The Gospel of Mark 8:10-33 July
28, 2018
We just covered Jesus just
feed the 4000.
The Pharisees Demand a
Sign, The leaven of the Pharisees.
Mark 8:10 immediately got into the boat
with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha. {Magadan}
See images of Dalmanutha at bottom of page
Mark 8:11
Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing
Him. {could be translated
Tempted} {Heaven, Jewish title for God,
wanted a sign from God, Himself}
*Matthew 16:1 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing
Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.
They always looking for a sign and this seems to upset Jesus. The Pharisees request was not for another miracle of the
type Jesus had already done. They are asking for a dramatic sign from the sky
or heaven, something similar Elijah’s fire
from heaven.
Mark 8:12
But He sighed
deeply in His spirit, and said,
"Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign
shall be given to this generation."
*Matthew 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a
sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet
Jonah." And He left them and departed.
The Greek words indicates
that Christ was angry. Why did they ask for a sign? Why, It was evidence of the
state of their hearts. It show a lack of faith on their part, doubt. Jesus was amazed at the unbelief.
Jesus
miracles are not done with the intention of
convincing hardened unbelievers. Instead, Jesus did miracle to show the power
of God in the context of mercy.
Why was Jesus angry, could
it be because what will happen in the future?
*Revelation
13:13-14 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven
to the earth in full view of the people. (14) Because of the signs it was given
power to perform on behalf of the
first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set
up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
Mark 8:13 And He left them, and getting into the boat
again, departed
to the other side. {The eastern shore of the Sea of
Galilee}
See images of eastern shore of the Sea of
Galilee at bottom of page
The Leaven of the
Pharisees and Herod
Mark 8:14
Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.
*Matthew 16:5 Now when His disciples had
come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
Mark 8:15
Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."
*Matthew 16:6 Then Jesus said to them,
"Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the
Sadducees."
The disciples are confused.
Leaven of
the Pharisees”: consists of hypocrisy and self-righteousness.
Leaven of
Herod”: consists of political intrigue; worldliness.
Jesus said do not get
caught up in either group.
In the Scriptures leaven
represents wrong, sin or evil teaching; it never means the gospel.
One of the wrong things
that is being taught today is that leaven represents the gospel in the parable
of the woman who hid leaven in three measures of meal. Woman and the Leaven parable.
*Matthew 13:33 Another parable He spoke
to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid
in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."
The meal symbolizes the
gospel, and the leaven, which represents wrong teaching, was hidden in it. This
is the process of making something taste good to the natural man.
Actually, what is
liberalism? It all came into existence by the pulpit trying to please the
unsaved church members. And today we have a lot of ministers trying to please
the congregation, means that is putting leaven in—mixing wrong teaching with
the truth of the gospel.
Mark 8:16
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no
bread." {the disciples still really
do not get it}
*Matthew
16:7 They discussed this among themselves and said, "It is because we
didn't bring any bread."
The
disciples did not relate it to a spiritual idea at all, only what their stomach wants.
Mark 8:17
But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you
have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart
still hardened?
*Matthew
16:8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, "You of little faith, why
are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?
Mark 8:18
Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not
remember?
Their
understanding should have been based on seeing what Jesus already did. Was it a tone communicating anger, concern,
or frustration?
They just finish feeding
the people and Jesus is not concern about the bread.
There are people who have
been studying the Bible for years and who are like that. Their shelves full of notes and still does
not get it.
Mark 8:19
When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did
you take up?" They said to Him,
"Twelve."
*Matthew
16:9 Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for
the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? {they are listening to Him}
Mark 8:20 "Also, when I broke the seven for the
four thousand, how many large baskets full
of fragments did you take up?" And they said, "Seven."
*Matthew 16:10 Nor the seven loaves of
the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?
Mark 8:21 So
He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"
*Matthew 16:11 How is it you do not
understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?--but to beware
of the leaven of
the Pharisees and Sadducees."
*Matthew 16:12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Jesus Heals a Blind
Man at Bethsaida
Mark 8:22 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a
blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch
him.
See images of Bethsaida at bottom of page
Mark 8:23 So
He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.
They: his friends did the
begging, not the blind man. He apparently was going with their enthusiasm;
willing, but wary.
But you notice that He led
the blind man out of town. Had Bethsaida, where many of His mighty works had
been performed, become like Nazareth where He could no longer perform mighty
works or healings?
Mark 8:24 And he looked up and said, "I see men
like trees, walking."
This covers 3 Stages to our
healing and to our conversion.
1. Blindness. We are all first spiritually
blind. Like the blind man we can say, “Once I was blind, but now I can see.”
*John 9:25 He answered and said,
"Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that
though I was blind, now I see."
But you’ll notice that He
gained only partial sight, and only Mark tells us this.
2. Partial sight. Is
this not our condition today?
“For now we see through a
glass darkly; but then face to face …”
*1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see
through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then
shall I know even as also I am known.
3. Perfect sight. The third stage is
perfect vision. We’ll get our 20/20 spiritual vision when we come into His
presence, and that’s when we’ll really be able to see Him as He is.
*1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children
of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that
when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
Mark 8:25
Then He put His hands
on his eyes again and made him look up.
And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.
When Jesus had finished, He
had healed this man perfectly
Mark 8:26
Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor
tell anyone in the town."
Neither go into the town,
nor tell it to any in the town”: Did not want this promoted in this town. This place of Bethsaida had already had
judgment pronounced upon it (Mt 11:21).
Variation in Methods
Different methods which
our Lord used in opening eyes of the blind:
Here at Bethsaida when He
healed the blind man, he touched his eyes. So this man had an experience.
When Jesus healed blind
Bartimaeus, He didn’t touch him at all but just told him from a distance, and
faith alone opened his eyes.
But the man who had been
born blind was told to go and wash in the pool of Siloam, an entirely different
method (John 9).
What is the point here, we
do not put God in a box. We have a hard
time understanding God in the area of healing.
There is supernatural healing and we do not know when and why it happens
to one person and not another. Only God
knows why He heals now and or will heal later at the resurrection.
Peter Confesses
Jesus as the Christ
Mark 8:27 Now
Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the
road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?" {city is way up north, next to border – good question}
See Images of Caesarea
Philippi at bottom of page
*Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the
region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men
say that I, the Son of Man, am?"
*Luke 9:18 And it happened, as He was alone
praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying,
"Who do the crowds say that I am?"
Jesus asked this question as an introduction to a more important follow-up
question.
Mark 8:28 So
they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of
the prophets."
*Matthew 16:14 So they said, "Some say John the
Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
*Luke 9:19 So they answered and said,
"John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old
prophets has risen again."
Mark 8:29 He
said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered
and said to Him, "You are the Messiah." {Peter golden moment and starting to
understand}
*Luke 9:20 He said to them, "But
who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said, "The Christ of
God."
*Matthew 16:15-16 He said to them,
"But who do you say that I am?" (16) Simon Peter answered and said,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
*Matthew 16:17 Jesus answered and said
to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. {Only the Father can revealed it}
The Christ: Christ is not
a name. Jesus is His name.
Christ is a title—in the
Hebrew, it was the Messiah, which means the “Anointed One.”
Mark 8:30
Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.
*Matthew 16:20 Then He commanded His
disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
*Luke 9:21 And He strictly warned and commanded them to
tell this to no one,
“And he commanded them”:
This is a strong rebuke: the verb, evpitima,w epi-timao, is the same one Jesus
used in rebuking the demons (Mk 1:25).
They were to wait until
the gospel story was complete (Cf. Mk 8.31).
Jesus Foretells His
Death and Resurrection
Mark 8:31
And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many
things, and be
rejected by the elders and chief
priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
*Matthew 16:21 From that time Jesus
began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many
things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be
raised the third day.
*Luke 9:22 saying, "The Son of Man
must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and
scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."
Jesus tells the disciples
he will be killed and raised back to life after 3 days. They did not get it. It seems like the women did understand what
will happen.
Jesus will suffer many
things, and be rejected.
The final phase of their training begins here. It was at Caesarea
Philippi that He first revealed His cross or death to them. Did they understand
it.
NO.
This
was an unbelievable shock to the disciples.
It is as if a presidential candidate announced toward the end of his
campaign that he will go to
Washington
to be rejected and be executed.
(Yet only a few women
seemed to understand and anticipate that final week.)
Mark 8:32 He
spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.
*Matthew 16:22 Then Peter took Him aside
and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not
happen to You!"
Mark 8:33 But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples,
He rebuked Peter,
saying, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of
God, but the things of men." {all
disciples}
*Matthew 16:23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me,
Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God,
but the things of men."
They were strong and harsh
words that Jesus ever spoke to a follower. Peter had good intentions, but that
is not enough. We don’t have to be demon possessed to be used by Satan, but we need to be on
guard lest we are unwittingly used.
Peter had become the
unwitting carrier used by Satan.
Peter apparently was a
victim of the “Two Messiah” view of the OT:
1) The Messiah, the
Suffering Servant; and
2) The Messiah, the Ruling
King.
The fixation on the Ruling
King view, and his political views, is what Judas and the other disciples
wanted. {Remember the last question the
disciples had before Jesus ascension}.
Images of Dalmanutha
Images of eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee
Images of Bethsaida
Images of Caesarea Philippi
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