Mark 8

INTRODUCTION

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 story is sometimes referred to as

The twice-touched blind man

The question is, why did Jesus need to touch him twice for his sight to be fully restored?

Because of the surrounding material, this event is referred to as an

Enacted Parable — A real historical event intended to make a point much like a parable

The true story of Jesus healing this blind man is supposed to teach us something.

As we look through this chapter we are going to see spiritual blindness and the need to have our eyes opened.

Transition

The title for this evening is…

Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord

As we are going to see in this chapter,

there are those whose eyes are completely blind to Jesus’ teaching, and who He is… and

there are those whose eyes are blurry…

they can see, but not clearly.

We too at times can be completely blind, or at least have a fuzzy view of what God is doing…

So…

Transition

We need God to open the eyes of our heart…

1. To see my greater need for spiritual growth

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.

EXPLAIN

These people had come from near and far to listen to Jesus.

They had stayed with Jesus for three days and had run out of food.

They obviously stayed longer than they had anticipated.

ILLUSTRATE

This weekend we are going to our boys hockey tournament up in Cambridge.

We know that we are going to be gone for 3 days, so we are preparing for what we are going to do for food.

We know that we’re going to eat out a couple times…

We have free breakfast at the hotel…

We are going to pack a lunch on the way up to save money…

We’re going to bring some snacks to save some money…

The point is… we are planning for what food we will need for the entire weekend.

Transition back to Explanation…

In those days it would have been far more crucial for them to plan ahead since they did not have a McDonalds in every town.

These people who had come to Jesus had clearly not planned to stay as long as they did, since they did not have anymore food.

This shows their faith in Jesus…

They had greater concern for their spiritual well-being than their physical well-being.

Jesus did nurture their spiritual souls over the course of the three days as He taught them.

But He was not going to neglect to take care of their physical needs either.

Spiritual things are of greater value, but we have also been created as physical humans, and we need food.

Jesus knew that, and did not want to send them away without feeding them, knowing they wouldn’t have the energy to make it.

APPLY

We need to learn from these people’s example of faith.

We can trust that God is going to take care of our needs and provide for us as we follow Him in faith.

Matthew 6:33 ESV

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Whatever God is asking you to do in your life, He will equip you with all you will need to accomplish it.

He will even provide for your physical needs!

We must understand, as these people did, that our greatest need is for spiritual growth, and NOT for physical things.

Prompt

What areas of our physical lives do we tend to focus on more than the spiritual?

Our health

Our physical appearance (working out, clothing, etc.)

How much money I have/get paid

What kind of vehicle I drive

We must be most focussed on our spiritual growth, rather than satisfying our flesh.

Transition

We need God to open the eyes of our heart…

2. To know and believe His Word

Mark 8:11–13 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.

EXPLAIN

The Pharisees were seeking a sign from Jesus.

We know that they are not genuinely interested in following Him, they were trying to test Him.

Jesus had already been doing lots of miracles that they themselves heard and knew about.

Back in chapter 3 they accused him of being demon-possessed… that was how he was able to cast out demons.

This shows that a sign would not have convinced them anyway.

Ultimately this shows us that:

The Pharisees do not believe Jesus’ testimony about Himself.

They want Him to “prove” His authority, which He already has.

The Pharisees are spiritually blind to who Jesus is

They are refusing to believe in His teaching and His works that He is performing.

Therefore Jesus is not going to entertain their false motives.

He’s not going to throw His pearls before swine.

ILLUSTRATE

In our world of identity theft, we often times have to verify our identity, or prove we are who we say we are.

A few weeks ago, I was calling our bank.

To verify my identity they asked questions about who I was, my date of birth, my address…

They even have a voice recognition software that is meant to determine my identity.

All of these security measures are in place to make sure someone is not trying to steal money from me, or make changes to my account.

APPLY

Maybe they didn’t have identity theft in those days like we do today,

but when someone walks around claiming to be God, you definitely want them to prove it.

It wasn’t that Jesus hadn’t already done this, it was that the religious leaders refused to believe Him.

Up to this point Jesus has already:

been baptized and the Spirit descended on Him…

healed people of unclean spirits…

healed the blind and lame…

brought a girl back from the dead…

fed 5,000 and 4,000…

walked on water…

He has more than adequately proved His identity with His teaching and miracles…

The Pharisees were simply refusing to believe it.

They are spiritually blind.

A lot of times we can lack faith in Jesus as well.

He has given us His Word to give us confidence in His promises to us…

But we do not believe it.

We often times KNOW God’s Word,

But we refuse to BELIEVE it.

We must ask God to open our eyes so that we:

Know and believe His Word.

Prompt

What areas do you think Christians commonly lack faith in God’s Word?

We don’t believe God will answer our prayers…

We don’t believe God’s Word will transform us…

We don’t believe God cares that much about me…

We need to be in God’s Word DAILY, and we must take Him at His Word. As we come to Him in faith, He will complete His work in us.

Transition

We need God to open the eyes of our heart…

3. To discern false teaching

Mark 8:14–21 ESV

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?”

EXPLAIN

The disciples believed and trusted Jesus, so their eyes were open, but they still did not see clearly…

just like the blind man who received his sight but couldn’t see clearly.

They were focussed on physical things, and not spiritual things.

Jesus asks them a bunch of questions, rapid fire, which reveals their spiritual dullness.

They have now seen Jesus perform miracles on two separate occasions where He provided food for thousands of people from next to nothing.

Jesus has never been conerned about being prepared by bringing food.

His greatest concern has been meeting spiritual needs whereever they have gone.

One of the characteristics of Mark, is that he tends to leave stories a bit more dark.

He doesn’t resolve every tension, but leaves things hanging in a sort of awkward silence.

“Don’t you get it yet?”

And that’s where he leaves the story.

Matthew finishes the story for us in Matthew 16:12…

Matthew 16:12 ESV

12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

The religious leaders were so dull they did not even recognize the Messiah…

about whom the OT Scriptures predicted.

They could not be trusted…

So Jesus warns the disciples to beware their teaching.

The only teaching that can be trusted is God’s teaching, which helps us discern what is false.

ILLUSTRATE

When people are being trained to identify counterfeit money…

they are educated on all of the specific features of genuine money.

Here are five key security features commonly found in Canadian bills:

1. **Polymer Substrate:**

- Canadian banknotes are made of a polymer substrate rather than traditional paper. This material enhances durability and includes transparent windows with complex holographic images, making it more difficult to reproduce convincingly.

2. **Holographic Window:

- Most Canadian bills include a transparent holographic window with intricate designs. This window may contain a metallic portrait, the denomination, and other elements that change colors or appear to move when tilted.

3. **Color-Shifting Features:**

- Many Canadian banknotes have color-shifting elements, where the color of certain features changes when the banknote is tilted. This feature is often applied to various parts of the bill, such as the denomination numeral.

4. **Raised Printing and Tactile Features:**

- Canadian bills feature raised printing and tactile elements that can be felt by touch. Certain parts of the banknote, including the portrait, text, and symbols, have raised surfaces, providing an additional layer of security for those with visual impairments.

5. **Security Threads:**

- Security threads are embedded in Canadian banknotes and can be partially seen on the surface. These threads are metallic and may contain holographic images or other security features. They are incorporated into the polymer substrate to make replication more challenging.

As people are trained to know what a genuine bill looks like, it becomes easy to spot a fake.

APPLY

This principle is true about our Bible’s as well.

The more we know God’s Word, the easier it is for us to spot false teaching.

We may be tempted to learn more about those false teachings so that we can refute them…

But that is not the best way.

We must be focussed on learning the truth of God’s Word,

and the better we know it, the easier it will be to spot the fakes.

Have you ever been challenged with an idea or question you didn’t know how to answer?

Why did God kill babies in the OT?

Would a loving God actually send people to hell?

Why doesn’t God just prove that He exists to people who don’t believe Him?

All religions lead to the same place.

We must know our Bibles well, and be searching for the truth so that we are not led astray by false teaching!

Transition

We need God to open the eyes of our heart…

4. To understand Jesus’ true identity

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.

EXPLAIN

Amid all the differing opinions of who Jesus is,

the disciples’ eyes are opened to the fact that He is much more than:

John the Baptist…

Elijah… or

a prophet…

Jesus is the Christ… the Messiah… the One whom the Scriptures foretold would come.

He is the One who would crush the head of the serpent!

The fact that the disciples recognized this shows that their eyes had been opened to Jesus’ true identity.

ILLUSTRATE

You all are probably familiar with Batman.

Bruce Wayne is the character behind Batman…

But he hides his identity from the people of Gotham City.

The reason for this is so that:

He is able to operate outside the law without getting in trouble.

He can strike fear into the hearts of the criminals.

He protects his identity.

He maintains the enigma that is Batman.

For these reasons, it is important for Batman’s indentity to remain hidden.

Batman gives the people of Gotham City a feeling of peace and security, knowing they have someone watching out for and protecting them.

APPLY

The disciples knowing Christ’s true identity, would have given them confidence to continue following Him, even to the point of their own death.

Which they eventually did all die for their faith in Jesus.

They could give their lives for Jesus, knowing that He was God, and would deliver them to the Promised Land.

We need God to open our eyes to the truth of who Jesus is.

This is not something we can come to know based on a human understanding.

Paul, writing to the Corinthians says…

1 Corinthians 12:3 ESV

3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

You can utter the words…

But the only way you can say it from faith in your heart,

is through the indwelling Spirit.

When we come to know and believe that Jesus is the Messiah,

we can have the confidence to follow and believe His promises to us.

Scripture teaches us that He has been delivered to heaven, where He now reigns and rules.

He has been given all authority, and therefore will work powerfully in us by His Spirit.

Ephesians 1.

Prompt

What truths about Jesus would help you in moments of doubt, struggle, or temptation?

To know that He is in control

To know that He has been given all authority

To know that He is willing to help me in moments of temptation

To know that He is willing to give me grace when I sin

We must understand Jesus’ identity, and truths about Him so that we can live victoriously!

Transition

We need God to open the eyes of our heart…

5. To get on board with His agenda

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.”

EXPLAIN

Even though Peter’s eyes were opened, and he knew Jesus’ identity, he still lacked clear sight.

His focus was still on Jesus building an earthly kingdom.

For the Messiah to die, meant to Peter that He was not the Messiah.

But that was because they did not yet understand the mystery of how God would redeem His people.

After Jesus rose from the dead, and explained to them how the OT prophesied about Him, THEN the disciples fully got it.

Jesus came not to provide military relief…

But to transform our hearts so that we would willingly follow and obey Jesus as Lord.

But in this moment, the disciples still lacked spiritual clarity to understand these things.

And yet, all they needed to know was that God had a plan, and they needed to get on board with it.

Interestingly, the disciples continued to follow Jesus…

and Jesus was willing to work through them and all their faults.

ILLUSTRATE

How many of you have been interviewed for a job?

What sorts of questions do they typically ask?

What are they trying to determine about you in the interview?

If you are a good fit for their company.

They are most interested in how you will help them achieve their goals.

If you come in to your mcdonalds interview and say, “I think Mcdonalds should make cell phones! I am going to design a cell phone that we can sell to our customers.”

You will not get the job.

They want people who are going to help them sell burgers.

Now, they may be interested in ways you can help them do that better, but you will not shift their focus away from food.

APPLY

When we are saved by God, we are joining His team.

We are not at liberty to set His agenda.

It is our responsibility to accomplish God’s goals and mission.

There will be unique ways each generation will seek to accomplish God’s mission…

But it is God’s mission we are to be concerned about.

What is God’s mission?

To make disciples of all nations

How has making disciples changed in the last 20 years? What sort of opportunities do we have to do that, that weren’t there a generation ago?

Evangelism through the use of technology

Prompt for small group time:

How have you felt challenged to pray that God would open your eyes?