Spiritual Blindness-Mark 8:11-13; Matthew 16:1-4

As we begin this morning, go ahead and turn in your copies of God’s Word to Mark chapter 8. This morning we will be looking at verses 11-13. You may also want to put a mark in Matthew chapter 16, verses 1-4 as Matthews account of this Biblical event adds a few details not recorded in Mark’s account.

Last Sunday morning in the message entitled A Feast for the Gentile Crowd, from Mark 8:1-10, we watched as Jesus delivered one last message to the 12, of His great love for the Gentile world. Painting a picture for them, through feeding as many as 15,000 Gentiles with 7 loaves of bread and a few fish. After all of the people had eaten to satisfaction, they collected 7 baskets of leftovers, each basket so large a man could fit in it. The people had been with Jesus for 3 days and some would have likely gone without food for the entire time. The disciples appeared not at all concerned for their well being, as none of them mentioned their hunger for the 3 days they had been with them. While a few months earlier, it took less than one day, with a Jewish crowd, before they approached Jesus about the hunger of the crowd. As I have mentioned a few times over the past few weeks, it was now just a few short months before Jesus would be laying His life down on the cross, paying the penalty for the sins, not just of the Jews, but also for the Gentiles, and it was imperative that the disciples overcome their hatred for the Gentile world.

Our key action points from last Sunday were;

It is not up to us to decide to whom we bring God’s Message of Love, it is up to Him. Our only job is to be obedient to His leading.

Jesus see things we are not able to see, and He knows our needs better than we do. We can trust His perfect plan!

God doesn’t need any of us to accomplish His will, but He choses to give us the privilege of being His Hands and feet.

Now, before we dive into this mornings passage, let’s go before the Lord in prayer.

Our most gracious and loving heavenly Father,

We come before You this morning knowing that because we “have been redeemed”, we “have a song we love to sing”, a song “of our Redeemer, Savior, King”. And because of our redemption, “we will glory in our Savior’s Name”. We “have a Christ Who satisfies”, and “to do His will is our greatest prize”, “since we have been redeemed”.

And Father, may we now “have a witness bright and clear, Dispelling ev’ry doubt and fear, since we have been redeemed”. And may we rejoice, knowing we “have a home prepared for us, where we shall live eternally, since we have been redeemed.”

All of this causes us to sing, “Thank You Jesus for the blood applied”. Acknowledging that we were once dead in our trespasses and sin. “Wretched” and “blind” … running out of timed” with no hope, except that which You provided on the cross. Where You “paid the debt we owe, broke our chains and made us whole”. What a wonderous mystery we behold, that Jesus, “the theme of heaven’s praises”, would be “robed in frail humanity … took on flesh to ransom us”, though there was “no trace of stain of sin”, Christ was the “great and sure fulfillment … hung upon a tree, in the stead of ruined sinners, slain by death, the God of life”. But praise God, “no grave could e'er restrain Him, Praise the Lord He is alive … Christ in power resurrected”

O our God, we come before you this morning, the most fortunate of all, because, while at one time we were ruined sinners, because of Your blood, and “Nothing but the blood” we come before you free from the chains of sin and death.

Now Father, we pray that as we read Your Word, You would open our eyes, that we won’t miss specific truths You have for us this morning. That You, through the Holy Spirit, would open the eyes of our mind, give us understanding of Your Word. Then, Father, we commit to taking these Words, and applying them to our lives, that we would be changed by our time here this morning. We pray all this in the Name of Jesus, our Savior, Amen

Now, will you please stand, in honor of the reading of God’s Word? Again, we will be reading Mark 8:11-13

Mark 8:11–21 (ESV)

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.

May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of His Word, please be seated.

When last we saw Jesus and the Disciples, they were on the southeastern side of the Sea of Galilee. You can see on the map where Decapolis is located. In looking at the map, we get a picture of what took place after Jesus’ last encounter with the Pharisees. We will discuss that encounter later this morning, but for now let’s take a look at the journey on which Jesus took the 12. Just for sake of review;

What do we believe was largely the purpose behind this journey from Capernaum?

(In-depth training of the 12 for ministry in His absence, and in particular, giving them a picture of His deep love for all mankind, including the Gentiles, as well as to open their eyes to their own disdain for Gentiles).

We first see them journey from Capernaum all the way up to the coastal city of Tyre. Do you recall what took place there?

What took place while they were in Tyre?

(Casting a demon out of the Syrophoenician woman’s little girl.)

What are some specifics we know about the nationality and heritage of this woman?

(She was a Gentile, a Canaanite, and ultimately was from the same bloodline as that of the wicked Jezebel.)

From there they journeyed north 20 miles to the coastal city of Sidon. Scripture gives us no indication of what took place while there, just that they made the trip. From looking at the life of Jesus from the pages of Scripture, we see that Jesus was constantly seeking the Face of the Father. It seems clear to me that while we don’t know what took place in Sidon, they made the northward journey because of a divine appointment. Perhaps when we are in heaven we will be provided with an explanation.

From there Jesus and the 12 headed East and South to the Gentile Region of Decapolis.

What was the first thing they did once arriving in Decapolis?

(Jesus healed many, including opening the ears and loosed the tongue of a deaf mute.)

By the way, do you recall;

How was Jesus received the last time He was in Decapolis?

(They asked Him to leave)

How was He received this time?

(He was welcomed with open arms)

What is the likely reason for the change?

(The proclamation by the demon possessed man of what Jesus had done for him.)

What was the Nationality of the deaf mute & the others Jesus healed?

(Gentiles)

On the heels of these healings, what took place?

(Jesus fed as many as 12-15,000 with 7 loafs of bread and a few fish)

What was the nationality of those He fed?

(Gentiles)

Alright, let me ask one more time; What do we believe was largely the purpose behind this journey from Capernaum? (Let the 12 see how much Jesus loved the Gentiles, that they would one day faithfully and joyfully minister to them as well.)

Now, based on what we have been seeing over the last few weeks as we have watched Jesus seek to teach these valuable lessons to the 12 of His love for the Gentile nations, which for them has taken place over the course of several weeks, you would have thought that the twelve would have finally grasped this important lesson. However, this was not the case. In Acts chapter 11, we see that it took 3 visions from God before Peter was willing to obediently go and be the Lords witness to a Roman Centurion named Cornelius.

But in the end, practically every one of the Apostles gave their lives bringing the Gospel to gentiles.

That brings us to this morning’s passage, when Jesus and the Apostles return to areas inhabited by the Jews. No sooner do they get to the shore than;

Opposition Awaits; Pharisees & Sadducees Mark 8:11; Mt. 16:1.

In Mark’s account he only highlights the Pharisees, but we find out in Matthews account that there were also Sadducees.

Now you need to understand something as we look at the opposition Jesus was facing this day. The Pharisees and Sadducees hated one another, passionately hated one another. In most instances they wanted nothing to do with one another, and when they were together, huge disputes would break out. But the only one they hated more than each other, was Jesus. He was their arch enemy. The Pharisees knew that if they didn’t stop Jesus, He would completely altar the religious system they had establish. Everywhere He went, huge crowds followed, crowds that used to follow them. The Sadducees also knew that if Jesus wasn’t stopped, this would also drastically change things for them. They were the ones who ran the money making ventures in the temple in Jerusalem.

Do you remember towards the beginning of Jesus ministry when He cleared the temple of the money changes and those selling animals for the sacrifice? That was all ran buy the Sadducees. Try as you may to bring an unblemished animal to the temple, rest assured they’d find something wrong with it, even if they made their own blemish. Then they charged exorbitant prices on the animals they provided. They had also determined that the Roman coins the people used for everything else they bought, were defiled and unusable in the temple. You could only use special temple coins. Guess who you purchased the temple coins from? You guessed it, from the Sadducees, and they went for a premium. So when Jesus cleared the temple, it was their money making system He was attacking!

Yes both wanted Jesus gone, so they temporarily put aside their hatred for each other to come against a common enemy, Jesus.

Do you remember Jesus last encounter with the Pharisees in Mark 7?

What were some of the accusations Jesus made against them?

(Jesus begins by calling them “hypocrites” who “honor Me with their lips but their hearts far from Me”. He accused them of worshipping God “in vain”. Telling them they “leave the commandments of God and hold to the traditions of men” Traditions they had helped establish. Going so far as saying “thus making VOID the Word of God”.)

The next thing we see of the Pharisees and Sadducees is;

They Demanded a Sign From Heaven. Mark 8:11; Matthew 16:1

By this time Jesus had performed too many miracles to count. He’d;

Turned the water into wine.

Cleansed multiple lepers, whom He touched without becoming unclean!

Healed the paralyzed.

Healed a man with a withered hand.

Given sight to the blind.

Opened the ears of the deaf.

Loosed the tongue of the mute.

Instantly calmed the wind and the waves during a ferocious storm with nothing more then the words “Peace, be still”.

Cast demons out of many, including thousands of demons out of one man.

Healed a woman with a 12 year discharge of blood, when all she did was touch the hem of His robe.

Raised the dead.

Fed as many as 25,000 with 5 small barley loaves and 2 small fish.

Walked on water, oh, and calmed the storm while at the same time instantly appearing on the other side of the sea!

Fed as many as 15,000 Gentiles with 7 loaves of bread and a few fish.

Yet now here these pagan leaders are, demanding a sign.

Here is what was at play in what they were asking for on this occasion.

Do you remember who they credited Jesus miracles to in the past?

They said He did it by the power of Satan. They knew their Jewish history.

Do you recall, all the way back when Moses stood before the Pharoah, what the magicians and sorcerers did on several occasions when Moses worked miracles?

(They also worked miracles). It was the belief of the Pharisees that magicians and sorcerers had the ability to perform some miracles by the power of Satan, but they had no ability to work miracles in the heavens. They had heard of the mighty works of men of God in the past, works that took place in the skies above. How;

A pillar of smoke led Moses and the Nation of Israel by day, and a pillar of fire at night.

How Joshua made the sun to stand still.

How Elijah brought fire down from heaven to consume the sacrifice, as well as the altar!

They felt they were worthy of such a miracle. In my mind, it’s a good thing Jesus didn’t call fire down from heaven, they’d a been toast…. or is it roast?

By the way, most theologians believe that even if Jesus would have given them some sort of sign in the heavenlies, they still would have refused to believe. Because on at least 2 occasions miracles did take place in the heavenlies. One directly after His baptism, when the heavens split open, the Heavenly Father spoke from heaven, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove. The second was when the storm immediately ceased, the winds stopped blowing and the waves were instantly calmed by nothing more than the words “Peace, be still!”

I guess the question we need to ask is;

Were the Pharisees and Sadducees really seeking an answer in their demand for a sign?

The answer to the question is seen in Mark 8:11 & Matthew 16:1

Matthew 16:1 (ESV)

1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Him they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven.

I think almost everyone has experienced questions from others where it was clear that the one asking the question was more interested in debating or arguing, than they were in actually finding the answer to a question, and that is exactly what is taking place in this Biblical account.

Which brought from Jesus a;

The Sigh of The Savior. Mark 8:12

We also saw Jesus sigh in chapter 7 verse 34, in response to the suffering deaf man. But the compound form of the expression here was an even stronger emotion. The chosen and willful spiritual blindness of these so-called religious leaders broke the heart of Jesus. While these religious leaders hated Jesus, He didn’t return hatred for hatred, instead, He loved them. But their continual willful disobedience brought a rebuke from Jesus.

“Why does this generation seek a sign?”

This response of Jesus is not just aimed at the Pharisees and Sadducees, but to all those who followed their apostate teaching. This included the vast majority of the Nation of Israel. Jesus goes on to say in Matthews account;

No Sign For Them, except The Sign of Jonah. Matthew 16:4

Matthews in Matthew 16, elaborates more than what we see in Marks accounts. there we read;

Matthew 16:2–3 (ESV)

He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’

3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

John MacArthur writes; “Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky,” Jesus asked them, “but cannot discern the signs of the times?” Both the Pharisees and Sadducees were proud of their religious heritage and considered themselves experts on the things of God. But despite their religious training and positions, their primitive and limited knowledge of weather was far superior to their knowledge of God. “Your sensitivity to weather,” Jesus said in effect, “makes a mockery of your insensitivity to God’s kingdom. You have no idea of what God is doing in the world. You are oblivious to the times in which you are privileged to live, the very times of redemption by God’s own Son, before whom you now stand.” It was the beginning of the messianic age that Jews had long hoped for, but those Jewish leaders did not recognize it. They were better weathermen than biblical scholars (cf. Luke 12:54–56). They were “blind guides of the blind” (Matt. 15:14). In Matthew 23, Jesus labeled them blind guides (vv. 16, 24) and blind fools (v. 17).

John F. MacArthur Jr., Matthew, vol. 3, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1985), 6.

It is actually quite difficult to translate what we see in our copies of God’s Word in the phrase “…no sign will be given to this generation”. If it was translated literally, we would read; “If shall be given to this generation a sign—!” The open ended conclusion of this statement leads many to conclude it to match common Hebrew oaths which would usually end with “May God punish me” of “May God strike me dead!” Jesus wasn’t about to give them a sign, he understood how hardened their hearts were, so hard that even if He provided such a sign, they would still refuse to believe.

In Matthew account, we also read; Matthew 16:4

Matthew 16:4 (ESV)

An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So He left them and departed.

If you go back to Matthew 12, Jesus talks about the sign of Jonah, comparing it to His own resurrection. “Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” By the way, if you’re wondering why Mark’s account makes no mention of the “sign of Jonah”. Since he was writing to the Gentiles, they would have likely had no idea what was meant by the “sign of Jonah”.

As a result of their hardened unbelieving hearts we see;

The Rejecting are Rejected. Mark 8:13; Matthew 16:4

Reading on we read that Jesus left them and went to the other side.

R. Kent Hughes writes; “What a terrible thing it is to have Christ turn His back on you and sail away. But that is ultimately what He does to those who continually refuse His revelation. There comes a time when He gives no more signs, no more help to understand.” R. Kent Hughes, Mark Volume One-Jesus, Servant and Savior; page 189 Crossway Books

The Apostle Paul addressed this in Romans 1:28

Romans 1:28 (ESV)

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

After this encounter, there is an important shift in the ministry of Jesus, from this point forward, He spends the vast majority of His time with the disciples and left the region of Galilee, thus ending His public ministry in that region. He did return to Galilee, but He did so secretly, the door of opportunity had now closed for Galilee, as well as for the religious leaders in that region. Jesus now moved His focus from that region to the regions of Judea and Jerusalem and set His face towards the cross. And for the most part He spent most of His time with His disciples and others who already believed in Him, and John MacArthur writes “He gave no more arguments or signs for unbelievers, only additional truth for those who believed.”

This brings us to you and me today, whether you are here at church today, or watching this online. And the question for us is, do we fit anywhere in this account? Whether it be the hardened hearts of the Pharisees and Sadducees, individuals steeped in religious teaching, with a better than average understanding of what is recorded in the pages of the Bible. But the things we learned never made the short journey from our heads to our hearts.

Or maybe your more like those in the region of Galilee, raised in the church, walking through the doors Sunday after Sunday, but never having been transformed by the truths of the Word of God unfolded before us each week.

There comes a time for anyone in either of these situations, where God says, enough is enough. I’ve given you ample time to embrace the truths of the good news of what Jesus accomplished for you on the cross, and you have, over and over again turned your back on these truth's. I am now turning My back on you.

If you can relate to either of these scenarios, the time is now to seek the Face of God, that He would come into your heart, a heart once hardened, and transform you from the inside out.

Let’s close our time in prayer.