Jesus, Messiah

The Gospel of Mark, 2024

Mark 8:22-30.

ETS: Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah.

ESS: We should rightly understand and confess Jesus as the Messiah, son of God, anointed One.

OSS: [Evangelistic with a consecrative undertone] {I want the hearers to rightly understand who Jesus is— Jesus Messiah— and surrender their lives to Him appropriately.}

PQ:

What are the subtle realities of this text?

UW:

Intro.: [AGS]: From Radical and Platt’s Blog, “We American Christians have a way of taking the Jesus of the Bible and twisting him into a version of Jesus that we are more comfortable with. A nice middle-class American Jesus. A Jesus who doesn’t mind materialism and would never call us to give away everything we have. A Jesus who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our comforts. A Jesus who wants us to be balanced, who wants us to avoid dangerous extremes, and who for that matter wants us to avoid danger altogether. A Jesus who brings comfort and prosperity to us as we live out our Christian spin on the American Dream.” (Platt, “My Take”)

Though you have read and heard these statistics before, I put them before you again— these statistics represent the beliefs of those within a 15 minute drive-time from our church according to recent research and data obtained from MSBC. I share these statistics to highlight this reality: most people in our community do not know the Jesus of the Bible.:

Most (58.2%) are unsure or strongly disagree that Jesus rose from the grave.

Most (61.8%) are unsure or openly say they do not know Jesus personally.

Most (66.9%) are unsure or strongly disagree that Jesus is the only way for salvation.

Most (71.9%) are unsure or strongly disagree that Jesus lived a sinless life on earth.

Most (61.6%) are unsure or strongly disagree with the Lordship and rule of Jesus.

Most (76.7) view Jesus as a good and wise moral teacher but nothing more.

Most (84.5%) view Jesus as only a great prophet.

Half (50.3%) are unsure or strongly disagree that Jesus was both divine and human.

Most (67.9%) are unsure or strongly disagree that Jesus was the expected Jewish Messiah.

Most (64%) agree that people in the church do not behave as Jesus would.

[TS]: Today’s text records Jesus providing physical healing for a blind man that proved beneficial and parallel for the spiritual lesson and healing needed of the disciples. From this encounter, we have the first person recorded in Mark’s Gospel to identify Jesus as the Messiah. [RS]: Each of us have our own idea of who Jesus is. As has already been stated, sadly, many Americans have a twisted view of Jesus that fits our culture and society— our way of life— but that does not fit the Jesus of the Bible, our Savior and Lord. The issue: It should be right the opposite. Rather than us trying to twist and fix Jesus to fit our lives, we should twist and fix our lives to fit Jesus. Which path have you taken in your life?

TS: Let us examine the subtle realities of the text together now:

The blind man’s sight was partially granted so that he could not clearly see people as they were. [vv. 22-24]

Noticing the sequencing of the text, I want to highlight a few important things to notice:

The friends of this blind man, likely people of faith having witnessed Jesus’ ability to heal, brought him to Jesus for healing, begging him to touch him.

Jesus took the blind man by the hand— He touched Him and led him out to a place outside the village.

Jesus spat on his eyes and laid hands on him.

The response of the man to the question is important: He did not gain instant, full, clear sight.

The blind man’s sight was fully granted so that he could clearly see people as they were. [vv. 25-26]

Jesus then placed His hands on the man’s eyes a second time and the man’s sight was fully restored.

This is the only account of Jesus’ healing not being an instant, immediate, and full healing. Some suggested this to symbolize the gradual opening of the eyes of the disciples rather than an instantaneous understanding.

Some translations (KJV, NKJV) include a further addition to v. 26 suggesting Jesus’ prohibiting the blind man from telling anyone. This is not present in the oldest, most reliable manuscripts, so modern English translations do not include this. Nonetheless, the reasoning for Jesus’ prohibiting the man from going into the village was to prevent two things:

A sensational response

A negative response from those who opposed Him and were out to kill Him.

The disciples were spiritually blind to who Jesus really was. [vv. 27-28]

This is a critical turning point. The disciples had been asking the question, “Who is this?” since chapter 4 when Jesus silenced the storm and calmed the sea. (Mk. 4:41 “41 And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!””)

As Akin pointed out, “The disciples give the popular opinions making the rounds (cf. Mk. 6:14-16 “14 King Herod heard about it, because Jesus’s name had become well known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that’s why miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “He’s Elijah.” Still others said, “He’s a prophet, like one of the prophets from long ago.” 16 When Herod heard of it, he said, “John, the one I beheaded, has been raised!””)

Some agreed with Herod Antipas that He was some kind of reincarnation of John the Baptist

Others judged He was Elijah, the prophetic forerunner before the eschatological “Day of the Lord” (Mal. 3:1, 4:5-6 “5 Look, I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.””)

Still others made a simpler clam: “He is one of the prophets,” perhaps the One promised by Moses (Deut. 18:15, 18 “18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.”)

As popular and brilliant as these answers and opinions were, Akin commented, “These were favorable assessments to be sure. Each is positive and affirming, much like those who today would applaud Him as a great moral teacher, the example all should emulate. They honor Him but misrepresent Him. They applaud Him while denying who He really is.” (Akin, “Exalting Jesus in Mark,” in The Christ-Centered Exposition, 172-173.)

Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah, seeing Jesus as He really was, the Son of God, the Anointed One. [vv 29-30]

Notice the stark contrast that turns the question from a general to a specific, pointed, and personal question. Similar to when you have heard me talk about evangelism and asking, “Who is Jesus to you?” — here, Jesus directly asked His disciples, “But you…who do you say that I am?” It is the inescapable, pertinent, and direct question that requires a personal and direct response.

We should also take notice of the importance of the geographical location that this happened. Akin commented, “Caesarea Philippi is an unlikely location for the first human proclamation of Jesus as the Messiah. It represents the outer regions of paganism, idolatry, and hostility to the Hebrew faith.” (Akin, 172.)

Notice that this is the pivotal point in the Gospel. Prior to now, the disciples followed Jesus, but they did not really grasp who He was. Earlier in this chapter, there is the record of Jesus feeding the four thousand and then the response of the Pharisees (unbelief) and the disciples. Mark 8:18-21 record the disappointment of Jesus towards the disciples. “18 Do you have eyes and not see; do you have ears and not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of leftovers did you collect?” “Twelve,” they told him. 20 “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you collect?” “Seven,” they said. 21 And he said to them, “Don’t you understand yet?””

Following these accounts, then, is the healing of the blind man and the encounter of Jesus with the disciples whereby the eyes of their hearts are opened to who He really is— the Messiah.

Response Questions:

[1] The question for us today is simply this: Do we really get who Jesus is?

He is not just another prophet

He is not Elijah

He is not John the Baptist

He is not a great moral teacher

HE IS THE MESSIAH, SON OF GOD, ANOINTED ONE WHO CAME TO SEEK AND TO SAVE THE LOST.

[2] Have you fit your life to match who Jesus is, or have you spent more time trying to twist the image of Jesus into something that fits your life?

Consulted Resources:

[1]R. Alan Cole, Mark: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 2, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1989).

[2]Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997).

[3] Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 1 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887).

[4] Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Matthew & Mark, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885).

[5] Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Mark, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2014).

[6] Ross H. McLaren, “Mark,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017).