POINT BLANK AND PATIENT

Today’s text is tailored to teach us that “Jesus is point blank with the spiritually blind and patient with the spiritual slow.”

JESUS IS POINT BLANK WITH THE SPIRITUALLY BLIND.

The spiritually blind are argumentative.

Mark 8:11 ESV

The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.

The word “came” {carries the idea of military rank}. They came to argue {to attempt to gain control of and the verb tense indicates a continual argument}. If someone is constantly wanting to argue, then there is a definite possibility they are not interested in learning!

The spiritually blind are arrogant.

“seeking a sign” {Both Jesus and the Pharisees knew that false prophets trafficked in the sensational. More miraculous signs would only begin to undermine His credibility}.

If Jesus would have yielded to their passion for a sensational display he would have made faith impossible it would have precluded a free personal acceptance of who he was. Their demand was a demonstration of their spiritual blindness. They were attempting to gain by empirical {observational} means what can only be gained by faith and trust. Faith that depends on proof is not faith but veiled doubt.

They continually sought a sign and yet one of their leaders Nicodemus said this to Jesus in

John 3:1–2 ESV

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

They had been given a sign and still they could not see the Savior. Unbelievers will demand a sign but reject one when they see it.

The word test does not mean an objective test to discover the merit of something, but an obstacle or stumbling block to discredit. They are not attempting to discover if Jesus is the Messiah but discredit His claim. This word test is used only 4 times in Mark’s Gospel. Three times concerning the Pharisees and one time concerning Satan. When spiritually blind seek to test God in this sense they are acting like their father Satan.

Jesus does not give them the sign they requested because He knows they are not seeking salvation. People don’t become believers through signs but by the Spirit.

John 6:44 ESV

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

The spiritually blind will be abandoned.

Mark 8:12–13 ESV

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.” And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.

The word for “sighed” is a rare word, occurring only here in the NT, and fewer than thirty times in all of Greek literature. It is not an expression of anger or indignation so much as of dismay or despair. It describes a person who finds themselves pushed to the limit of faithfulness. The antagonism of the Pharisees parallels the antagonism of the Israelites to Moses in the wilderness—and Jesus’ groaning in dismay seems to reflect God’s disgust with the bent and recalcitrant Israelites

Leaving is a definite moving away or departing. It was used in some context to describe a divorce, not a bad picture of what Jesus was doing! In the parallel Matthew the word left is meant He left them behind using a verb which also carried the idea of forsaking or abandoning.

JESUS IS PATIENT WITH HIS DISCIPLES.

Some people need some extra help, like the man who went into a bank and said he wanted some money. The teller asked him to make out a check. But the man would not do it. So the teller said, “If you won’t sign the check, I can’t give you any money.” The man went across the street to another bank, where the same conversation took place. But after this exchange the teller reached across the counter, took him by the ears, and banged his head three times on the counter. After which the man took out a pen and calmly signed a check. The man then returned to the first bank and said, “They gave me money across the street.” “How did that happen?” asked the teller. “They explained it to me!” answered the man

THE SPIRITUALLY SLOW NEED REPETITION.

Mark 6:30-7:37 is repeated in Mark 8:1-30. One obvious reason for this repetition is the slowness of the disciples.

Someone once said that “Repetition is the mother of learning”. Repetition of truth is needed because we are prone to repeat wrong behaviors. Repetition of truth is needed because we are prone not remember the Lord’s most recent activities.

Repetition is a wonderful and effective teacher. If you are a slow learner take heart you are in good company. Slow doesn’t mean you have learned nothing - it means your learning is negligible (small - almost unnoticeable). Slow to learn is not an excuse for such behavior only an explanation. We are like the disciples - they very rarely got it the first, second, or third time. If you are a slow learner take heart Jesus is patient with slow learners. However, do not mistake His patience as a pat on the back that you are good. Jesus does not condemn us for our slowness - he patiently confronts us.

Mark 8:14–15 ESV

Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

Don't miss the context. The disciples had just witnessed a striking confrontation between Jesus and the religious leaders and this is what they should have been discussing. Instead they are worried about only having one loaf of bread. I guess they thought “what could Jesus do with one loaf of bread?”.

Jesus interrupts their conversation with a caution - this word means to command with authority and the verb tense means he repeated this command. Notice his caution - Watch out {calls for mental alertness} Beware  {demands that one look attentively at the object called to one’s attention in order to avoid the danger that it presents} the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.

Notice their response to Jesus teaching

Mark 8:16 ESV

And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread.

Discussing indicates that they were repeating this over and over. So, Jesus is continually warning them about impending danger and they are continually discussing impending hunger.

Mark 8:17 ESV

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?

They were concerned over their lack of bread while Jesus was concerned about their lack of faith. Notice that Jesus does not treat them like He did the Pharisees. He does not abandon them. He is aware of their discussion - he is omniscience - he doesn’t know some things he knows everything! Jesus is not attacking them. He is helping them to apprehend. The Greek word for understand means {to put the pieces of the puzzle together and make sense out of the parts}. The disciples still saw only "puzzle pieces" but had so far failed to see the full picture.

They had become hardened to the spectacular. Scar tissue had begun to encase their heart. Not to the state that is was irreversible but enough that they missed the deeper points of Jesus teaching.

Mark 8:18 ESV

Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?

Are we as His disciples not just like the 12? Too often Jesus and His Spirit are at work in our life and yet we fail to see what He is doing. May we frequently pray Paul's great prayer in

Ephesians 1:18–19 ESV

having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might

Do you not remember? A common refrain throughout Scripture. Forgetting what the Lord has done is not a long term memory issue but often a short term one.

Memory is a horrible thing to lose, especially when it comes to the remembrances of the great and marvelous works which God has already wrought in each of our lives! It would be good for all of us to set up many "Ebenezers" ("stones of help")! (What does Ebenezer mean?) to aid our feeble memories of His good hand on us in our lives! We all do well to rehearse the times when the good hand of the Lord was clearly on us and bestowing grace upon grace in our times of need!

God’s people must retain and act on God’s truths.

Mark 8:19–20 ESV

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.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.”

The memory of the disciples was clear and accurate concerning the historical facts, but they had failed to deduce the appropriate spiritual truth from those facts. They yet failed to grasp the true significance of His Person.

Though they are slow their is great hope

Mark 8:21 ESV

And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Do you not yet understand? - Those two words “not yet” holds out real possibility that they to whom he trusted the message of salvation will know and understand.

Matthew's passage adds details, for there Jesus clearly tells the disciples what He was not speaking of literal bread, but of the leaven-like influence of the religious leaders. Mark does not tell us they understood, but Matthew's account says that finally they

Matthew 16:12 ESV

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.

Though they were slow to understand Jesus remained patient. Jesus demonstrates patience because he knows that though our understanding is slow it is sure.

THE SPIRITUALLY SLOW NEED A REPEATED TOUCH.

Saying {He said this over and over again}

In Matthew’s account Jesus said they were of little faith.

Matthew 16:8 ESV

But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?

Jesus does not teach us to increase our faith by simply trying harder to believe. He increases faith by increasing their understanding. Faith is not separate from understanding, but possible only through understanding.  Jesus knows we want get it the first time. The redeemed life is a life of repetition. “Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life”. Are we not so much like these 12? We read a passage over and over with little to no understanding and then one day the Spirit opens our eyes and we see the spiritual lesson it has for our life!

Jesus helps His disciples and us to understand that our faith grows by the continued touch of Jesus.

Mark 8:22–25 ESV

And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 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?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

Scripture is duplicitous concerning time. It reminds us that time is fleeting, that we are to number our days, and redeem the time. All of which we should do and yet it teaches us that omnipotence works gradually.

Moses waited 40 years in Midian before the Lord gave him his great calling. Many years passed between David’s anointing as king and his assuming the throne. Paul waited some 14 years between his conversion and his entrance upon his apostolic ministry. And times without number Holy Scripture reminds us that, as Rome was not built in a day, so faith and Christlikeness are not built in a Christian life in a day, a week, a year, or a decade.

Gradual growth is not an excuse for such sluggish progress but an explanation. Gradual growth is not a reason to put your hands behind your head and put your feet up on the table. It is a realization which helps us to move forward knowing that our path is not swift but slow and steady. Its not immediate but intermittent. Gradual growth reminds us that our progress comes as a result of the continued touch of Jesus.