though Jesus clarified who he was to the disciples, he did not want these words spread at this time. The proper time would come later. It appears that Jesus desired people to realize who he was through his teachings and the miracles accompanying him. He didn’t want people at this time to accept his claim simply because he made the claim.
Jesus Foretells His Death (Mark 8:31-38)
Jesus begins to explain plainly that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer, and eventually die. However, he would arise three days later. This explanation of what would take place shortly could not be given until the disciples had reached a point when they were firmly convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus had discussed these matters before, but not in such plain terms.
Impetuous Peter was shocked by Jesus’ prophecies. He took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him. It might seem strange that Peter would rebuke Jesus shortly after acknowledging that Jesus is the Son of God, but Peter’s conclusion comes from this belief. Peter is certain that Jesus does not need to suffer or die. Being the Son of God, he could prevent all that from happening.
But Jesus calls Peter “Satan,” the Hebrew name of the adversary of mankind. Though Peter’s rebuke was done privately, Mark tells us Jesus rebukes Peter in front of the other disciples. Peter’s misplaced confidence that Jesus could prevent his death was hindering Jesus from doing what must be done. While Peter’s recognition of Jesus as the Son of God was from his awareness of the evidence presented by God, the Father, this rebuke of Peter was not from God but from a man’s view of how things should proceed. All the disciples, not just Peter, needed to know and understand this.
This sudden reversal from praise to rebuke of Peter ought to declare that Peter is not personally the foundation of Christ’s church. Peter is a man and is prone to failings like other men.
Jesus then gathers a crowd of people and begins to explain the devotion necessary to follow God. If someone desires to follow Jesus, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Jesus. It is a matter of priority. Even a person’s life must take second place after Jesus and the teaching of the Gospel. If a person values his mortal life above Jesus, he might be able to preserve it for a while, but he will lose his eternal life.
What value is it to have great wealth, even to the point of owning the whole world, if eternal life is forfeited? Eternal life is not a purchasable commodity.
Jesus is about to set the ultimate example of putting his life below the needs of God. If someone finds that shameful, then Jesus will show his shame of that person in the Judgment. Jesus is alluding back to Peter’s rebuke of him. Peter couldn’t imagine the Messiah allowing himself to be humiliated and killed, but instead of denying it, Peter needed to embrace it, or he would be like the Pharisees and Sadducees who could not accept the Christ as he was.
