MARK 6
vs. 1-6
After the acts of faith and the
resultant miracles Jesus now goes into His own neighborhood. This was not just
a friendly visit to friends and family; Jesus came as a Rabbi. A great and well-known
teacher. Jesus came attended by His disciples. We are now about to witness the other
side of the authority of belief. This is the results of unbelief.
The first-place Jesus went was into the
synagogue to teach. Instead of the awe and wonder with which His teaching was
usually greeted, the people here treated Him with contempt. They were offended
with and by Him. Who was this man to tell them how to live? This was only Jesus
the carpenter, the son of Mary and Joseph. Why, it was even rumored that Mary
was pregnant with Jesus before she and Joseph were married. Jesus is an illegitimate
son. How could He tell them how to live a holy life when He certainly was
conceived in sin and born in iniquity.
Jesus was one of them. ‘He grew up in our
midst. He was a craftsman. A man of the common people. He had no more formal
schooling in theology the rest of them. We know all His family. What gives Him
the idea He can teach us?
Now, whether the events are written in
chronological order or not makes no difference. What is important is the juxta
positioning of these events. In the previous events, we see the faith of the
people being the conduit for forgiveness. Here we see the exact opposite taking
place. Because the people allowed physical circumstances to blind them, there
was no faith evident and therefore no miracles would take place. The lesson
seems to be in that, to a much greater extent than we might care to admit, we
are responsible for the abundance or lack of God’s working in our life. We can
either help or hinder the work of Christ both in our lives and the lives of
others.
This is a common theme throughout
history, the better we think we know someone the less we accept their calling
from God. These people knew Jesus and His family. They watched Him grow up.
This familiarity superseded the message He brought and proves His life had. We
have the same problem now. We are so familiar with the story of Jesus we let
that get in the way of our listening the message He brings or the prophesy and
works He had which proved the message.
vs. 7-13
There is a direct relationship between
the original 12 apostles and the 12 leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel. In both
cases, they are charged with leading, instructing caring for God’s people.
Now we see the first actions of the
disciples without Jesus physically there with them holding their hands. The
disciples have seen how faith and the lack of faith influences people’s lives.
They have seen the power of the living God firsthand in action under the
teaching of the Son of God. Now is the time for them to experience His power
and authority even when they are not physically with Jesus. This is an
important learning experience not only for the twelve but for all believers
throughout time. The spiritual, theological and how to live for God education
Jesus is providing is not just for the twelve or the disciples with Him at that
time, it is for all believers. Jesus knew He would soon go back to the Father
and the believers must live as Christians without His physical presence. This
would not be easy and the twelve must have practice before Jesus left so He
could coach them and encourage them when they returned from their travels.
Reading Jesus’ instructions to the twelve and what happened during and after
their travels through Israel also coaches and encourages all who became
believers after Jesus ascended back to the Father.
Jesus sends His disciples out in twos with
some very specific instructions and powers. This was very important. Just
because the disciples were not with Jesus did not mean Satan would not bother
them. More than likely Satan would bother them even more and, if possible, cause
them physical harm. This was not just a walk around the countryside, this was a
serious and deadly battle. Jesus knew this and so did Satan. The disciples
would learn just how serious is this battle.
The specific instructions seem a bit odd
to us since they concerned how to dress for the trip. Jews normally wore five
articles of clothing. One piece of dress mentioned was the bag. The bag may be
one of two types. It may be either an ordinary travelers’ bag, used to carry
provisions enough to last for a day or two, or it may have been a collecting
bag such as that used by the temple priests and their followers to carry
contributions. The usage here seems to be the collecting bag in that Jesus is
instructing His disciples not to carry provisions for the trip but rather to
have faith and trust in God for their supplies.
In our time, we may not understand the
amount of faith this would take. In the traveler’s bag were taken provisions
for one day’s journey. The provisions were not just whatever was available, but
rather food prepared in a kosher manner. The traveler would be assured of
having enough of the properly prepared food available. They would not have to
chance meeting Gentiles who would not have kosher food. Trusting by faith for the
right food was a huge step for the orthodox Jew. This does not seem to be the
type of bag they took.
In addition to the bag was the chiton
(tunic) the innermost garment; a himation, or outer garment; a girdle which was
worn over the chiton and himation; and a head dress.
In the east, hospitality was a serious duty.
It was not the responsibility of a stranger to find a place to stay. It was the
responsibility of the village to offer a place to stay. Jesus told His
disciples that if hospitality was not forthcoming, they were to shake the dust
of that place off their feet. The reason for doing this goes back to Rabbinic
law. The law states that the dust of the gentile country was unclean. If a person entered Palestine from another
country, they must shake every particle of the unclean dust from their feet
before entering Palestine. Jesus was saying if a village would not offer
hospitality to the disciples or listen to their message, they were unclean in
God’s eyes. This is the same as Gentiles being unclean in the eyes of the Jews
and a very serious matter indeed.
In verses 12 and 13 a lot is left unsaid.
We do not know what experiences the disciples had, good or bad. We do not know
if they met with much hostility. We do not know how Satan, the people or the
priests reacted to their preaching. We also do not know what Jesus did during
this time. Verse 13 does tell us briefly that demons were cast out and people
were healed, but no specifics are given. It is possible that if Peter is the
basis for Mark’s gospel, he may have felt it was not important. All the power
and praise belong to God.
What does come across very clearly is
the message they preached. That message was repent! The people, especially
their leaders, were probably not happy about this turn of events. They not only
have Jesus telling them to repent and clean up their act, but now there are the
twelve disciples saying the same thing. What really grated on the leadership
was that these twelve were not learned men, such as themselves. Did they not
know Herod had John in prison at least in part for the same message? Did they not
have any fear of the power of the leadership or respect for their position?
Repent? Only gentiles needed to repent not Jews and certainly not men of their
stature and position.
The Jews also knew repentance is not a
passing, sentimental, emotion. They understood repentance as a complete
changing of one’s life and lifestyle. Repentance is a complete revolution in a
person’s life, a complete turning around. The Jews saw no reason that they
needed to repent. Even if they did need to repent, these rude, common men were
not the ones to tell them. Unfortunately, the same persons saying they had no
need to repent also felt they had no need of God’s mercy. God’s mercy was part
of the message brought by the disciples. God is merciful. The two, repentance
and mercy, go hand in hand. It is hard to repent if a person feels they have no
need of God or if God is not merciful. There is no reason to repent if God is
not merciful. If God were not merciful, then repentance would do no good
because God would require punishment regardless of any repentance. For those
who feel they have no need to repent, or that God is not merciful, why repent since
their eternity has already been decided.
The Jews also knew that repentance was
no passing, sentimental emotion. They knew repentance is a complete revolution
in a person’s life, a complete turning around. Many Jews did not see the need
to repent, after all, they were God’s chosen people. Even if they did see a
need these rude, unlearned, non-degreed, country preacher were not the ones to
tell them what they needed. Unfortunately, those people who felt they had no
need to repent did not think they needed God’s mercy. These two attitudes go
hand-in-hand. It is hard to repent if a person does not think they need God’s
mercy. This attitude and thinking determines their eternity.
This is the same thinking that leads to
the doctrine of Purgatory in the Roman Catholic Church. Purgatory is based on
the idea that the sins of some people are more worthy of greater punishment
than others. Spending time in purgatory supposedly expiates the sin with the
amount of time spent in purgatory depending on the severity and amount of sin. The
result is almost everyone ends up in heaven at some point, except for
(possibly) the very, very worst (i.e. Judas Iscariot).
In an odd and somewhat subtle way, the
doctrine of purgatory is the same as man working out his salvation based on his
works. If purgatory is a real place there would be no need for Christ. God
could just send everyone to purgatory for various amounts of time and then
welcome them into heaven. A final problem with the doctrine of purgatory is a
misunderstanding of eternity. Purgatory assumes a passage of time, a set amount
of time for punishment. Eternity is the absence of time. It is not that
eternity is a long, long, long length of time (billions upon billions of years)
but rather the absence of time altogether. This concept is very difficult for
humans to grasp.
vs.
14-15
It seems Herod had a very guilty
conscience about killing John.
Jesus has come to the attention of Herod.
This is not to say that Herod had not heard of Jesus before, but now that the
disciples have started preaching the number of people being reached with the
teachings of Jesus has dramatically increased. Jesus is now becoming influential
in the society and cannot be ignored. Herod inquired who Jesus really is. Based
on His actions and works the rulers could not believe He was a simple craftsman
from Galilee. They also would not believe He was the Son of God. Herod was
given three different answers. Each of these answers reveals much about the
person giving the answer.
The first answer was that Jesus is John
the Baptist, risen from the dead. This answer seems to reveal a guilty
conscience. This answer also explains the miracles without giving credence to
Jesus being the promised Messiah. The problem for the people saying this is, if
Jesus was John risen, why were they still not listening to and acting upon the
message of repentance He brought? They were still condemned by their own words
and actions.
The second explanation was Jesus is the
prophet Elijah. This reveals the nationalistic beliefs of those giving this
answer. The prophecies stated that before the Messiah came, Elijah would first
come and prepare His way. Since the people expected the Messiah to be a conquering
king, which Jesus did not appear to be, but Jesus certainly had miraculous
works, then Jesus must be Elijah. This seemed to cover all the bases very
nicely. They could safely categorize Jesus while still leaving the door open
for a conquering king. They could tell the people it was safe not to take everything
Jesus said literally. It appears we still do the same thing today. Little has
changed.
The third response was that Jesus was a prophet.
The people who were more than a little aware of the fact that it was over 300
years since the last prophet in Israel. Think of the time span here, the United
States is quite a bit less than 300 years old. The Jews were waiting for
another prophet longer than the U.S. has been a country. The people responding
in this way were hungry for the Word of God. These persons may not have been altogether
right about their judgment of Jesus, but they were on the right track.
Herod chose to believe the first answer.
He believed that Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead. This was the
response of a guilty conscience. Herod knew he had imprisoned and executed John
unjustly. Herod was afraid of the punishment he knew he would receive for his
actions. His response also reveals that he was already being punished for his acts
by his own conscience.
vs.
16-29
Herod’s relationship with John started
when John called for Herod to repent of his adulterous marriage to Herodias. Herodias
was also his sister-in-law. Herodias did not like being called what she truly was,
an adulteress, in public. She probably thought that, due to her social position,
she was above all of that. Along came John, who was only interested in the
truth, not a person’s social position or self-image. John also told the truth,
no matter what cost. This is not to say John was not a loving, caring
individual. His actions show he was more loving than the great majority of his
peers or us. John was trying to convince Herod and Herodias to repent and to be
saved from eternal damnation. John loved so much he did not concern himself
about other’s opinions of him or possible earthly punishment. John was only
interested in bringing people into a right relationship with God.
Now Herodias was waiting for a chance to
have John killed and to shut him up forever. It was not enough that he was in
prison, he could still talk. His mere existence offended her. What was the life
of one man to her, her comfort was a much greater importance than his life.
After what must have seemed like a lifetime of waiting Herodias finally found
her opportunity.
The event was a grand banquet Herod was
giving for his birthday. To this banquet, he invited the ruling men of Galilee.
Herodias was ready. As the night wore on Herod and his guests are drinking more
and being less careful of their words and actions. Into this scene Herodias
sends her daughter Salome (she was not Herod’s daughter). Salome danced for Herod
and his guests. We can only imagine the type of dance she did, but at best it would
be extremely suggestive. Herod was pleased enough with her dance to promise her
anything, up to one half of his kingdom. At the urging of Herodias, she asked
for the head of John on a platter.
This story tells us much about all the
players. Herod was an impulsive person and very concerned about his public
image. He reveals himself as lacking the courage to stand up for his
convictions, especially where his image and pride were concerned. He would seem
to be a lustful man. This is indicated by his relationship with Herodias and
his reaction to the dance of Salome.
Herodias is revealed as a spiteful,
vengeful, manipulative woman. I have no doubt that she planned the dance of
Salome and timed it so Herod would be in no position to refuse her request. She
knew this was the way to get him to remove John. Nothing else had succeeded. Herodias
did not care if her actions were wrong. She just did not want her actions to be
shown for what they were, especially in public. Her good name was important to
her, even if it was not true. John had the temerity to do call her actions what
they were and must, for the sake of her pride, be killed.
John stands in front of us as a
personality in direct opposition to Herod and Herodias. Where Herod was weak,
John was strong. Where Herod allowed his actions to be dictated by the opinion
others had of him, John followed the Word of God, no matter what others
thought. Where Herod and Herodias put a great deal of emphasis on appearance,
John put the emphasis on the truth. Where Herodias was vindictive and
dissimilating, John was honest, loving and straightforward.
Salome is an enigma. I have a tendency
to feel sorry for her. Being raised in the environment she was, she started life
with a great deficit. Regardless of her circumstances or her environment, she
still had the opportunities to stand for the truth. Unfortunately, she did not
do so.
Herod knew he was wrong to marry his
brother’s wife; John was right in condemning it and Herod was wrong in killing
John for his wife’s sake and his lust over Salome. If we look at the
circumstances of John’s death, we see manipulation, lust and revenge. Herodias
knew Herod’s weakness and used her daughter Salome to bring out Herod’s lust
and manipulate him into killing John. An important point is that Herod cared
more for his reputation than he did John’s life. His pride dictated that he
kill John rather than lose a bit of reputation in front of his guests. Pride
goes before a fall and that is true in Herod’s case. We see this same pride in
operation when he helped have Jesus crucified.
vs. 30
– 34
The disciples returned from their
evangelism trip and have much to share with Jesus and each other. They decide
to leave the crowd so they can discuss their trip and set out walking around the
lake. The lake is about four miles across at this point. To reach the opposite
shore by land is about a ten-mile walk. If the wind is against a boat, then a
person in good shape could walk around the lake before the boat could row
across. Jesus and the disciples took a boat across, but the people walked and
arrived before Jesus and the disciples.
Jesus said the disciples landed and,
instead of finding solitude, found the crowd waiting for them on shore. The
disciples were not pleased. They are getting a little tired of the people
always imposing on their time with Jesus. They had much to tell Him and much to
learn.
Jesus recognized the need of the people
for spiritual leadership. The people were sheep that needed a shepherd. Just as
a sheep without a shepherd cannot find a way to the pasture, so the Jews were not
able to find God’s rest. Just as a sheep without a shepherd has no defense against
its enemies, so the Jews could not defend themselves against Satan.
Just as the Jews were, so are we without
Jesus. We wander about the world lost, hungry and in extreme danger. Our only
protection is Jesus. Our feeding comes only from Jesus, and only Jesus knows
the path that will lead us to God’s eternal rest.
vs. 35
– 44
It is now late and time for dinner. The
disciples, being the practical fellows they were, suggested that Jesus dismiss
the crowd and send them out to buy their food. Much to the surprise of the
disciples, Jesus told them to feed the crowd. Now the disciples were not rich
men, nor did they carry extra food. They certainly did not have enough food or
money to buy food to feed 5,000 men plus women and children. The obvious
question was; where was: Where were they going to get the food?
The 12 apostles were telling Jesus what
happened on their trips, but the crowd of people was so great proper reporting
or even eating was impossible. In order to have time to talk, reflect, eat and
rest Jesus instructed the disciples to come with Him to a quiet place. The
crowds saw them go, knew where they were going and ran to be there ahead of Jesus
and the disciples. The people were starving for the Word of God. This is very
much like our day. The people were willing to go to great lengths to hear the
true teaching of the Word of God. Once again, the needs of the people took
priority over the comfort and convenience of Jesus. This was always the case.
Since it was late the disciples asked Jesus to send the people away so the
people could eat. Jesus had other ideas.
The fact that the disciples were
absolutely dumbfounded by the instructions of Jesus is shown by their reply.
They ask if they were to spend six month’s wages to buy food for the crowd. The
disciples knew this was impossible, they did not have that much money and Jesus
knew it. They did not think about the fact that the same person who healed the
people and raised others from the dead could also provide for their daily, more
mundane, needs. They did not put together that this same Jesus who provided for
them in their recent journey could and would provide for the sustenance of the
crowd. This is a very practical matter. Jesus knew the people needed spiritual nourishment,
but they also needed physical nourishment. Jesus created us and knows our every
need. Jesus is there for all who called on Him.
Instead of sending the people away Jesus
instructs the disciples to feed the crowd. The disciples looked at the size of
the crowd then looked at Jesus and stated the obvious, from a human
perspective, it would more than have a year’s wages to feed all the people.
Jesus again took another direction, He asked what food they had at that time.
The amount was miniscule compared to the number of people. Five loaves and two
fishes. The disciples were seeing the physical reality and knew there was not
enough food. Jesus saw the spiritual reality and knew there was enough food
since He was in it.
Jesus had everyone sit down and eat.
There was more than enough food. Jesus is the Bread of Life. His body was
broken for us and His death and resurrection are for everyone who will believe
regardless of the number. The fish was how many made their living and was a
staple in their diet. By giving the fish to the people Jesus was showing He was
the staple of their spiritual and physical being. He is the supplier of their
and our needs. (See Matthew10:29-31; Luke 12:6-7; Matthew 6:28; Luke 12:27)
There are quite a few things to see in
this story. First, the miracle made the biggest impression on the disciples.
This is the only miracle that is repeated in all four gospels. The telling of
the miracles again bears all the earmarks of a reporting of an eyewitness
account of the facts. The mention of the green grass is a detail the writer was
seeing as he was replaying the event in his mind. The detail of the green grass
also gives us an idea of when in the year this happened. For the grass to be
green the miracle had to happen in the late spring.
Notice the people sat down in sections.
Again, the storyteller is seeing the actual events replayed in his mind. The
word used for sections is the Greek word used for rows of vegetables. The
teller is seeing the people sitting there like a beautiful garden of vegetables
ready to be harvested, but this was a harvest of souls. Another detail that
indicates the teller is remembering exactly what occurred.
The next thing to notice is the reactions
of the various parties in the event. The disciples were tired and concerned for
the people. The disciples thought Jesus should send the people away so they
could eat. The disciples did not consider using what was at hand, the was just
not enough to go around. Jesus knew better. Jesus knew the resources available
were enough with God’s blessing. This is a lesson the disciples, and we, had to
learn.
A note here about memory and relating
events. In our time, we write events down as they happen. There is little need
to remember exactly what happens since we can always refer to the written page.
This is not the case in ancient cultures. The use of writing to document events
was not universal. People were trained to write and most often wrote events and
data required by the king. Paleo Hebrew was one of the earliest written
languages but even then, recording events was not common. Since writing was not
in common, universal use people trained their minds from an early age to
remember facts and report them accurately and honestly. (A note: Paleo-Hebrew was
not derived from Egyptian hieroglyphics.)
The numbers given here are important. In
Mark 8:4-21 Jesus makes very clear the numbers are important. The number five
occurs in the Bible when speaking of the gifts of the ministry. There are five
distinct gifts or types of ministry. These ministries are apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors and teachers and are to slay sin and bring the saints to
the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:10-15). In 1 Samuel 17:40-50 we can see a
similarity when David slew Goliath. David did not use the weapons of man
(armor, spear, sword, etc.) but rather put his faith in God and used the tool
of a shepherd, a sling. The scriptures tell us David chose five smooth stones
out of a brook, put them in his bag and went to meet Goliath. Goliath put his
faith in pagan gods and cursed the one true God. David chose one stone from the
bag and, in the name of the one true God, killed Goliath. No one stone was
specifically mentioned. It could be any one of the five stones he gathered.
Just as David chose one of the five stones so any one of the five gifts of the
ministry can, through Christ, slay sin.
The number two denotes the two peoples
God recognizes, Jews and Gentiles. The gifts of God are for believers
regardless if they are Jew or Gentile. When a Gentile believes in and accepts
Christ as their savior, they become a spiritual Jew, one of the family of God.
John 17:20-21 and Romans 11:17-24 makes this very clear.
There were twelve baskets full of the
leftovers. This is after everyone had eaten their fill. The number of baskets
of leftovers is amazing by itself, but the number twelve has significance.
There were twelve tribes of Israel. The twelve princes over the tribes were responsible
for their welfare and to lead them where God directed. Jesus had twelve
original apostles who took His teachings and Word to the world. They are
responsible for the welfare and leading of spiritual Israel, all those, Jew or
Gentile, who believe in Christ.
Finally, there were the number fed, five
thousand men. The number five appears yet again but greatly increased. There is
no limit to the love, grace, power or ability of Jesus to take care of His
people.
This is only my opinion and a theory, but
it fits in well with the Scriptures. There is a continuity of thought and
actions between the law and prophets and Christ. There is no break in thinking,
logic or actions and the law and prophets are being fulfilled, just as Jesus
said He came to do. Matthew 5:17.
vs. 45 –
52
After Jesus had fed the 5,000, the
disciples went on ahead while Jesus dismissed the crowd. The thinking of many
theologians is Jesus did this to keep the nationalistic fervor of the crowd
from infecting the disciples. The people were ready to proclaim Jesus king and
the disciples may well have fallen in with them. To prevent this, Jesus
dispersed the crowd Himself after the disciples left. There is no way to prove
or disprove this notion. There are many reasons Jesus may have sent the
disciples ahead. If the reason was important us to know it would have been
included in the Gospels.
After feeding the 5000, Jesus spends
some time alone with God. Jesus had many things to pray about. The orthodox
Jews were hostile to Him. The secular and religious rulers were hostile to Him.
Herod Antipas was both afraid and suspicious of Him. The nationalists wanted to
make Jesus a secular king. Much of the time the crowds wanted to see miracles
instead of learning of God. Remembering that Jesus was and is both God and man,
this was a heavy burden and He needed time with God in order to carry it.
After praying, Jesus goes to the lake
with the intention of meeting His disciples on the other side. Due to the
weather, the disciples had only reached midway across the lake. Jesus saw the
disciples rowing very hard against the wind and getting nowhere fast. About the
fourth watch of the night (approximately three 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM) Jesus starts
to walk across the lake. As He is almost past the boat full of disciples, they
see Him and are very frightened. They think they are seeing a ghost.
Jesus
put their fears to rest and got into the boat with them. As soon as He did the
wind that was against them died down and once again, the disciples were amazed.
After all that had happened the disciples still do not really understand who
Jesus is. Jesus did not just happen ago by the boat by chance or just felt like
taking a walk on the water. Jesus did not just happen to see his friends having
a hard time and stopped to help them. Jesus was making a point to both them and
us. After we have struggled all we can, as the disciples had, and gotten
nowhere, then we need to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. This is
the same message God gave to Moses while the Hebrews were leaving Egypt. “Moses
answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the
deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will
never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need
only to be still." Exodus 14:13 (NIV)
The disciples did not see the continuity
of God’s actions in dealing with His people. They and we tend to forget the
past and want to work things out ourselves. They did not yet understand that
Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets. He did not come to fulfill the
ritual of the traditions of the Scribes and Pharisees. Jesus saw these as two
entirely different things and was only interested in God’s word, not the ruler’s
laws. The disciples did not yet fully understand Jesus is the creator of
everything and as such has power over everything. They had selective memory,
just as we do. Jesus had to instruct them and make them fit to be messengers of
His Word, just as He does us.
vs. 53 –
56
Jesus was now so well known that wherever
He went crowds gathered. As we read this passage, we see very clearly that the
crowds were looking for healing and other miracles, perhaps not to hear the
message Jesus brought. In this circumstance, there is no indication the people
were hungry for the Word of God as much as they wanted what Jesus could do for
them at that moment. This should not surprise us. The people’s emphasis on
their immediate physical needs is not necessarily inappropriate. When a person
is in constant pain or suffering, it is quite difficult to focus on anything
other than the immediate physical problem. Those who brought their sick loved
ones for healing did so out of love for the person ill and faith that Jesus
could heal them. Jesus knowing that once the person was healed, they, as well
as their loved ones would be able to listen to and focus on the message He
brought. James addresses this in James 2:15 – 17 “If a brother or sister be naked, and
destitute of daily food, And one of you
say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding
you give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it
profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works is dead, being alone.” (KJV) What we
do not know is how many returned or stayed to hear the message, become
believers. Some were healed then went their way and never returned to Jesus.
MARK 7
vs. 1 - 5
Jesus is now very well known. The people
follow Him whenever and wherever He goes. The miracles He performs are talked
about all over Israel. His off-and-on verbal battles with the Scribes,
Pharisees, Sadducees and priests have the ignited the crowds. Everyone has
heard of Him and even a ruler of the synagogue has gone to Jesus for help. The
religious leaders have had enough. Now it is to time to send in their best
people. Far from being the simple rural preacher they thought Jesus was, He has
outwitted them at every turn. Now the leaders have imported the best minds in
Jerusalem and have brought them in to make Jesus look foolish.
This is a battle to the finish, a battle
the Jewish leaders intend to win, and they do not think that it will be
difficult. A mentality such as the Jewish leadership had cannot abide the
thought of others thinking for themselves, making their own decisions or being
responsible for their own actions. For the leaders to allow people to make
their own decisions would be to admit they were not the ones in control. They
were truly responsible for their decisions as well as the decisions they made
for God’s people. This being the case, they had to silence Jesus. He brought
them face to face with their greatest fear, their responsibility to God.
The first salvo in this battle is fired
by the ‘experts’ from Jerusalem. They have just seen Jesus’ disciples eating
without going through all the ritualistic washing. In their mind this is
terrible. This makes them unclean. Does the Rabbi Jesus not know enough about
the law to know His disciples have become unclean? By using this method of
attack, the leaders thought they could accomplish a few things. First, they
hope to cause the people to question Jesus’ knowledge of the law and the prophets.
How could a man who did not even know what was required in the way of ritual
washing possibly know about the deep things of God? Second, they want to establish
in the people’s mind that tradition and ritual were all important. In the minds
of the leaders there could be no true worship of God without keeping the
rituals and traditions. They thought this despite quite a few places where God,
through the prophets, says something quite different. (1 Samuel 15:22; Hosea
6:6; Psalm 40:6; Matthew 9:13)
Third, they want to ensure the people to
see them, not Jesus, in a favorable light as the true authority on all
religious and daily living matters. After all, they were looking out for the
people’s welfare. The leaders saw themselves as the true guardians of the law
and tradition of the Israelites, not this unsophisticated Galilean, Jesus. Finally,
they wanted everything to be neat and orderly. Every facet of life should be
ordered and structured according to their rules. The Scribes wanted no area
left where they might be required to make a decision and thereby be responsible
for their actions. This appears to be a control issue with the Jewish
leadership. They wanted to control the lives of the people and not allow the
people to be true worshipers of the one true God. This thinking is ongoing up
through the present time. Many leaders of churches put extra requirements on
salvation. Accepting salvation through the blood of Christ is not enough for
them, conformance to certain rules and requirements is also needed. The
thinking is, if a person accepts Jesus then they will conform to the rules of
that group. If they do not conform, then they must not have truly been saved.
Scripture is very clear that the ONLY requirement to be saved is to accept the
blood of Christ as the payment for our sins. There are works that will
naturally follow, faith in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit but they are because
the person has been saved and wants to do these works because they love the
Lord. It is similar to a couple being in love. They do things because they love
each other. They do not do them because they must, but because of the love they
have for each other. Now there is a caution here. If one of the couple
constantly does things to hurt the other person, acts in an unloving way, is
adulterous, etc. they are showing they do not truly love the other person.
Perhaps a short clarification of how the
Jews felt about the law is in order here. Originally the law was defined as
first, the Ten Commandments and second, the first five books of the Old Testament
(Pentateuch). Now, the Pentateuch does contain quite a few rules and
regulations, but where questions arise, the Ten Commandments provide a series
of guidelines that man is to follow. How a person interprets and follows these
guidelines says much about the person. Somewhere in the fourth and fifth
century BC, a group arose who felt the moral guidelines were not enough. They
felt they must define what God really meant. (This would seem to be analogous
to saying God does not really know how to communicate and requires our
assistance. A very dangerous notion indeed.) These legalists came to be known
as the Scribes.
The scribes wanted the laws broken down,
torn apart for any hidden meanings and amplified into thousands of component
parts. The supposed purpose was to assure that no one in Israel would
unwittingly break any of God’s laws. They had spent quite a lot of time
studying the law. They were the ones initially burdened with the necessity of
this being done. They were probably the only ones how who saw a need for all of
this to be done. The question is, was this what God really intended? Did God
error and now man must correct God’s error? In reality God did not error and
the original Scribes, well intentioned as they might have been, made the Laws
of God to no effect by their meddling and institution of traditions. (1 Samuel
15:22; Hosea 6:6; Psalm 40:6; Matthew 9:13)
Over time, thousands of rules and
regulations started to make their appearance. Well, things being what they were
with the masses being so busy trying not to starve to death and the Scribes in
positions of power God’s Law was dissected and thousands of rules and regulations
started to make their appearance (micro-managing at its worst). With existence
being marginal at the time the people had other things to think about (like
surviving) and these rules were just accepted by the people and became part of
their tradition. Church “tradition” still intrudes when it comes to the worship
of God. Tradition can be useful but far too often results in following them
takes precedence over worshipping God. Each group has their liturgy and
traditions which they feel is more “right” than other groups. What is accepted liturgy
and tradition in one group can be considered anathema in another. This tends to
fragment God’s people and make them less focused on serving God, more focused
on complying with man-made tradition/rules and less effective as God’s people.
This is counter to God’s intention. (John 13:34-35; John 17:20-23; Ephesians
1:9; Ephesians 4:1-7
The problem about man made laws and traditions
are the difficulties in many cases what exactly are the laws and traditions and
to pin down their basis for existence. The Scribes were good at identifying
each and every law and tradition. The oral traditions did not stay the same as
originally described, and there were so many of them that only the Scribes had
enough time to learn them all and certainly to break them into the many
component laws and traditions the Scribes felt were necessary. As a result, the
people were much worse off than before the many laws and traditions were put in
place. They now must comply with a set of traditions and rules that only a
small group of people knew in their entirety.
To the Scribes, Pharisees and priests
the rules and regulations were the essence of religion. Their religion was not in
a personal relationship with God. God was perceived as a judge, not as a loving
Father. They thought true religion lay in the absolute following of each rule
and regulation of the oral law. To follow them was to please God, not to follow
them was spiritual and perhaps physical death.
vs. 6 – 8
The stage has now been set. The Scribes
do not see any way out for Jesus. Either He admits He and His disciples are
wrong and should have performed the ritual washing, in which case the people
lose confidence in Him, or Jesus claims He is right, in which case the Scribes can
say He is breaking the law and therefore cannot be a true rabbi. Either way it
would seem Jesus can only lose.
Jesus chooses the second of the two
options, but in doing so does not fall into their trap. Instead of just telling
the Scribes they are wrong, Jesus quotes Isaiah (29:13) where it is very clear
tradition does not replace the laws of God. This puts the Scribes at an
immediate disadvantage. They are no longer arguing with Jesus, they are now arguing
with one of the prophets they claim to be supporting.
By quoting Isaiah Jesus is also showing
the scribes do not know the law as well as they think they do and are telling
the people they do. Jesus has struck at the very heart of the Scribe’s and
Pharisee’s teachings. He has said that traditions are useless without God. He
has also made it clear that their traditions are not only without God, but many
times are replacing the true worship of God. He makes the point that their
foundation for the rules they established is built on a faulty, illogical and very
incomplete understanding of God and God’s Word.
The specific incident related here
proves just how far apart the leaders and Jesus were. The Scribes based their
definition of unclean on the external circumstances of a person. Jesus based
unclean on what was happening inside a person. Based on the definition of the
Scribes, not complying with God’s law did not necessarily make a person unclean
but disobeying their rules and their definition of God’s law did.
We must understand that the Scribes saw no
difference between their rules and God’s law in either importance or validity.
This in itself is a major problem and by doing this they have set themselves as
equal to God. This is not a good idea. In verse 8, Jesus completes His direct
answer to their question. He tells them they have totally missed the point. Not
only are they not obeying God’s law, but by their stubborn insistence on their
rules, they are causing others to disobey God’s law.
vs. 9 –
13
In a manner that would assure neither
the Scribes, Pharisees nor the crowds would mistake His meaning, Jesus used a
frequent tradition to explain His point. First, Jesus lets them know what is
coming, almost as if daring them to give Him an adequate answer. His very words
indicate contempt for their actions, actions of which they appear to be proud,
actions that circumvent God’s rules for the leader’s comfort and convenience.
These words of Jesus point out that by the leader’s use of rules they negated the
Law of God. The example Jesus uses is the dedication of material wealth to the
Temple. This is an act that would be familiar to most in the crowd.
To start out His argument Jesus refers
to the commandment to honor your father and mother (Exodus 20:12). Jesus then relates
the penalty for cursing your father or mother, DEATH! (Exodus 21:17). This is
straight from the Ten Commandments and is very straightforward. Jesus says they
had found a way to circumvent the commandment. A person can publicly state that
anything that could have been used to care for the parent in their later years
is korban, a gift to the temple. The circumvention comes when it came
time for the gift is to be given to the temple. When that time came only a
small symbolic gift must be made (often 10% of the total pledged). Meanwhile,
the person making the gift no longer is required to use any of their wealth to
care for the parents (the wealth now “belongs” to the Temple) and they still
get the use of the money for themselves later. The other way to make this
happen was to wait until just before the giver died and then turn the gift over
to the temple.
The second part of Jesus’ statement
defines what, under the law which they claim to love so much, should carry the
punishment of death. Now Jesus shows the Scribes to be wrong. He has in fact called
them hypocrites and has shown by their own words they deserved death.
vs. 14 –
23
Jesus calls the crowd to Him and starts directly
teaching them. Jesus was not just putting on a show for the amusement of the
people, He was making a very, very serious point. The Scribes and Pharisees
were wrong in their emphasis on tradition and oral law. Jesus was not trying to
embarrass them but to teach God’s Word. Personal ego trips had no place in
Jesus’ plan or teachings.
The teaching was very simple, just a few
sentences, but the point was very clear. Do not worry about things that do not
affect your relationship with God and holiness. Do worry about keeping your
heart right with God and you will be holy. Do not be concerned if you speak to
a Gentile. That does not make you unclean. Do not concerned if some dirt from a
Gentile country is still in your shoes as you enter Israel, dirt is just dirt
and is always present. In short, if your heart is right with God, you are
clean. Do be concerned if you avoid food that is considered unclean and keep
all of the rituals yet do not love your neighbors. Jesus’ comments are a
further clarification of Isaiah and other prophets.
Despite the apparent simplicity of Jesus’
point, the disciples missed it. After the crowd disbursed and Jesus and His
disciples were alone, the disciples asked Jesus what He meant. At this point,
Jesus does seem to get a bit disappointed and frustrated with the disciples’
lack of understanding. Remember, this was all totally new to the disciples. They
had been raised with the traditions and rituals and have a hard time conceiving
of anything else. Jesus had just gone to a battle with the scribes and was
probably tired, exasperated and possibly dejected at how far from the truth were
the people. As mentioned earlier, Mark is the only Gospel that lets us see the
human side of Jesus. The side of Jesus’ that could get tired, lonely,
frustrated, disappointed and all the other things humans get.
Jesus now explains His teaching to
disciples in the simplest terms possible. By defining unclean as that which comes
out of a person instead of what goes into a person, Jesus has just declared all
foods, people and creation to be clean.” (All food is utilitarian, it is eaten, used and the remainder passes
through the body and out.) No longer could those who followed Jesus
refuse to deal with certain groups because they were not Jews and therefore unclean.
Now all things have been declared clean by Jesus. (What defiles a person is
what is in their hearts. How they think. Their philosophy. How they live.)
This is also a reinforcement of Jesus’
comments about traditions and rituals. It is not the traditions and rituals
that make a person clean but rather the state of their heart toward God and His
creation. As we look at Acts, we see that the message still had not gotten
through to some of the disciples for quite some time after the resurrection.
vs. 24 –
30
Now, as if to prove the point, Mark
relates the story of the Gentile woman with faith in the Lord. Jesus was in the
area of Tyre, in Gentile territory. Jesus has just illuminated the difference
between what makes a person clean and unclean. Jesus made it quite clear that
all people were clean because they were created by God and not unclean because
they were not Hebrew. Now He has gone into Gentile territory. This area should
have been a part of Israel since it was part of the land originally promised by
God. The problem was that the tribes that were to have been conquered were not,
therefore it stayed in the control of the Phoenicians already there. This is
where Jesus met the woman.
Even here, in this Gentile area, Jesus
cannot keep His presence a secret. The woman heard He was in the area and
searched until she found Him. In some ways, the story of this woman and the
story of Jarius are very similar, and very opposite. Both had daughters who
need healing, and both have faith to come to Jesus regardless of the
consequences. Jarius was a ruler of the synagogue and this woman was a Gentile.
She would have been unclean in the eyes of Jarius. They both needed Jesus’
healing touch. They would have been a lot closer in their faith, hearts and
thinking than they would have imagined.
Jesus’ responds to the woman differently
than he did Jarius. In the case of Jarius, Jesus started on His way to the
house to heal the girl. In this case, Jesus reminds the woman He was sent to
the Jews and not the. This seems to be a little odd considering what He said
about clean and unclean. A possibility is that Jesus is trying to emphasize to
the disciples there really is no difference between Jew and Gentile when it
comes to the capacity to have faith. Another possibility is that Jesus was
staying true to His main mission of offering salvation to the Jews, the chosen
people, first. That was His focus and He wanted to make sure everyone knew
that. It might also be that Jesus was combining these. He sent a very clear
message that His priority was to the Jews first but, as subsequent events show,
faith was more important than nationality.
(A note is in order here. God chose
Abraham and his descendants to teach the rest of the world about God and His
Word. Jesus, being part of the Trinity was continuing what was started with
Abraham. Jesus was teaching the Hebrews so they could then teach His Word to
the rest of the world. Again, God is consistent in what He does. God does not
change.)
After Jesus responded the woman did not
give up. She replied that there is enough of God’s grace for both the Jews and
non-Jews. Even though only a tiny bit was left over, that was more than enough.
She was right. Because of her faith, Jesus healed her daughter. This woman
understood the grace of God. She sought after God in a way that was different from
the Jewish rulers. She understood a loving, gracious God who did not judge by
race or nationality.
Before leaving this passage, it is
important to understand just what it was Jesus and the woman were saying. In
those days’ dogs were not the well behaved animals they are at this time. To
call someone a dog was to insult that person. The Jews considered all Gentiles
as lower than dogs. This is a fact that did not escape or please the Gentiles.
The words Jesus used here was not the term used for the wild dogs of the
streets, rather it is the term used for the lap dogs that were in fact pets.
This took much of the sting out of the words while still keeping the point.
Notice that Jesus did not say that the Gentiles
would not have anything, but only that children must come first. This is
consistent with the prophecy that the Messiah must come first to the house of
Israel. The woman understood this to some extent but was willing to accept
whatever God had for her, no matter how big or small. Here was a faith and
understanding Jesus seldom found in Israel.
vs. 31 –
37
Mark now provides another proof of Jesus’
teachings on clean and unclean. Remember that the scriptures say out of the
mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. (Deut. 17:16;
Matthew 18:16) Mark is adhering to this requirement.
The people of the region obviously were
acquainted with Jesus since they brought the man to Jesus for healing. The man
was deaf and had a distinct speech impediment. Jesus took the man some distance
from the crowd. Mark does not say why Jesus did this, but it may very well have
been out of consideration for the man. God’s work is not intended to be a
sideshow, Jesus’ work is very serious. After Jesus had the man alone, He
demonstrated what He was going to do. The man was deaf and dumb, so visual
communication had to be used. Jesus spit and touched the man’s tongue and put His
fingers in the man’s ears. The man was healed. In the days of Jesus, spit was
considered to have healing properties. Whether or not Jesus agreed with this is
immaterial, the deaf man would have immediately understood what Jesus was doing.
After this healing, Jesus commands the
crowd to tell no one what happened. Again, He was ignored. The fact that Jesus
gave this instruction this time shows His fame was spreading far and wide.
Along with His fame came increased resistance from the leaders. The crowds and
resistance from the leaders made working difficult.
Mark has been dealing with man-made
versus God made rules and requirements. The difference between the two is
critically important. Jesus came to free people from man’s law and to teach
them God’s law. Things are not any different in our day than they were in the
days Jesus was physically on the earth. Just as the Jews had the Pharisees make
the rules that they thought were appropriate to live by, so we have the same
today. We look to various ministers, teachers, churches to give us a set of
rules to live by. A set of rules that we think will get us to heaven if we
follow them. These legalisms are not confined to any particular denomination or
theological school of thought or conservative/liberal schools, rather they cut across
denominational and theological lines. Before we buy into someone’s rules and regulations,
we examine them in the light of God’s Word. See how they hold up. If a rule is
in accordance with the Scripture, follow it.
No matter how we live, whether by our
relationship with God or try to live by the relationship of another person to
God, we are still responsible for how we live our life. Each person answers to
God for their life. We do not answer for the life of any other person. (There
is, of course, the exception of our leading another person into sin. In that
case, we are responsible for leading them into sin and they are responsible for
making the decision to sin.)
MARK 8
vs. 1 –
10
This incident happened on the far side
of the Sea of Galilee in the district of Decapolis. This is the same area where
Jesus healed the man with the legion of demons. It may be possible that some of
this crowd was there at that healing. They wanted to know more about Jesus.
There are some similarities and some
differences between this story and the previous feeding of a large group
presented in Mark 6. One of the differences is the word for basket, it is
different in the two stories. In Mark 6:44 the word used is kophinos. This is a
basket used to carry food. This basket is narrow at the top and wider at the
bottom. It is similar to a water pot. The word used here is sphuris. This type
of basket is much larger. It is the kind of basket they use to let Paul down
the wall of Damascus, and it describes the type of basket used by Gentiles. If
we look at the two stories side by side, it is possible to make the point that
Jesus was showing the coming of the salvation and spiritual feeding to the Jews
first and then to the Gentiles. This might also be connected to the early and
latter rains as well in the story of Job.
Once again, the people listening to
Jesus had been with Him quite some time (three days) with nothing to eat. As
with the 5,000 Jesus instructs His disciples to feed them and again there would
seem there was not enough food available. Jesus, as always, was concerned for
the people, their physical as well as spiritual welfare. We are told that some
came from a far distance indicating the popularity of Jesus due to His teachings,
grace and miracles.
The first question the disciples had
was: Where will we get enough food here in the middle of nowhere? Jesus replied
by asking what was available. In this case seven loaves and a few small fish. Jesus
blessed the food and had the disciples distribute it to the people. Everyone
ate their fill. None went hungry. After everyone was finished eating the
leftovers filled seven baskets.
There are lessons to be learned here.
The number of loaves was seven along with a few small fish. Jesus said He is
the bread of Life and anyone who partakes of Him shall never go hungry. This is
a physical, visual example of what He said. Jesus also said to take no thought
of what we shall eat or how we shall dress, God provides. (Matthew 6:25-31;
Luke 12:22-29)
As with the feeding of the 5,000 the
numbers here are significant. Often the numbers are read without much thought
except for their size. In Mark 8:18-21 Jesus makes it very clear the numbers
are important, they have meaning, they tell us about God and what He is doing.
In this case, we have 4,000 people who ate. When Jesus fed the 5,000 the Bible
is specific it was 5,000 men. Here it is not specific to men but just people.
There is also significance to the 4,000. The number four usually refers to the
four corners of the earth, in-other-words all the earth. The fact the number is
not specific to men also indicates all the earth, not just men. Jesus is the
Bread of Life for all people.
The number seven is mentioned twice.
There were seven loaves and seven baskets of leftovers were collected. We are
not told how many fish there were other than there were not many. The Bible
tells us seven baskets of broken pieces were left over and collected. Seven
always denotes perfection. Jesus is the perfect food. The fact the number seven
occurs twice and all the earth included by the 4,000 can lead us to conclude
Jesus came for the Jew and the Gentile. He is Lord of and spiritual sustenance
for of all people, not just some.
vs. 11 –
13
As we have noted previously, the
tendency of that time and culture was for the Jews to be looking for a Messiah
who would be the king to deliver them from the Romans. This would require the Messiah
do great signs and wonders. This expectation arose from the historical and
cultural background of the prophets. Also, this is the only way the Israelites
could perceive the Roman Empire being overcome. It is also important to note
that there were quite a few false Messiahs spreading their message (usually involving
overthrowing the Romans) about the same time as Jesus was preaching. These
false messiahs always promised signs, wonders and miracles and the people
expected these signs and wonders. Jesus came with a much different message. Because
of the many false prophets, the Temple leadership had their group of “experts”
question everyone calling themselves the messiah. Until Jesus this group of
experts were able to show the false messiahs for what they were….false. When it
came to Jesus the experts could not make Him look foolish or un-knowledgeable
about the Scriptures and law. Jesus is the real Messiah.
The people, especially the leadership,
demanded the signs but really did not want to hear the rest of the message. Jesus
cut through their demands for a sign. Wanting to see signs was not because they
wanted to see the hand of God working but wanted to be entertained and, in some
cases, have a better quality of life. They were in fact blind to the message God
was sending. They missed the point of the miracles and signs that Jesus brought.
vs. 14 –
21
14The disciples had
forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15“Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out
for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” 16They discussed this with one another and
said, “It is because we have no bread.” 17Aware 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? 18Do you have eyes but
fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19When
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.” 21He said to them, “Do you still not
understand?”
The disciples and Jesus once again
entered a boat and crossed the water. The disciples had forgotten to bring
bread with them and had only one loaf in the boat. We can see again how the
disciples were thinking. We get a good look at their mind set. Jesus uses their
concern about bread to teach them and make a strong point concerning priorities
and recognizing God’s working in the world. We (like the disciples) need to
connect this occurrence with the feeding of the 4,000.
The disciples keep discussing the fact
they did not have any bread. Jesus warns them to beware of the evil influence
of the Pharisees. All the disciples could think about was their lack of food.
Jesus cuts through their thinking about bodily needs and bluntly asked why they
keep talking about having no bread. He brings them face to face with the
reality of what has just happened. He asks them if they understand. After all
that has happened, do they still not see, hear or understand the message and
priorities.
There are a number of points in this
passage that are very important. One of these is the idea of leaven. If we
translate the passage literally, Jesus is saying “Beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” The Jews used the word leaven in much in
the same way as we would use the term original sin. The term was used to
signify the taint of human nature, the corrupting leaven which keeps man from
doing the will of God. Jesus was telling the disciples not to allow the words
and actions of the Pharisees and Herod, or anyone else, to keep them from doing
God’s will. Do not become what the Pharisees and Herod have become. Jesus may
be warning the disciples not to be overly concerned with material things.
Remember they had their attention focused on the fact they failed to bring food
with them. This is immediately after Jesus used a very small amount of food to
feed 4,000 people with many leftovers. The disciples did not understand. They
were still concerned about only having one loaf of bread and were not
recognizing God would supply their needs.
This brings us to the second important
part of this passage, the amount of food left over. Jesus made a point of
asking how much food He started with and the amount remaining. Jesus noted that
he broke five loaves and gave them to the 5,000 (Mark 6). He then asked how
many baskets of broken pieces were left. The disciples answered twelve. He
brings them to the most recent feeding of a large group and asks when he broke
the seven loaves among the 4,000, how many baskets of broken pieces work left.
The answer was seven. He then asked them if they still did not understand.
Jesus made a point of the number of
loaves He used in each of the miracles. He ties the two miracles together. The
point of the number of loaves available, as well as the number of baskets left
over, is often ignored or glossed over by many commentators. Given the emphasis
Jesus placed on these, it is not appropriate to ignore this information. We can
see definite parallels with these numbers and numbers provided in the Old and
New Testaments. In Mark 6 there were five loaves given to five thousand people
with twelve baskets left over. If we go to David and Goliath, we can see David
took five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his sack. David then
took one of those stones and used it to slay Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:37 – 50) In
Ephesians we see there are five gifts of the ministry. (Ephesians 4:11 – 13)
Combining these two stories we can make the analogy that the five stones
represent the five gifts of the ministry and any one of them can be used to
overcome (slay) sin. There were twelve baskets of food left over after everyone
had eaten their fill. There are twelve tribes of Israel and Jesus had twelve
apostles. The numbers here are very consistent with what God had shown Moses in
the mountain as well as what God had been doing throughout history. The twelve
apostles are to feed the people of God. He was telling the apostles their job responsibilities
but being very clear that the tools and abilities came from God.
In this case, there were seven loaves
divided among 4,000 people. There were seven baskets left over. If we look at
the candlestick throughout the Scriptures, we see seven flames, seventy-two
knobs and flowers and a base of twelve stones. If we go to Zachariah 4: 3 – 6
we are given a clear picture of a candlestick with seven flames fed by two
olive trees. One of those olive trees represents the Hebrews (tame olive tree).
The other olive tree represents the Gentiles (wild olive tree). (Romans 11:17 –
21) When we go to Revelations 11:4 we see this same candlestick with the seven
spirits before God’s throne. Jesus is showing very clearly that the seven spirits
are for both the Hebrews and the Gentiles. This is consistent with the point
made previously about the baskets. The point is that Jesus came for everyone
not just the Jews. The point also is made that God is very consistent. What has
been will be in the future. (“8Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8)
vs. 22 – 26
Blindness has always been a huge problem
in the Middle East. There are reasons this is the case. One of those reasons is
the constant glare of the sun. This was aggravated by diet and lack of
knowledge about hygiene and cleanliness. We can see much the same now with people
in the very poor sections of the world. With the great number of flies and
insects going from person to person spreading disease the lack of hygiene and
cleanliness exacerbated the problem.
Again, we see the immediate help from
Jesus. Jesus takes the man away from the crowd to heal him. The man had been
blind from birth and the sudden sensory impact would be overwhelming. This is a
clear sign that Jesus cared about and is sensitive to the little things that
affect His creation. Jesus also used methods that were familiar to the person.
Jesus made the man feel comfortable with what was happening. The people in that
day believed in the healing powers of spittle. Jesus spat into the man’s eyes
and then asked him if he saw anything. The man said he saw but did not see
clearly. This is a healing that happened in stages. It is the only miracle that
we see that happened gradually. Perhaps the lesson here is that we learn of
God’s truth in stages and not all at once. To learn all at one time would
overwhelm us. Salvation happens when we
accept Christ as our savior. Once we accept Christ as our Savior, we learn over
time, line upon line and precept upon precept.
vs. 27 –
30
Jesus and the disciples are now at the
northern most city to which Jesus traveled. This city is Caesarea Philippi.
While the group was on the road, Jesus asked His disciples the same question Herod
asked in Mark 6:14-15. Who is Jesus? The disciples gave the same answers as
those answering Herod. Some say John, some say Elijah and others say a prophet.
Jesus now gets to the heart of the matter. His question now is: Who do you disciples
say that I am?
With this question, Jesus has required
an answer that will force the disciples to take a stand. No longer can they
waver in their opinion of just who He is or what is His work. No longer can
they hide behind thinking Jesus is just an above average rabbi. Now is the time
they become responsible for the revelation they have been given and the work to
which they have been called. This is their watershed moment. Peter answer for
all of them and said you are the Christ. We look at Peter making the statement
and forget all the disciples assented to his answer.
This statement of fact on Peter’s part
is a much more difficult statement for him to make than we might think. Throughout
Jewish history the Jews have been waiting for the coming of the Messiah, the Christ.
Initially the expectation was that the Messiah would be a direct descendant of
David, would overthrow the yoke of their conquerors, would free Israel and
restore the kingdom. As time went on, with the dispersing of the ten tribes and
the other two tribes taken into captivity, this interpretation faded. Now the Hebrews
realized it would have to be a direct intervention of God to achieve their
dream.
A study of the Old Testament reveals the
expectations and feelings of the Jews about the Messiah. The Old Testament also
provides the prophecies at the time of Christ and how they were interpreted. The
idea of the Messiah as a conquering hero from the lineage of David never
totally disappeared. Other beliefs were held as well. The Jews believed that
before the Messiah came there would be a time of terrible tribulation. Every
bond of physical and moral order would be broken. Into this chaos would come a
person with the same spirit as Elijah. This person would be the herald of the
Christ. His purpose was to bring order out of the chaos. After Elijah appeared
and then would come the Messiah. The nations of the world would align
themselves against the Messiah and, as a result, be destroyed. After this would
come the restoration of Jerusalem and the return of the Jews in Diaspora.
Israel would become the center of the world and a new age of peace would
follow. (This is much like the Book of Revelation. It appears they had the
right idea but the wrong time.)
These were the ideas that the typical
Jew held at the time of Jesus the Christ. It had become part of their culture
and national identity. These were the ideas that the disciples held when Jesus asked
this question. This popular concept was violent, nationalistic and pitiless. It
was very much in line with their view of God as a just but austere judge. These
ideas are not very different from the ideas many hold in *the present. Jesus
had a very different purpose. He had a different viewpoint and work. His love was
not limited to only one people or nation but rather extended to all creation,
Jew and Gentile.
To the disciples recognizing Jesus as
the Christ when many things they had had been taught were diametrically opposed
to what Jesus was teaching evidenced the Spirit of God at work in their lives. The
area where this took place was at one time a great center of Baal worship. Here
we have twelve relatively uneducated (compared to the intelligentsia of the
time) men confessing the Messiah in a place where pagan rituals and worship and
often taken place. I do not believe this was accidental. Jesus asked them this
question, in this place, as a direct confrontation with and message to Satan.
The disciples were going to carry the message of Jesus the Christ throughout all
the world. Their confession in that place clearly shows Jesus was in charge and
Satan could not win.
Before we leave this passage, we must consider
the idea of the Messiah, His work. And the expectations of the Jews. As stated
previously, the Jews expected a conquering, judgmental Messiah. Many Christians
today believe the same thing. The question is, are we wrong just as the Jews
were wrong? To answer this question, we need to review a few scriptures, some
of which the Jews, and we, ignore.
Jesus is speaking in the synagogue and
chooses the passage of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1-2). As we read the passage,
we notice Jesus stopped short of completing it. Jesus ended it with “to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” After he finished reading, Jesus states
“Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus seems to be dividing
Isaiah’s prophecy into two parts: the acceptable day of the Lord and the day of
the vengeance of God. The second thing Jesus did was to state He was fulfilling
the acceptable day of the Lord. That left the day of vengeance for His later
coming.
Isaiah eleven is a prophecy that reveals
some of the characteristics of the Messiah. The first portion describes the
wisdom, justice, faithfulness and righteousness of the Messiah. Isaiah also
describe the reign of peace the Messiah will bring. The second portion of the
chapter describes how the Messiah will bring all nations under His leadership.
The wicked nations shall be destroyed, and the Jews will come back to
Jerusalem. The Jews chose to remember and believe the parts they wanted to
believe, much the same as we do. They remembered the earthly kingdom of the Messiah.
They forgot His righteousness justice and mercy.
Based on what we have just read it seems
the Jews had good reason for expecting a Messiah of conquest (and destruction).
As already mentioned, they remembered the prophecies, at least the ones they
wanted to remember. Isaiah the 53rd chapter paints a somewhat different picture
of the Messiah that what the Jews expected.
Isaiah 53: 1-12 describes a Messiah who was beaten and badly used by the
people. The primary concern of the Messiah described was saving, not
destroying, the peoples of the earth. Far from being a vengeful conqueror, the
Messiah of the prophesies of Isaiah and others was to suffer all kinds of
humiliation for the sake of His creation. This was not at all in keeping with
the images the Jews had of the Messiah. (Isaiah chapter 53 is no longer read in
the Jewish synagogues. It has become known as the forbidden chapter.)
Now we must ask how this all fits
together. Here we have two very different portraits of the same person. Two very
different works are described. Which is correct? Are both, or neither correct? The
answer is in the prophesies of Isaiah and Zechariah and the words of Jesus. All
are accurate. The first work Jesus came to do was that of saving a dying
creation left without any hope, except for the promise of the Messiah. Jesus
tried to tell the Jewish leadership that His job at that time was not bringing destruction.
That work would come later. At that time, the time for salvation would be over
and all the nations who fought against Jerusalem would be destroyed.
When Peter made his confession, he was speaking
for all of the disciples. Jesus told them, as He had told many others, not to
tell anyone who He truly was. Once again, the reason seems to be for the
protection of the disciples, and so Jesus could finish His work. If the
disciple told people who Jesus really was, there were a number of things could
happen. The disciples and Jesus could be held by the Jewish leaders for
blasphemy. They could also be killed, as was Stephen later. In addition, Jesus
would be swamped by those expecting a nationalistic Messiah while others would
turn away. Jesus could (and probably would) be relegated to the ranks of just
another prophet, or perhaps even a false prophet. The leadership would have no
need to arrest Him, no one would be listening anyway. Even some of Jesus’ followers
might try to make Him an earthly king. Timing was critical and Jesus knew how
to do it.
The difference between Peter’s
confession and Herod’s confession concerning Jesus easily points to the great difference
between the two men, their beliefs, paradigms and priorities. Herod had a
guilty conscience and thought only of himself. His confession that Jesus was
John the Baptist returned to life shows a self-oriented, unrepentant but guilt
laden person. Peter’s confession is that of a person who is in touch with God and
is seeking to recognize and do God’s Will regardless of the cost. When they
recognized Jesus as the Messiah, the disciples gave up their cultural prejudices,
nationalism and much of what they had been taught from earliest childhood. They
knew Jesus had not, at that time, come as a conquering Messiah to wipe out the
Gentiles and deliver the Jews. They all knew they would not receive an earthy
kingdom. None of this mattered. What did matter was that Jesus is the Messiah
and they loved Him more than life itself.
vs.31 –
33
After Peter’s confession, Jesus begins
to emphasize the theology of the suffering servant. The disciples are not quite
ready for this being taught so forcefully. In fact, Peter, who just publicly recognized
Jesus as the Christ now starts to rebuke Jesus. This can lead us to wonder if Peter
truly understood Jesus’ mission in their hearts or just in their heads.
As Jesus is talking about His death and
resurrection Peter cannot abide the idea of Jesus dying and tries to stop Jesus.
Here was the man who Jesus had just blessed being told to get out of His sight
(Matthew 16:17-28). What could have caused this about face in such a brief
time? One moment Peter is blessed because he is led by God and the next moment he
is rebuked because he is led by Satan. Peter was repeating what Satan said to
Jesus in the wilderness. Satan told Jesus He had enough power to avoid the crucifixion.
‘Jesus, you do not have to die this horrible death. You do not have to be
shamed by hanging naked on cross. You are the Son of God. God will protect you.’ These are things Jesus
had been hearing from Satan. Jesus is also human, and no human wants to die a
slow, painful death to prove a point. Jesus knew what He was doing what was
required by God to save the world. Jesus certainly did not need one of his
closest followers repeating Satan’s words, regardless of how well intentioned
the disciple’s words might be.
This immediate painful rebuke was good
for Peter and the other disciples. This proved to them that they were never
safe from Satan and his tricks unless they were always totally abiding in the
Spirit of God. An interesting note here is the failure of Mark to repeat the
blessing found in Matthew. The rebuke here is much stronger than in the other Gospels.
If we accept that the greatest amount of input to Mark’s Gospel came from Peter
this is not surprising. Peter would have remembered the rebuke and he would not
allow the same situation take place again. Peter would not have wanted people
to put him on a higher level than any of the other disciples. Peter would not
have emphasized the blessing. Peter knew exactly what the blessing was intended
to mean and simply did the job Jesus gave him to do without fanfare or self-promotion.
We do not fully understand what Jesus meant by the blessing therefore we make
either too much or too little of the blessing and the work that followed.
vs. 34 –
38
Jesus has finished teaching the
disciples and now calls the crowd to Him to teach them. Jesus continues
teaching about the suffering servant. The interesting thing here is Jesus’
continuing this line of teaching with the crowd. The disciples had trouble
enough with this thinking, what would the general public think and say to such
an unpopular teaching? What would the leaders say? For years the leaders had
kept the people controlled with dreams of the Messiah throwing off the yoke of
oppression someday, sometime…always in the future. Jesus was saying that He is
the Messiah but their ‘someday’ dream of a conquering Messiah was certainly not
now, and possibly not for a long time. What Jesus did with His teaching was to
bring the people into reality and truth. Reality and truth were things the
leadership did not seem to be well acquainted with, or able to accept when it
was directly in front of them.
As we consider this action of Jesus it
would seem to play right into the plans of the leadership to discredit and to
silence Him. Instead, His actions made the people consider what they were
taught and to judge if it matched the Word of God. This same thing happened
1,400 years later with the Reformation. In both cases the truth, no matter how
difficult to accept, must prevail.
Jesus was totally honest concerning what
those who followed Him could expect. Having no real experience with crucifixion
we cannot imagine the brutality of the process. In addition to the intense
physical suffering there was the total humiliation crucifixion brought. Part of
that humiliation was being forced to carry part of the cross to the place of
execution. That humiliation extended to the family and friends of the person
being crucified. Jesus was saying his followers could expect the same
humiliation from the world, as well as possible death for their beliefs.
As Jesus says all of this, He puts it
into perspective. He compares the short time we have on earth with eternity.
This theme of comparing our time of physical life as compared to eternity is
repeated throughout the New Testament. We humans have a difficult time understanding
the concept of eternity. We have trouble when someone makes fun of us for our
beliefs or our jobs are threatened. If we had to give up our comfortable
lifestyles or friends for the sake of Jesus, we might have a difficult time. We
seldom consider or talk about giving up our lives for the Gospel. Jesus tells
us that difficulties in this life that come because we believe in Him mean
nothing when compared to eternity with Him.
Being concerned only about ego, status,
etc. was not always the case with born-again Christians. The early church had
all things in common. They shared their worldly possessions. This was the
perfect example of communal living, and it worked well. The reason it worked
was that everyone involved had first given absolutely everything to Jesus. This
included their lives, possessions and loved ones. The leadership of the early
church was totally committed to doing God’s will. They had no question of God
answering prayer and leading His people, they all knew He did. It was an everyday occurrence. This possible
because the people had faith in God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus the Christ.
The communal living the early church
practiced was not a short-term thing. It lasted many years. The abuses we have
witnessed with this type of living does not make it wrong. The missing
ingredient is usually commitment, first to God and second to each other. We
must put others first and ourselves second. Preferring others before ourselves
is difficult, especially for those in leadership or power positions. The
teachings of Jesus show us that a strong commitment to Him and each other is
not only necessary, it is required.
MARK 9
vs. 01
1And He said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here
will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with
power.”
This is very difficult to understand. If
we interpret this verse to mean particular individuals listening would live
until Jesus physically returned, the prophecy would be false. None of the
people lived long enough to see Jesus come to the world again. Jesus did not prophesy
falsely therefore this initial interpretation must be incorrect. Jesus also did
not make a “what if” statement so this is a cold statement of fact.
This statement of Jesus was fulfilled in
at least one case. The Apostle John, known as the Revelator, while on the
island of Patmos saw that second coming of Jesus in a vision. John says that he was in the spirit on the
Lord’s Day. This is not Sunday, as we define the Lord’s Day, this was the Day
of the Lord; the day the Lord returned. The second coming of Christ is seen throughout
the Old and New testaments. The apostle Paul also alludes to this in 2 Corinthians
12: 1-5. Many theologians think Paul was speaking about himself. If Paul was
speaking of himself the structure of the passage makes little sense and makes
Paul both a liar and his reasoning illogical. He was most certainly neither. He
also would not have said “whether the person was in the spirit or out of the
spirit I do not know.” If Paul was referring to Himself he would know if he was
in the spirit or not. These things are
not at all consistent with what we know of Paul. A careful consideration of
Paul’s comments lead to the conclusion Paul was referring to the Apostle John.
The most important thing to see in this
passage is the absolute knowledge of Christ that He is coming back!
There was any is no question about coming events. This fact can also be tied to
Luke 4:18-19 and Isaiah 61: 1-2. As mentioned earlier the second coming will
not be as pleasant for the world as was the first.
vs. 2 – 13
9As
they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone
what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10They kept the matter to
themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant. 11And they asked Him, “Why do
the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” 12Jesus replied, “To be sure,
Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that
the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? 13But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him
everything they wished, just as it is written about him.”
Christ goes to a
mountain with Peter, James and John. These three appear to have a specific work
and responsibility the other disciples do not have, and Jesus is taking care to
mentor them. This event happened approximately a week after the events at
Caesarea Phillipi. Mark says it was six days after and Luke says about eight
days after. There is really no disagreement. They are both giving about a week
after the previous events and quite often the Jews were not a specific about
time as are we. Unless it was important (as in the crucifixion and
resurrection) close is good enough.
The name of the
mountain where this happened is not provided. There are two generally accepted possibilities.
One possibility is Mount Tabor and the second possibility is Mount Horeb. The
problem with the Mount Tabor location is that Mount Tabor is south of Galilee
and Caesarea Phillipi is north. Mount Tabor is only about 1000 feet high and
does not seem to fit the description. Mount Horeb is north of Galilee and is
approximately 9,200 feet high. This fits the description much better and provides
much more solitude.
The
transfiguration shows a connection to earlier Hebrew culture and history. To
the Hebrews the presence of God is connected to a cloud. This can be seen in
the Exodus and the writings of the prophets. The cloud coming down would be a
very clear sign to any Israelite that God was present. It would take them to
the time they were led out of bondage in Egypt. This is a visual confirmation
that Jesus is leading us out of spiritual bondage.
The events on the
mountain were a confirmation to both Jesus and the disciples. Jesus had a lot
of work to complete and much of it would be emotionally, spiritually and
physically brutally painful. Jesus
received direct confirmation from God that He was doing God's will.
The
transfiguration sent the same message to those disciples with Jesus. They were
witnesses to the transfiguration and heard the Voice of God affirming His love
for Jesus, relationship to Jesus and confirmation of Jesus' work. According to
the Law every word was to be corroborated by two or three witnesses. The
witnesses are to testify to what they have seen and heard. James, John and
Peter could testify firsthand. They did not need to carry a second-hand
message.
This message was
critical for the disciples. Jesus had just told them He must die. This went
contrary to all that they had been taught about the Messiah. They were making a
huge emotional and spiritual adjustment and investment. The transfiguration
affirmed to them that their decision to follow Jesus was the correct one. John,
Peter and James would be able to be witnesses of the event to the other
disciples and the world.
The reaction of
Peter was to offer to build three shelters for Jesus, Elijah and Moses. Peter
and the other disciples were very frightened. Peter's immediate reaction to
stress was to talk. I think many of us can relate to him.
God does not
rebuke Peter or the others. God simply comes in a cloud and affirms that Jesus
is His Son, God loves Him, and the disciples need to listen to Jesus. This it
is a tremendous thing. By His words, God
is not only affirming and confirming Jesus, He is telling the disciples He
cares and loves them. God has taken the time to encourage and instruct the
disciples. The one true God of all creation has taken the time to insert
Himself into the everyday lives of these people. It is a tremendous thing that
God has done, and a tremendous message God has sent to all of us. God cares
about us. God is not just far off looking down on us and not communicating. God
cares about us and loves us enough to communicate with us. God does not leave
us to wander helplessly wondering if we are going in the right direction. If we
listen God will guide us, instruct and let us know how much He loves us.
As they are
coming down from the mountain, Jesus tells the three they must not tell anyone
what they had seen or what had happened. The assumption can be made that this
includes telling the other disciples. Why Jesus did not want the other nine
disciples told about what had happened is not revealed. In-so-far as telling
the people, Jesus knew the people wanted an earthly style king and, if they
knew what happened on the mountain, they might try to make Jesus king by force.
The disciples wanted
to know why the experts in the Law said that Elijah must come before the Messiah
came. Remembering that Jesus had often proved the experts in the Law to be
wrong, the disciples might now be unsure of anything said by that group. Jesus
affirmed that in this case the experts in the Law were correct, Elijah must
come first. At this point the disciples may be confused. They had just seen
Jesus transfigured and they had seen Him with Elijah and Moses. They heard God
speaking to them affirming His love for Jesus and them. There is no doubt that
Jesus is the Messiah, but when did Elijah come and who was he? They have not
seen Elijah, but Jesus just confirmed that Elijah must (and had) come before Jesus.
Jesus gives a
two-part answer to their question. In the first part, He first tells them that
Elijah must come and put all things in order. This is future tense and refers
to the second coming of Christ. Jesus then tells them that Elijah has already come,
and the authorities did to him as they wished. Jesus was referring to John the
Baptist. John wore a hairy coat and lived on locusts and honey. These physical
attributes John took on emulated the prophet Elijah. John’s message was to
prepare the way of the Lord. By his message and acting out physically that he
was Elijah, John was showing the Messiah was coming very soon. Many people
missed the message. It is the same in the present times.
This passage is
easier to understand if we return to Jesus’ reading of Isaiah in the synagogue.
We must remember that Jesus read only part of the prophesy concerning Him. He
stopped after he read about the “acceptable day of the Lord.” At this point,
Jesus and the world are in the acceptable day of the Lord.
The phrase “does
come first” indicates a future appearance of Elijah. The second part of the
sentence “and restores all things” is sometimes overlooked but is critical to
understanding the passage. Then Jesus asks why it is written that the Son of
Man must suffer and be rejected. In accordance with the words of the prophesies
and Jesus, Elijah will come again before the second coming of Jesus to put
everything in order. Acts 3:21 is a strong indicator that this is how the early
church (including the Apostles) interpreted these words of Jesus.
Jesus then tells
them that Elijah has already come, and the authorities did to him as they
wished. Jesus was referring to John the Baptist. John wore a hairy coat and
lived on locusts and honey. These physical attributes John took on emulated the
prophet Elijah. John’s message was to prepare the way of the Lord. John the
Baptist did not come to restore, nor did he restore. It is very clear that John
came preparing the way for Jesus to preach salvation and to be the perfect
sacrifice for us. This being the case,
John could not be the Elijah who was to come. By his message and acting out
physically that he was Elijah, John was showing the Messiah was coming very soon
and ushering in the acceptable day of the Lord. Many people missed the message.
It is the same in the present times.
Returning to the
first part of Jesus’ statement there will Elijah will come before Christ
returns. This return will usher in the day of God’s judgement. This Elijah will
restore all things to what God originally intended. The mistake of thinking the
physical person Elijah will return must not be made. As we look at John the Baptist,
we can see a person who had the same Spirit, power, dedication, mission and
message as Elijah. The same will be true of the second Elijah.
vs. 14 –
18
After the experience on the mountain the
disciples were immediately brought face to face with the needs and pressures of
everyday life. This came as a shock. They just left the most unusual
manifestation of God they (and most others) had ever experienced. From that experience,
they immediately walk into an argument between their fellow disciples and the
lawyers.
The circumstances of the incident were a
young boy suffering from what appears to be demon possession. The disciples we
unable to heal the boy, and the lawyers who were waiting for a chance to denigrate
Jesus and his followers. This was the scene that greeted the three disciples.
This passage reveals two important
aspects of Jesus. First, He was ready to face both the cross and everyday
problems. Second, Jesus could easily move between having a direct conversation
with God the Father and the trials and joys of everyday living. The reason is
Jesus put no boundaries on God’s place in His life. Jesus lived with God in His
life always. Therefore, He had no problem communicating with God always and in
all circumstances. This is a lesson to the disciples and us. If we are willing,
God is with us both in the place of prayer and our common lives. Our everyday
life should be a place of prayer.
Jesus had the world to save, past,
present and future and yet He could, and would, take the time to help a single
individual. Jesus is never so busy with the things He had to do or the
importance of His message that He could not help one person at a time. Helping
His creation is the core of His message. Many times, we get so involved with
taking the message to the masses we forget the masses are made up of the
individuals. Nothing is more important than the message of God’s Love that we
carry, and that message is for individuals.
The crowd recognized the love and
concern Jesus had for them as individuals and responded by running to greet
Him. It is entirely possible Jesus’ appearance was quite different than usual. In
Exodus 33 and 34 we are told that the face of Moses shone to such an extent
that the Israelites were afraid to approach him. This change was from Moses
seeing the back of God, not God’s face. Jesus had just been transfigured and
had spoken to Elijah and Moses. In addition, the voice of God had confirmed
Jesus was His Son. As the face of Moses shone for a period of time after seeing
the back of God it is not illogical to conclude Jesus looked different after
His mountain experience. This conclusion is supported by the people’s reaction:
15As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed
with wonder and ran to greet him.” There
was something different in His appearance that caused the people to be
overwhelmed with wonder.
One interesting note in this story is
the inability of the disciples to heal this boy. Remember, they had recently
made an evangelistic circuit of the countryside and were amazed at how people
were healed and the delivered through their ministries. Now they cannot heal a
very sick and possessed boy. What happened?
vs. 19 –
24
Jesus had just come down from the
meeting with God, Elijah and Moses. He had faced the cross and came to terms
with it. Jesus knew what was going to happen in detail and was willing to face
it because of His Father’s and His love for man. Now Jesus comes directly into
a bad situation. For the father the scene is one of great despair. Jesus’
disciples were not able to heal the lad. The lawyers were using the situation
to try and discredit both Jesus and the disciples. The boy’s father was in
great anxiety and the boy was still suffering. The human side of Jesus comes
out strongly here as well as the divine side. How long must Jesus bear this
immaturity in His creation? When will they ever grow up? But the child needs the
touch of Jesus and that is paramount to Jesus. He tells the child’s father to
bring the child.
The demon spirit that had taken hold of
the child immediately recognizes Jesus and sends the boy into convulsions. As
the boy is in the convulsions, the father explains to Jesus this is normal for his
son. This is not, as some have claimed, a case of epilepsy. The demon spirit
seems to want to make the child suffer as much as possible, without destroying
him. The reason the spirit may not have wanted the child to die was it did not
want to lose its home, the boy’s body.
The combination of the inability of the
disciples to heal the child, the badgering of the lawyers, and the arguments have
perhaps caused the father to doubt the faith that brought him to Jesus. The
father asked Jesus to help his son, if He can. Jesus addresses this statement
of the father before healing the child. The ability of Jesus to heal the boy
was never in question. Jesus knew He would heal the child. There was a question
of the father having faith for the healing. The father and the boy needed
healing. Jesus healed the spirit and faith of the father first and, after the
father’s faith was restored, Jesus healed the child.
This order of healing teaches a few lessons.
We are, to some extent, responsible for own spiritual and physical health. We are
responsible to have faith and to come to God in belief, asking for the healing.
Our faith is to be placed in God and Christ, not in the persons who are the
servants and may be the conduit of the healing or other work. Members of the
organized church must remember Christ is our Savior, Lord and leader. We must
surrender ourselves to Christ and not to an organization. Our justification for
existence is to bring people to Christ and to fill their need through Christ.
vs. 25 –
29
Jesus was not in the middle of the
crowds when He healed the boy. The disciples and lawyers were probably a short
distance away from the main body of the crowd. As the crowd saw Jesus talking
with the lawyers, the disciples and the boy’s father they decided to find out
what was happening. Possibly they wanted to hear a debate between Jesus and the
Jewish leaders. Another possibility is they truly wanted to see the boy (a
familiar figure to them) healed.
Jesus, concerned that the boy and his
father would be a spectacle for the crowd, immediately healed the boy. The child,
after a final shriek and convulsion, fell and was very still. The crowd thought
he was dead. He was not. Jesus takes the child by his hand, lifts him up and
the child stood. This passage once more shows how deeply Jesus cares deeply
about each individual. He not only cares about our physical health but is
sensitive to our emotional, mental and spiritual health. Jesus healed the child
in a way that did not make him or his father a public spectacle. After the healing,
Jesus helped the lad to stand. The love of Jesus for His creation extends from
the largest to the smallest joy, needs, concerns troubles, etc. Jesus is always
with us…if we want Him to be with us. It is our decision.
After the healing and the disciples were
alone with Jesus, they asked Him why they could not cast out the spirit
inhabiting the lad. Jesus told them this kind of spirit could only come out
through prayer. In effect, Christ was telling them they did not stay in close
enough communion with God. They, as we, are given the power through the Spirit
but were not praying, communicating with God, to maintain spiritual strength
and power. There are many instances in the Gospels where Jesus went off alone
to pray. Jesus knew the importance of constant communication with God, including
time set aside for prayer without distractions from the world.
By not maintaining communion with God a
Christian can lose many things. Two things that can be lost are perspective and
vision. Without a strong communion with God people may well think that their
own abilities and goodness have made things happen. All good things come
through the spirit of God, we are His instruments, losing our perspective and
vision opens us up to the entry of pride and Satan. There is also a tendency to
misplace priorities. Emphasis may be placed on the gift or the person who has
the gift instead of the giver. The operation of the gift may be placed ahead of
the wisdom God provides in knowing when, where and how to use which gift. One
of the twelve spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 is wisdom. Wisdom
can be defined as knowing when, where and how to use the gifts and knowledge we
have been given. Knowing that comes through the Holy Spirit.
The gift will be lost if we do not keep
in communion with God. Our ability to use the gift(s) will decrease. The less
frequent the communication and communion the further away from God we move and
the more the power through the Holy Spirit weakens. This is not to say that
gift has been taken away but only that the Holy Spirit has been ignored or dismissed
with the result that the power behind the gift is diminished or totally absent.
vs. 30 –
32
This passage marks a milestone in the
life of Jesus and the disciples. Jesus is leaving the northern area and moving
toward Jerusalem and the crucifixion. Jesus’ statement should be read this in
mind. Jesus knew what was going to happen. His disciples did not.
This is not the first-time Jesus talks
about His impending death and resurrection, but the disciples still did not
understand. This was all new to them and they did not quite realize Jesus, the
Messiah, must be sacrificed to save mankind. Old teachings die hard and the
teachers of the law had been teaching that the Messiah was coming as a
conquering hero, not as a suffering servant. This time the disciples kept their
questions to themselves. They were very reluctant to ask Jesus any questions
about His comments. This could result from Jesus’ earlier rebuke of Peter.
Instead, they started discussing the future, specifically their place in that
future.
vs. 33 –
37
After the disciples reached their destination,
they had a rude shock. Jesus asked them what they had been arguing about on the
trip. The argument may have been an extension of the discussion about Jesus’
death. The disciples’ discussion appears to have degenerated into an argument
about who was going to have the greatest position in Jesus’ kingdom. The
disciples continued thinking in earthly terms and concepts. It is sad that this
was the core of the conversation as Jesus was on his way to the cross. It is just
as sad as many conversations between born again Christians striving for perceived
“power” position in church
Before judging the disciples too harshly,
we should examine our own lives. The Apostles were not doing anything different
than Christians and churches have done since then. The only difference is subsequent
Christians have the benefit of the Apostles experience. Having that knowledge carries
greater responsibility.
Jesus addresses the ambition of the
disciples then and present-day disciples. The first thing He did was to sit down.
When a rabbi taught his disciples, or was making a pronouncement, he sat. This
was an indication the teaching was very important. Jesus was about to teach His
disciples a great truth and did not want this point missed or misunderstood.
After Jesus sat down, he called His disciples to Him and taught them. His
teaching was; the person who wants to be first must be willing to be last. Only
by serving could a person truly lead. Only by putting others first could a person
expect to be followed. Human logic, wisdom and traditional teaching would tell
us this does not make sense. How can a person be a leader if they put others
first? How can power be accumulated by being a servant? Jesus took the wisdom
of the world and turned it on its head.
Jesus did not condemn ambition, just the
misuse of it. Being a Christian takes a strong person, one willing to walk
against the world. The important point is our strength lay in Christ and God,
and the work of bringing people to God. Our strength does not come by our own
actions.
After Jesus sat and talked to the
disciples, He brought a small child to Him. This tells us that Jesus and the
disciples were not alone during this teaching. Jesus had the child stand with
the disciples and Him. The scriptures tell us Jesus took the child in His arms
and held him. Jesus let the child know he was loved and protected. Jesus is
saying that a person who is dependent on God is the person closest to God. As the
disciples welcome, care for, love and become like the truly God-dependent
person, they welcome Christ and through Christ, God.
vs. 38
– 40
At first the transition from what has
just happened to this verse seems to be a bit odd. There seems to be a break in
the action from verse 37 to verse 38, with verse 38 starting at a different
place and/or time. Upon closer examination, we can see it all fits together.
Jesus has just finished teaching the
disciples about His and God’s priorities. Jesus has not condemned ambition but
has condemned a self-serving ambition. John seems to have understood, at least
partly, the point Jesus was making. John now comes and informs Jesus he and other
disciples have stopped a person outside their group from using Jesus’ name to
cast out demons.
John was probably thinking that this was
not only the right thing to do but might also have acknowledgement from Jesus
for a job well done. He was wrong. John confused a person being outside their
group with a person being an outsider to Christ. This mistake is made all too
many times by many Christians. Jesus corrected John’s thinking.
In Jesus’ time a common way to exorcise
demons was to use the name of a more powerful spirit to command the demon spirit
to leave the person. The spirit being cast out was supposed to be powerless to
resist. There were men who made their living casting out demons. John felt he
and the others had done the right thing by stopping the man. After all, he was
not part of Jesus’ disciples and so his motives were, at best, suspect.
The disciples’ error was in making a
decision based on what they thought was happening, not on the state of the
person’s heart and spirit. The first lesson this passage is teaching is, do not
always believe what our senses and/or intellect tell us. Our senses are
conditioned by our environment and prejudices and are not always accurate. Our intellect
often bases judgments on our individual paradigms (what we have seen, experienced
and felt) and is often incomplete at best, therefore our judgments may not be
accurate or appropriate. See and hear with spiritual eyes and ears. Get the
complete picture and then the judge according to the Spirit.
A very good Old Testament example of
this is Second Kings 6:15-17. In this passage, the king has decided to have Elisha
killed. To this end, he sent an army to the city of Dothan to capture Elisha.
The army circled the city at night and expected to take Elisha in the morning.
When the morning came the first person out of Elisha’s household was his
servant. The servant saw the army of he immediately went back in to tell Elisha
the bad news.
Awakening to an army surrounding the
place you are at is not normally the way a person expects to start the day.
Elijah’s servant was understandably concerned, but especially since he saw he
and Elijah were the only ones opposing the enemy. The odds were not on their
side. Elijah was not perturbed. He let his servant know that the number of
people in the army protecting him was far greater than the number in the army
sent to capture him. This confused the servant since he saw no one except
himself and Elisha.
Now Elisha did something a bit unusual. Elijah
prayed that his servant’s eyes might be opened to see the army protecting them.
Elijah did not pray that the army might appear but that his servant’s spiritual
eyes would be opened to see all of reality (not just the physical part of
reality). The servant’s eyes were opened and then he saw the complete reality
that was present all the time. Prior to that he was only seeing the physical
reality, which is only part of the complete picture.
The man casting out demons may not have
been a part of the disciples group, but he obviously had a grasp of who Jesus
was and the power Jesus had. The person’s heart was probably right with God,
even if his actions and methods were not what the disciples expected.
The second lesson this passage teaches
us is tolerance. Jesus puts the prejudice and arrogance of both the disciples
and ourselves away and requires us to be tolerant of those that truly believe
in Him but might worship Him differently. Jesus allows and encourages people to
think for themselves and speak for themselves. It is a human characteristic to
try to fit everyone into our individual mold. We somehow think less of the
person who is giving their all to Christ but in a manner other than what we expect.
How many times have we seen someone
preaching on the street or handing out tracts and felt embarrassed? How many
times have we felt they did not have the decorum a Christian should have? We
should in fact be embarrassed, but only by our own reactions. Each person must
do the work of God gives them to do in the manner God tells them to do it.
Now I am firmly convinced Jesus did not
expect us to just accept anyone and everyone that hangs a sign around their
necks saying, “I am a Christian” as a born-again brother or sister in Christ. The
scriptures are clear He intended for us to see and judge by the Spirit. (1 John
4:1) I also believe Jesus intended for us to love those who never accept Him.
What to do about Christ is each person’s choice. It is the Christian’s job to
love and to light the path, not to judge and condemn
vs. 41 –
48
Jesus emphasizes that any help given to
a person because the person is a believer in Christ it will not be forgotten,
nor will their reward be forgotten. Jesus is not speaking only of the great
things we do, but also the small, perhaps unnoticed, acts of kindness. The
words of Christ do not differentiate between believer or nonbeliever. The
important thing is that it is done in done name of Christ, that is, giving the
help is prompted by the Holy Spirit. This would seem to assume the person
performing the act is a believer, but Christ is not making that distinction. It
may also seem odd that a person not yet a believer can still be motivated by
the workings of the Holy Spirit. Such a person may become a believer in the
future. We do not always know at what point they are in their decision
concerning Christ. God does know.
Just as showing a kindness has its
reward, causing a person to sin also has a reward. The millstone mentioned in
this verse is the kind of millstone used to weight a person down to drown him.
This was a common punishment in that time. There was no way a condemned person
could avoid drowning after having a mill stone fixed to them and they were
thrown into the water. This is the very strong point Jesus is making. There is absolutely no way a person who
causes another to sin can escape their punishment, except by truly repenting of
the act and asking for forgiveness. This is especially true for those who lead
children into sin.
Jesus is very stern and to the point about
what He is teaching. He is deadly serious. Not only does a person’s physical,
temporal life depend on understanding this teaching, but their spiritual,
eternal life also depends on their understanding this teaching.
The teaching here shows a direct
relationship between a man reaping and sowing.
The Jews, and we, often view God as a hard, stern taskmaster. God is
often viewed as sitting in judgment on us, imposing His sentence with no regard
for mercy, justice, extenuating circumstances or sympathy. The fact is we judge ourselves based on the
actions of our lives. God affirms that judgement. The person who causes another
to sin not only shows a lack of love for others but also a lack of love for themselves
and God. They have broken God’s heart in their own case and are breaking God’s
heart again by destroying others. The Gospels provide numerous places where
Jesus takes the Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees to task for leading others
away from God.
This is so serious that Christ tells the
disciples and others present they should cut off a part of their body if this
would keep them from sin. I believe Jesus said this to make a point, but it is
in fact truly that important. To the Jews, deliberately destroying a part of
the body, the temple of God, would be sin. Jesus is saying that this is
preferable to losing eternal life. One problem is many times the sin originates
in our minds and hearts. It is not possible to cut either of those out of our
bodies. This is why a person must give and commit every part of their life,
spirit and physical being to Christ. Only by doing this can a person cut off
all parts of them from sin.
This passage also refutes the arguments
that there is no Hell. There is no place of punishment. That, if there is a Hell,
it is only temporary and God would not send us to a place like Hell, at least
not for eternity. Jesus is very clear concerning Hell. Hell exists and is a
place of punishment. Hell is permanent, more permanent than we understand and very,
very real. The biggest misunderstanding is that God alone makes the decision to
send us there. As already noted, their lives, actions and failure or refusal to
accept Jesus the Christ as Savior, people ask to be sent to Hell. God gives us
every opportunity to avoid the punishment. We insist on being given the
punishment.
Hell is a form of the words hin and nom.
The Valley of Hinnom (present day Wadi er-Rababi) was a ravine outside of
Jerusalem with an evil past. Hinnom was the valley used for idol worship and passing
their children through the fire (a part of Baal worship). People (including
Ahaz) burned their own sons as sacrifice to false gods. Josiah declared the
valley to be unclean because of the practices carried on there and because the
people refused to go to Jerusalem to worship at the appointed feast times and
place designated by God. The area was used as a refuse heap for Jerusalem.
This was as close as Jesus could come to
describing the place of punishment where sinners would go. This picture is not
as bad as the reality. Humans are not capable of truly envisioning hell. This
is becaue hell was not made for man but rather for Satan and his followers. Man
chooses to spend eternity in hell.
vs. 49 –
50
To understand what these verses are
saying the listener or reader must know what salt and fire have in common; they
both purify. Metals are purified with fire.
The dross is separated from the metal and can be removed leaving only
the purified metal. Salt purifies and preserves meat. Meat that is unsalted
quickly spoils, especially in hot environments.
In verse 49 Jesus is stating everyone
will (not might) be purified from the dross in their lives. The Word of God is
a purifying fire. God, through the Holy Spirit, shows us what we need to bring
under subjection to Him. It is up to us to take, or not take, action on what
the Holy Spirit reveals.
As well as purifying, the Word preserves
believers for Christ. A little bit of salt goes a long way. We are to be the
salt of the earth. If a believer loses their purification and starts to turn vile,
how can that believer be a help to others? Purity and preservation are
maintained through Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Word and the fellowship of
believers. We maintain our peace and our very existence through Christ.
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