Welcome to Week 8 in our study of Mark’s gospel. Today we come to chapter 8, the last in our focus on the identity of Jesus.
Mark wants us to see clearly that Jesus is God. That’s a theme for this week, seeing clearly, and it will play out over the course of the next five days. Let’s get started!
Study notes by Mark Lautenschlager, prayer guides by Tracy Lautenschlager.
Index to Days 2 through 5
Day 1
Feeding the 4,000
Observe
For a second time, Jesus feeds a huge crowd of people that were following him around.
{Mark 8:1-10 ESV} {1} In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, {2} “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. {3} And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” {4} And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” {5} And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” {6} And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. {7} And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. {8} And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. {9} And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. {10} And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.
Jesus was still in Gentile territory, so unlike the last large crowd he fed, this was not a crowd of Jews. Notice how hands off the disciples are. With the crowd of 5,000 Jews, they took notice of the hunger and came to Jesus. Here, with a Gentile crowd, the disciples paid no attention to their hunger. Jesus did, and it was he who went to the disciples. Might this have been Jesus sending a message to his disciples that he was here not only for Jews, but also for Gentiles? Perhaps. The rest of the miracle follows a familiar pattern. They take inventory of the food and it’s not enough, after which Jesus tells them to pass it out anyway and miraculously it becomes enough. What we are to take from this miracle is the same as with the feeding of 5,000. God alone can create something out of nothing and by creating bread and fish Jesus is proving that he truly is God, Creator of heaven and earth, and he can satisfy all our needs.
- What was different between the feedings of the 5,000 and the 4,000 and the rest of Jesus’ miracles?
- What genuine need do you want God to satisfy right now?
Heavenly Father, How many times have my prayers ignored the needs of people who are outside my community or different? How many times have I seen you perform a miracle and then taken it for granted, just moving on to my next request? I have seen relationships saved, children rescued by adoption and the sick restored. I have experienced miracles in my life, yet I fail to praise you. Forgive me, Lord, when I forget the breadth and depth of your love. Forgive me when I forget that you alone are God. Teach me to align my desires with yours. Amen.
Day 2
Signs and Leaven
Observe
Jesus hops in a boat and returns to Jewish territory, where he encounters a group of Pharisees who want something from him.
{Mark 8:11-21 ESV} {11} The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. {12} And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” {13} And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side. {14} Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. {15} And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” {16} And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. {17} And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? {18} Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? {19} When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” {20} “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” {21} And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
Of course the Pharisees already had plenty of signs in the miracles Jesus performed. What they were trying to do was trap him. The Greek word translated test is the same one translated as tempted in the story of Satan tempting Jesus in the wilderness. They wanted Jesus to appear in his glorified state (that is, a sign from heaven) to prove he had the authority of heaven. Ironically, he’s just about to do that but the audience would be only Peter, James, and John. The Pharisees wanted Jesus to misuse his divine authority (remember, all of the miracles Jesus performed benefitted someone else). In Luke 23:8, we find that Herod also desired Jesus to give him a sign. Jesus refuses and hops on another boat with the disciples, who are squabbling about forgetting to pack enough food. You see where Jesus’ mind is, though, when he responds to their fighting about bread by warning them to avoid the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. Leaven is the agent used to make bread dough rise, most often yeast. In the Bible, it is used symbolically to mean an insidious sin that comes in small but grows to a large effect. Jesus wanted them to not fall prey to the doubt and unbelief that would demand a sign from him. And they…miss the point entirely, continuing to fight about the bread, which prompts a scolding from Jesus. He walks them through the two miraculous feedings, asking questions about each step, to see if they will get the point. But in the end, it seems that they don’t.
- Would having a demonstrative sign from God make a difference in your walk with him? If so, what?
- Why do you think Jesus refuses to give such a sign?
Dear Jesus, At times I come to you in prayer wanting what I want, trying to hide my own motives from you. At times I know what I ought to do, but I avoid it. I pretend that you have not answered. I hold back from you because I’m afraid of where you may lead me. Lord, shine your light on this sin of doubt and disbelief in me. I know that you’ve called me and love me, and I can trust you. You have shown me this over and over. I have the only sign I need in your word. Now, help me to follow. Amen.
Day 3
Healing in Stages
Observe
Jesus encounters a blind man in Bethsaida and heals him, but not on the first try.
{Mark 8:22-26 ESV} {22} And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. {23} And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” {24} And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” {25} Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. {26} And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”
This is the only healing recorded in the gospels where Jesus did not perform the entire thing at once. So obviously, he could. Why not this time? We can’t know for certain, but it might be possible that this was done for the disciples’ benefit. Remember, Jesus took the man and led him outside the village, away from the crowds, where the only audience was the disciples. There he opens the man’s eyes partially and, in a second step, fully. The disciples would see this and perhaps understand there was a difference between seeing and seeing clearly. Jesus wants the disciples to see the complete truth about him, including why he came to earth, and they keep resisting. (Another suggested alternative meaning to this was Jesus wanting to show that not every healing is instantaneous, and sometimes we need to be patient as he brings healing in part, or through stages.)
- Would you say that you see Jesus more clearly now than when you first believed? What caused this change?
- Has there been something about Jesus that you resisted, or were reluctant to accept? If so, what was it and why did it make you feel this way?
Dear Lord, Thank you for this picture in scripture of Jesus first restoring only partial sight. I feel like that at times, Lord, half-blind, or half lame and only half able to follow you. But you did not leave the man in that state. You healed fully. By your death and resurrection you have called me and healed me completely, although in this life I still squint and stumble. Give me patience as your spirit works within me. Help me to step out in faith where you lead, even though the path seems dim. Amen.
Day 4
Half-seeing Disciples
Observe
Jesus asks a direct question and gets a direct answer.
{Mark 8:27-30 ESV} {27} And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” {28} And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” {29} And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” {30} And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
Another one of those moments when Jesus asks someone for information and we have to pause and say, “Wait. What? Doesn’t Jesus know everything?” Without dipping into a long discussion about the limitations Jesus accepted along with his humanity, we need to acknowledge that whatever Jesus wanted to know, he could know. So when he does this, asking someone else for information, that is for the benefit of the person being asked, in some way, and not because Jesus didn’t know the answer. So Jesus wanted to get the disciples thinking about what other people were saying. Several theories were advanced. It’s the same today. There is enough evidence outside of the Bible for the existence of the man Jesus that it’s not worth debating, so people will generally have some idea who they think he is, from just some guy all the way to a great religious teacher. Yet they all stop short of the truth. He was God in human form. Jesus pressed his disciples, asking who they thought he was, and they answered “the Christ.” Immediately we feel good for the disciples’ sake, wanting to high-five them and congratulate them on seeing clearly. Well, not so fast. But that’s a topic for tomorrow.
- When people today are asked who they think Jesus was, what do you believe most of them say?
- Some will respond almost by reflex, giving the Sunday School answer, “the Son of God.” What would you ask next to see just how well they understood their answer?
Dear Jesus, Yes! You are the Christ, the son of the living God! I have the blessing of your word and its gospel. I have centuries of other Christians who have followed you. I have your spirit dwelling within me, so I know who you are. But Lord, even with all of that knowledge, at times I fail to follow you. Teach me to both know you and follow you, to make your kingdom the center of my life. Amen.
Day 5
Stubborn Vision Problems
Observe
Following their correct answer that he was the Messiah, Jesus launches into explaining what that meant he had to do. The disciples collectively freak out. Jesus tells both his disciples and an assembled crowd what it would cost to follow him.
{Mark 8:31-38 ESV} {31} And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. {32} And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. {33} But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” {34} And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. {35} For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. {36} For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? {37} For what can a man give in return for his soul? {38} For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
You’ve probably heard us say on more than one occasion that Jews in the time of Jesus were looking for a messiah who would be a great military leader and free them from Roman control. Truth is, the Old Testament predicted many things about God’s Messiah and if you were to choose carefully the ones you paid attention to, you could make the messiah look like anything you wanted. In this account, Jesus was explaining to his disciples that, yes, he was the Christ, and that meant he would be arrested, tortured, and killed, but then rise again from the dead. You can imagine them all looking at each other, can’t you? Peter, always the first to speak, gave Jesus an earful and earned a response from Jesus that Peter probably wasn’t expecting. Jesus saw that this was a temptation from Satan. Returning to lead Israel and free them from oppression was certainly easier than what Jesus knew he had to do, but to not go to the cross would be to not save us from the ultimate enemy. After rebuking Peter, Jesus explains the cost of following him. To follow Jesus properly requires everything you are, everything you can do, and everything you own. Further, it requires dying to your own purposes so you could live to accomplish his. We all accomplish this to one degree or another (meaning, imperfectly), but Jesus concludes with a somber warning against denying him to protect your own reputation or station in life. No one is too big, or too small, to follow Jesus!
- The disciples wanted Jesus to be a different kind of messiah and at times we are guilty of the same thing, wanting Jesus to be something he’s not. Why do you think we fall into that trap?
- How does the conclusion of the chapter, where Jesus warns against choosing your own status or reputation over him, make you feel? Explain why.
Father God, Your plans and the building of your kingdom do not resemble the plans and kingdoms of the world. You tell me to deny myself, when the world around me says that I need to put myself first. You tell me to take up a cross, a deadly burden, and walk with you. That to gain my life I must lose it. Help me to love my neighbors rather than fight for my own rights. When I doubt and waiver, show me a glimpse of your kingdom. Remind me with your presence. Amen.